Incarnations of Immortality by Piers Anthony

I recently read "Being a Green Mother" by Piers Anthony. This is the fifth and final book in the series "Incarnations of Immortality." Since I read the rest of the books last year, before I started this blog and doing book reviews, I decided I'm going to try to briefly tell you a little bit about the entire series!

Piers Anthony sets this series on earth, but it's a earth very different from the one that you and are familiar with! Here magic and science both hold their own power, and different people live their lives based more on one or the other. Time, War, Death, Earth, and Fate are all not only real forces, they are offices held by people! Each book in the series focuses on a different one of these Incarnations, starting with them obtaining their office, and following them as they take their part in the fight between Good and Evil.



The five books are, in order: "On a Pale Horse" - where we meet Death (and he has a concsious!), "Bearing and Hourglass" - where we learn that the office of Time is much more confusing than you or I would have imagined, "With a Tangled Skein" - the life of the incarnation of Fate is rather a twisted path, "Wielding a Red Sword" - where we learn that even War has a heart, and lastly, "Being a Green Mother" - where we see the great responsibility that Gaea has in managing the earth.

I love this series because it takes concepts that may be familiar to many of us, especially those who've been around the fantasy world for any time, and then twists them! The stories are convoluted, but compelling. Oh yes, and did I mention Piers Anthony has a fantastic sense of humor?