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Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold #1-3
Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold
In the plague-riddled years of the early twenty-first century, the inhabitants of a small village live in fear until an enigmatic stranger arrives, offering a prophetic glimpse at the Book of Destiny, and the hope of salvation.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
8 people are currently reading
444 people want to read
About the author
Alisa Kwitney
103 books191 followersI'm the author of YA, graphic novels and novels for adults who still feel young, at least most of the time. Recent works include GILT, a graphic novel about time-traveling women of a certain age; Cadaver & Queen, a YA Feminist Frankenstein meets Grey's Anatomy tale, and Mystik U from DC Comics, which features Zatanna and other magical characters in their first year at college. I also co-host a Sandman podcast, The Endless, with Lani Diane Rich.
My first novel, Till the Fat Lady Sings, is also about college and romance and eating disorders. (It was my thesis at Columbia University's MFA Program, where I felt like an outlier for liking comic books and romance as much as literature.) I was an editor at Vertigo, the mature/dark fantasy branch of DC Comics, before going freelance. (I've also written two hormonal werewolf books as Alisa Sheckley.)
I live near the Vanderbilt Estate in Hyde Park, NY, with two dogs and a frightening number of books.
aka Alisa Sheckley
My first novel, Till the Fat Lady Sings, is also about college and romance and eating disorders. (It was my thesis at Columbia University's MFA Program, where I felt like an outlier for liking comic books and romance as much as literature.) I was an editor at Vertigo, the mature/dark fantasy branch of DC Comics, before going freelance. (I've also written two hormonal werewolf books as Alisa Sheckley.)
I live near the Vanderbilt Estate in Hyde Park, NY, with two dogs and a frightening number of books.
aka Alisa Sheckley
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
October 14, 2025
This is led by of the Endless (from the pages of Sandman), Destiny. The tales of Destiny and his connection to John Ryder; and the big plagues that humankind underwent in the last 2,500 years, from Byzantine to a fictitious plague in the early 21st century. Interesting concept, is the best thing I can say about this Two Star, 5 out of 12 read.
2013 read
2013 read
May 12, 2009
"I see the end in every beginning. I hear the last word echo in the first. I do not desire, or dream, or destroy. I do not despair, or delight. I know."
There are people who create wonders with Gaiman's world and his creations in the Sandman universe (Bill Willingham and Caitlin Kiernan 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. This is with the use of the character Destiny, the oldest of The Endless.
Destiny is portrayed as a tall figure, obscured within a purple or brown robe and cowl. He reads from a large book, originally known as the Cosmic Log, chained to his right wrist, which contains all past, present, and future events. He does not leave footprints, nor does he cast a shadow. Destiny is blind, although this doesn't appear to hinder him and it has been stated that, opposed to simply being blind, Destiny '...sees everything.' He is always calm, detached, and somber even in extreme situations.
Everything that has happened or will ever happen can be found in the Book of Destiny, brother to the Sandman or Dream. 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.
Destiny is shown transforming the son of Byzantine Empress Theodora into a pestilence-bearing Horseman of the Apocalypse. The Horseman spreads bubonic plague throughout eras of human civilization while searching for a woman he can love and spare.
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 book. There is a story in here lost somewhere, but Kwitney seems to piled on everything at one with her characters who are obvious archetypes.
Book Details:
Title Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold
Author Alisa Kwitney
Reviewed By Purplycookie
There are people who create wonders with Gaiman's world and his creations in the Sandman universe (Bill Willingham and Caitlin Kiernan 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. This is with the use of the character Destiny, the oldest of The Endless.
Destiny is portrayed as a tall figure, obscured within a purple or brown robe and cowl. He reads from a large book, originally known as the Cosmic Log, chained to his right wrist, which contains all past, present, and future events. He does not leave footprints, nor does he cast a shadow. Destiny is blind, although this doesn't appear to hinder him and it has been stated that, opposed to simply being blind, Destiny '...sees everything.' He is always calm, detached, and somber even in extreme situations.
Everything that has happened or will ever happen can be found in the Book of Destiny, brother to the Sandman or Dream. 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.
Destiny is shown transforming the son of Byzantine Empress Theodora into a pestilence-bearing Horseman of the Apocalypse. The Horseman spreads bubonic plague throughout eras of human civilization while searching for a woman he can love and spare.
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 book. There is a story in here lost somewhere, but Kwitney seems to piled on everything at one with her characters who are obvious archetypes.
Book Details:
Title Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold
Author Alisa Kwitney
Reviewed By Purplycookie
June 15, 2017
The story is too complex for my taste, but I supposed others can find the mystery and interconnected nature of the stories enjoyable. The artwork isn't very consistent, give that several artists were involved, but I can't say it was bad. All in all, a good book, but without a definite conclusion.
The world is plunged in a plague. The remaining people are reticent when it comes to strangers and live isolated lives. So when a stranger who calls himself John Ryder comes to one such community, the people are afraid and dismiss his claims that he has a book that can save their destiny.
He reads the book to the gathered people about a plague in antiquity. 100 million people are dead from the plague and the emperor is also sick. His wife employs witchcraft to save him, but a demon takes residence in his body. The second story takes place in the middle ages where the plague will be called the Black Death. Even with news of a terrible malady in Europe, the british go on with their petty feuds and intrigues. The third story takes place during the 1600s.
The world is plunged in a plague. The remaining people are reticent when it comes to strangers and live isolated lives. So when a stranger who calls himself John Ryder comes to one such community, the people are afraid and dismiss his claims that he has a book that can save their destiny.
He reads the book to the gathered people about a plague in antiquity. 100 million people are dead from the plague and the emperor is also sick. His wife employs witchcraft to save him, but a demon takes residence in his body. The second story takes place in the middle ages where the plague will be called the Black Death. Even with news of a terrible malady in Europe, the british go on with their petty feuds and intrigues. The third story takes place during the 1600s.
May 28, 2017
Ohh... a graphic novel featuring Destiny of the Endless! How exciting given how little attention he tends to receive. In this companion work, pages of Destiny's book have been stolen, the thief becomes pestilence, and stuff happens? Readers are told stories about different eras of the plague which is neat, but the narrative is a mite unclear. There is the potential for a great story in this book, but I feel like it needed stronger editing and more pages to get where it needed to go. Still worth a read if you can track down a copy though.
December 15, 2021
Hyvin pandemia-aikoihin sopiva Sandman-spinoffi. Vähän epätasainen kokonaisuus, mutta hyvät hetket tässä olivat kyllä erittäin toimivia.
October 31, 2015
I liked it, and it was a great creepy choice for Halloween with a lot of striking moments, but in the end it didn't really go anywhere.
October 22, 2020
"Destiny does not strike bargains. Do you not understand what I am? I see the end in every beginning I hear the last word echo in the first. I do not desire, or dream, or destroy. I do not despair, or delight. I KNOW."
This is a masterful telling of the Destiny and the fate of one man known as John Ryder. It is present day and a plague has struck the world. A stranger named John Ryder meets Ruth, a survivor, telling her he will take care of her horse, Paladin, who has miraculously survived. He goes to town to meet the other survivor and relates to them the tale of a page ripped from the Book of Destiny, which contains three stories from the past, one in each issue.
The first story is about John Ryder's mother and her bargain with Destiny, culminating in the Justinian Plague. We are left to infer that John is the pale rider known as Pestilence. Starved for entertainment, the townsfolk listen to John's second tale of King Edward's daughter, the knight on a white steed named Paladin who tries to save her and the beginnings of the Black Plague. The final story is about a puritan girl called Emmot. living in the rustic country side with her puritan family during the time when the black death was raging in London. In a way this is a convoluted allegory about choice versus predestination, and how, despite his yearning to change everything, John Ryder has done nothing but continue what is meant to happen anyhow.
The writing is very well done, Gaiman like in exposition and profound in its own way. The author has a great grasp of the language and uses it beautifully to paint pictures that aren't done justice by the sub-par art work. The ending is a little ambiguous, but still fitting with the theme of the story. Very enjoyable. Easily 5 stars if the art were better.
This is a masterful telling of the Destiny and the fate of one man known as John Ryder. It is present day and a plague has struck the world. A stranger named John Ryder meets Ruth, a survivor, telling her he will take care of her horse, Paladin, who has miraculously survived. He goes to town to meet the other survivor and relates to them the tale of a page ripped from the Book of Destiny, which contains three stories from the past, one in each issue.
The first story is about John Ryder's mother and her bargain with Destiny, culminating in the Justinian Plague. We are left to infer that John is the pale rider known as Pestilence. Starved for entertainment, the townsfolk listen to John's second tale of King Edward's daughter, the knight on a white steed named Paladin who tries to save her and the beginnings of the Black Plague. The final story is about a puritan girl called Emmot. living in the rustic country side with her puritan family during the time when the black death was raging in London. In a way this is a convoluted allegory about choice versus predestination, and how, despite his yearning to change everything, John Ryder has done nothing but continue what is meant to happen anyhow.
The writing is very well done, Gaiman like in exposition and profound in its own way. The author has a great grasp of the language and uses it beautifully to paint pictures that aren't done justice by the sub-par art work. The ending is a little ambiguous, but still fitting with the theme of the story. Very enjoyable. Easily 5 stars if the art were better.
August 25, 2023
A somewhat directionless The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes spinoff involving a twenty-first century plague and a lot of flashbacks to previous plagues. It wasn't too long before I lost interest in the story.
Destiny was never the most interesting character in the series and his tangental use in this story didn't engage me.
Destiny was never the most interesting character in the series and his tangental use in this story didn't engage me.
January 3, 2023
You can read this without having read any of the Sandman books, likewise the 2 Death standalones. The main art by Kent Williams is, as ever, amazing. The individual stories are serviceable for art and the conflict between fate and agency is interesting, particularly in the midst of various plagues.
October 17, 2023
Los spin off de Sandman son bacanes o medios meh, este tenía una muy buena premisa, pero siento que le falto algo para dejar terminada satisfactoriamente la historia, siento que le falto algo aun no se que exactamente, pero se que falta.
Le doy puntos por lo bello del dibujo, visualmente es PRECIOSO, y le resto puntos por todos los flashbacks de la pandemia que este volumen me dio.
Le doy puntos por lo bello del dibujo, visualmente es PRECIOSO, y le resto puntos por todos los flashbacks de la pandemia que este volumen me dio.
January 30, 2026
Pretty art, interesting concept, good research into history, but a bit too bleak and open-ended for me to enjoy.
Destiny of the Endless has a herald who tries to escape his fate. Destiny doesn't promise, or bargain. The pale horseman rides. Plagues spread. Is knowledge the end of hope?
Destiny of the Endless has a herald who tries to escape his fate. Destiny doesn't promise, or bargain. The pale horseman rides. Plagues spread. Is knowledge the end of hope?
July 2, 2017
So, I need to read more graphic novels. This was an interesting and random selection; I now need another lifetime to explore the richness here as well. . .
September 9, 2017
3 stars for sandman, 4 for everything probably. It was an interesting story but felt a little too much like In Hell, & destiny could have been fleshed out better as a character
August 27, 2019
As sandman spinoffs go, this one is pretty good. I like the historical aspect of it. The whole book had a certain charm to it.
February 10, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. Great writing and a lovely blend of art styles. A rare "expanded universe" addition worth reading!
August 16, 2015
An Endless story of plague, apocalypse, and determinism- Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold is part historical fiction and part speculative fiction. The apocalyptical date given for the 4th great plague has come and gone, and thankfully we are all still here, but that does not take away from Alisa Kwitney's narrative. It may not hold up as strongly as the core members of the Sandman Series by Gaiman, yet held against itself, the work certainly has its merit as it takes its reader through the Byzantine empire into the Hundred Years' War and Jamestown in what appears at first as separate narratives that ultimately prove to be part of one grand tableau that is an homage to the diseases that shaped our earth and the people who struggled to not succumb to those plagues, a memento mori where Gaiman's Death need not even make a formal appearance.
November 13, 2011
I love almost anything written in the Sandman world as created by Neil Gaiman. And this is no exception. While it isn't quite as good as the actual Sandman series or Jill Thompson's Little Endless, it is an enjoyable read. The artwork is a bit more surreal than I generally enjoy, but considering the story takes place, in the main, in a post-apocalyptic plague world, it does fit the story very well. I enjoyed watching John Ryder travel through the years, looking for his lady in white. I also felt for Ruth - I couldn't imagine losing my boys, having to bury them. But I do like the redemption that she gets by the end of the book. All in all, it's a good read and another enjoyable view into the world of the Endless.
July 29, 2011
The plot line is one of those which could have been improved to create a great work of art,like Sanman.But the authors obsession with plagues makes it kind of boring.If you have nothing else to do,you could read it as a pass time activity but,No I don't believe it requires more of this.
November 28, 2008
Unusual format of a story and I'm not sure I quite understood the ending, but I very much liked it.
March 16, 2009
I loved the art, would give it 4 or 5 stars. Very beautiful. And some of the stories were interesting (2 out of 3 at least), but the ending was awful and confusing.
June 2, 2009
The structure of the book was lovely and the art lovelier. A perfect off-shoot from the Sandman series.
September 23, 2011
Felt like a sandman book to me.
March 12, 2010
Not quite up to par with The Sandman but I'm glad to have another piece of the epic. And it was good for what it was. A bit distressing but a great ending.
December 24, 2012
A Marvelous literary feat with splendid visual rendering only true blooded artists can do.
November 12, 2011
Sandman spin-off. I liked this story, but I've always been fascinated by the plagues of the old world... It's haunting and tragic but also has a lot of heart.
April 25, 2013
A page stolen from Destiny's book is the catalyst for these four tales of plague. Interesting story of the eldest of The Endless, the ultimate observer.
October 5, 2014
Meh. It was terribly interesting for many portions of it, but they didn't really explain things that were very necessary to the story.
July 6, 2017
Scary, hypochondriac inducing, blend of fact, fiction, predestination and plague. Ebola must be really freaking Alisa out.
October 19, 2015
Beautiful and haunting.
February 1, 2016
2 and 1/2
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews