My Rating
“What If They Threw a War and Everybody Came?”
The war has begun, and sides have been chosen. The ancient forces of Order and Chaos have gathered their armies for a conflict that could shake the foundations of existence itself. Yet Jared Stevens, aka Fate, remains the one seemingly “untouchable” piece on their cosmic chessboard. Neither side appears able—or willing—to claim him. But is Jared truly a free agent, or is he simply playing a role that has already been chosen for him?
Back on Earth, Jared escapes the zone of chaos while a horde of bizarre combatants remain too busy slaughtering one another to pay him any attention. The Sword of Fate cuts a path toward freedom, seemingly guiding its reluctant master toward his next destination. Or does it? Jared has learned the hard way that nothing involving Fate is ever quite what it seems. All roads lead to Gotham City. All signs point toward the dark, gothic walls of Arkham Asylum.
Deep inside Gotham’s most infamous madhouse, a choice is stolen from one man and used to bind the fate of another. That choice comes down to something deceptively simple—a flip of a coin. Heads or tails. Life or death. Order or chaos. Now Jared finds himself saddled with a new partner whose mood swings could prove even more dangerous than the war raging around them. Can Fate survive this uneasy alliance, or will a serious conflict of interest tear the partnership apart? Will there be bipolar—or no order at all? Collect the series to find out!
Review
I really want to like The Book of Fate more than I actually do. There are some interesting ideas floating around in issue #4, especially the growing war between Order and Chaos and Jared Stevens somehow finding himself caught directly in the middle. Unfortunately, the story still feels a little more complicated than it needs to be. At times I found myself wondering if I had missed an issue somewhere along the way. Nope. That is just the strange world of The Book of Fate.
Things improve considerably once Jared arrives in Gotham City and pays a visit to Arkham Asylum. Bringing Two-Face into the story was a smart move and easily my favorite part of the issue. The idea of Harvey Dent’s obsession with chance colliding with a character literally named Fate is almost too perfect. There is also something wonderfully ridiculous about Jared Stevens being forced to deal with a man who lets a scarred coin make his important life decisions. Fate apparently has a sense of humor.
Overall, The Book of Fate #4 is entertaining enough, but the series still hasn’t completely won me over. I like Jared Stevens as a character, and there are enough supernatural concepts and bizarre DC Comics craziness here to keep me reading. I just wish the storytelling were a little tighter and easier to follow. Maybe the war between Order and Chaos will eventually pull everything together. For now, this one lands squarely in the middle for me. I give The Book of Fate #4 three out of five stars.
