On a Pale Horse

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I write book reviews. To be honest, I don't think my reviews have been that good. Looking back, the crucial element for books - for any piece of art - is how they make you feel, both during and after the experience.

I first read On A Pale Horse almost 40 years ago, when it was freshly published. I was in my early twenties; not the most sophisticated age. But even then I could tell that Piers Anthony wasn't a terribly sophisticated author. There was a touch of something cloying and creepy about some of his writing.

That said, On A Pale Horse basically worked for me. Set in a modern world of both technology and magic, it had amusing innovations for the time. Since then, of course, that sort of mixed-genre fiction has become considerably more popular. But back then it was relatively new. I should note that Neil Gaiman's classic The Sandman came out three years after On A Pale Horse!

The protagonist is Zane, a young man who's down on his luck. After an unfortunate experience (the last of many), he goes home and decides to end it all - but through a quirk of events, ends up becoming the incarnation of Death.

I'd rather have avoided spoilers, and I'll do the best I can - but there's no way to describe the book at all without going into the basic concept. Certain natural forces in the world are personified as Incarnations, and Death is one of them - although this isn't known to most ordinary inhabitants. The new Death is quickly plunged into a deadly struggle and into love. Meanwhile he must learn how to handle his new role and develop confidence in his abilities.

There are moments of relatively mild corniness (compared to later works by Anthony), and tinges of cringeworthy sexism (which got MUCH worse as Anthony grew older). But the denouement is really pretty satisfying. I remembered this book with mild fondness for decades, and reread it several times over the years.

BUT. Although Piers Anthony wrote and published the rest of the series, my initial experience with the next book in the series, Bearing An Hourglass, was absolutely painful. I couldn't get through more than the first few chapters. It wasn't until a few days ago that I tried it again. And Lord, it was even worse than I remembered! I managed to finish it, but I'm sitting here shaking my head at the sheer cringeworthiness of it. So if you're hoping to find a series worth reading, I don't think this is it. But On A Pale Horse stands well enough by itself, and it's a fun read. I suspect that it's more suited to YA readers, though.

WARNING: Piers Anthony is a controversial author. There's a juvenile quality to his work that can be hard to take. But far worse is his attitude towards sex. He is, to put it bluntly, creepy. In some of his books underage and overage characters end up dating or having sex - or at the least going insanely over the top with innuendo. That tendency became progressively worse as Anthony got older. Oh, and he also loves puns - particularly in the Xanth series, which is undoubtedly his most famous. You Have Been Warned.