Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold [Paperback]

Alisa Kwitney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

Everything that has happenedor ever will happencan be found in the Book of Destiny, brother to the Sandman. The information contained on even a single page would be priceless, if mortals ever had the chance to see it. Now, an enigmatic stranger offers salvation to a lonely young woman in a plague-ravaged community when he announces that he has a page from the Book of Destiny. Suggested for mature readers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563895056
• ISBN-13: 978-1563895050
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,305,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and recall the days when there were fewer strollers and more trannies on roller skates in Riverside Park. I have an MFA from Columbia University (though only a dim recollection of what I did to get it).

I have worked as a veterinarian's assistant, a Hebrew teacher, and a comic book editor for Vertigo/DC comics. I have also written some comic books. And I still have all my old Shanna the She Devil issues.

Somebody at Vera Wang once called me "the stupidest receptionist we've ever had." I only worked there for one day.

I currently live in an old farmhouse two hours from Manhattan, with my husband, two kids, two burmese cats and a big Chinook (the dog, not the helicopter).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing Destiny, September 29, 2004

By 

Brendan Mcentee "obscureb" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold (Paperback)

There are people that do Neil Gaiman's world well (Mike Carey and Jill Thompson are two that come quickly to mind). Alisa Kwitney, a former editor at Vertigo attempts to tell the story of our near-future where the bubonic plague has struck and killed off most of the world's population a la Stephen King's "The Stand." Narrated by Ruth, Kwitney's stand-in, the story wants to be a meditation on what it is like to live simply because one is alive. Into this mix (and to justify the comic) appears a "mysterious stranger" who has a book that contains a stolen page from Destiny's book. How the page was stolen, how it pertains to the plague and the previous plagues through the centuries, plus the random appearances of Destiny of the Endless become the bulk of this bulky sloppy book. There is a story in here SOMEWHERE, but Kwitney seems to confuse her shallows with her depths with characters who are obvious archetypes. We've seen this story before, better written, with more clarity and skill than Kwitney delivers. The fact of her familiarity through her editing work on (or near) the Vertigo books DOESN'T make her writer of greater insight into the Sandman's world, which is really why anyone would pick this book up in the first place. For a read on a character that steps out and stands alone without losing any of the magic of the world of Sandman and the Endless, try "The Furies," which follows the story of Lyta Hall, the distraught former mother and destructor of the Sandman. That story is handled with grace, creating a new and unique story which doesn't attempt to force the history of another writer's book into its own. Ultimately, "Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold" acts as a crass attempt to capitalize on the Vertigo character. In a better writer's hands, who knows? But in Kwitney's: you're destined to be disappointed.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Story, April 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold (Paperback)

While this collection seemed to skimp on details in a few places, it was a nice read for someone still wanting more Sandman stories. However, the art is very nice, and appropriate for such a dark tale.

2 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a collection of DC's three-part prestige mini series, April 5, 2000

By 

Sik Yan Choi - See all my reviews

This review is from: Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold (Paperback)

Written by Alisa Kwitney, this book is beautifully painted by, Kent Williams, the cover art and framing sequence artist, Michael Zulli in part one, Scott Hampton in part two and Revecca Guay in part three. This time, Kent renders his works mainly with pencils and watercolor washes.