The Rebel Faction

The Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony?

Its listed as Fantasy but its got just as much science in it than any science fiction novel I've read. What throws it into the Fantasy genre is the fact that at somepoint in the book worlds timeline magic was rediscovered and scientificaly verified, and at the time it was, long forgotten magical creatures returned to fore.

So now you have Car companies dealing advertisement wars with Magic Carpet companies. Laws making Dragon Hunting Illegal becuase of too effective Bazoka toting hunters. All sorts of enchantments and spells substituting normal parts of life (I personally enjoyed a rebel battle of Tanks and Jets fighting a group of summoned Flying chinese dragons).

This is a Seven book set, but Ive only just finished book Two as it is, and really cant wait to start the next, a very entertaining read!



In Pursuit of the Ultimate Good

After an overwhelming succession of tragedies, life has finally, mercifully ended for Orlene, once-mortal daughter of Gaea.

Joined in Afterlife by Jolie -- her protector and the sometime consort of Satan himself -- together they seek out a third: Vita, a very contemporary mortal with troubles, attractions, and an unsettling moral code uniquely her own.

An extraordinary triumvirate, they embark on a great quest to reawaken the Incarnation of Good in a world where evil reigns -- facing challenges that will test the very fiber of their beings with trials as numerous, as mysterious, and as devastating as the Incarnations themselves.


Tackling An Ultimate Question
May 5, 2001
Reviewer: da_dolphin_boy from Rochester Hills, MI USA

"And Eternity" is the last book of the "Incarnations of Immortality" series which takes place in a version of our reality where magic holds equal status with science, and each major aspect of reality - death, time, fate, war, nature, good, evil - is run by an ex-mortal who has, by choice or chance, inherited the job of running that aspect.

Many atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and disillusioned semi-believers have asked how an all-powerful, all-knowing, and caring God can allow the world to be as bad as it sometimes is. In "And Eternity", Piers Anthony tackles that question head-on. His answer is that, while God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and caring, He is also passive and self-absorbed. In the story, that is about to change, as the current occupant of the office of God has been voted out and a replacement is being sought. What are the qualifications? How flawed can someone be and still be a candidate? How will the rules and criteria change with the change in office-holder?

This is not dry, heavy-duty, philosophical reading, but takes a semi-humorous, semi-serious look at all these questions. It's a fast-paced, fun read, and makes an excellent ending to the series. By the way, as many of the characters in the series recur throughout, it works much better if you read the books in sequence. Seven books might sound like a lot of reading, but it's all fun, interesting, and coherent. You won't be wasting your time.

When Zane shot Death, he learned, too late, that he would have to assume his place, speeding over the world riding his pale horse, and ending the lives of others.

That sounds like something out of Discworld.

In Discworld, Death 'retires' to become a farm hand :grin

I'll have to try and check these books out. They sound like my kind of thing.

And yes, Pearl Jam.

I've heard of this series, it's got some great cover art, but I've never read any yet

*blinks*

Not my type of reading, sorry.