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The Overseer [Hardcover]

Jonathan Rabb (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)


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Book Description

May 12, 1998
The deadliest document ever written must be found.
And time is running out.

It has long been rumored in academic circles that a sixteenth-century monk named Eisenreich took Machiavelli several steps further, writing a masterplan for world domination so dangerous the Pope had him killed to suppress it. But Eisenreich's text, On Supremacy, survived. Some scholars even believed the Third Reich had a copy. But when the bullet-riddled body of a young girl is found in Montana and "Eisenreich" is her dying word, it becomes terrifyingly clear that not only is the document real--someone is planning to use this explosive piece of history in the late twentieth century.
        
This deadly document is at the heart of The Overseer, a chillingly authentic, compulsively readable thriller of global intrigue and political conspiracy that follows a desperate search for a fabled manuscript, one with frightening modern-day implications. Beautiful, troubled government agent Sarah Trent is given just enough information by her covert office to begin digging into the murder of the young girl. Her search takes her to Columbia University and a brilliant young political theorist named Xander Jaspers, who agrees to help her. But neither Xander nor Sarah fully understand the dangerous situation into which they've been thrown. For On Supremacy has fallen into the hands of a cabal intent on using it as a blueprint for ripping apart society as we know it and creating a new world order out of the ashes of the old.
        
The cabal, led by a coldly intelligent mastermind called the Overseer, begins its campaign of terror. As the acts of terrorism--assassinations, bombings, the collapse of the grain market--go off like clockwork, Sarah and Xander realize the only way to prevent total chaos is to find another copy of the manuscript and uncover the identity of the Overseer--and so the race is on.
        
This intelligent, full-throttle thriller is the extraordinary literary debut of a young political theorist, author Jonathan Rabb, who asks: What if such a sophisticated and dangerous sixteenth-century document resurfaced at the turn of the millennium? Would it be the most thrilling discovery of the twentieth century...or the most terrifying? Read On Supremacy at the end of this provocative novel and judge for yourself.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A U.S. agent and a Columbia University professor race to find a 16th-century manuscript in this intriguing debut thriller. Rabb imagines a Swiss monk called Eisenreich, a contemporary of Machiavelli's, who wrote a long-suppressed book called On Supremacy, an outline for world conquest that goes far beyond the ruminations of The Prince. When a group of conservative ideologues decides to put a modern version of the plan into action, the task of stopping them falls to undercover agent Sarah Trent (who worked for several members of the right-wing committee's inner sanctum during an earlier phase of her espionage career) and Xander Jaspers, a brilliant young academic who eventually unravels the intricacies of the plan. The cabal is led by the mysterious "overseer" of the title; his minions include a Limbaugh-like demagogue, a brainwashing "educator" in charge of producing footsoldiers to carry out the plan and a prominent conservative financier. Trent and Jaspers are a quirky, entertaining couple, and their hunt for the historical prize incorporates many tightly written scenes (although the scenes in which Trent and Jaspers are captured and recaptured tend to blur together). The satisfying climax reveals the surprising identity of the overseer; meanwhile, there's plenty of intellectual meat in Rabb's description of the origins of the manuscript and the implications of the plan. Using an innovative conceit that combines imaginative brainwork and stirring action scenes, Rabb has given us a thriller worth remembering. Major ad/promo; foreign rights sold in Italy, Germany and Holland; Random House audio.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Rabb, who has a master's degree in political theory from Columbia, has fashioned a slick and readable thriller from unusual material. At the center is a political treatise rumored to outline a plan for world domination. Written by a 16th-century monk named Eisenreich, this manuscript was so explosive that the Pope supposedly had Eisenreich killed in order to suppress it. But the work, On Supremacy, somehow survived, and it has fallen into the hands of a ruthless group who plan to use it to subject the world to their control. Standing in their way are Sarah Trent, an agent for a mysterious government agency called The Committee of Supervision, and Xander Jaspers, a young and somewhat unorthodox political theorist at Columbia. The cabal and their leader, known as the Overseer, set their plan in motion with acts of terrorism in Washington, DC, and Sarah and Xander are on the chase, seeking the manuscript in order to subvert the deadly game. Fans of global conspiracies will enjoy this fast-paced thriller. Rabb has created a scenario that is frighteningly plausible in many ways, and Trent and Jaspers, in their efforts to save the world, are both heroic and human. For most fiction collections.
-ADean James, Murder by the Book, Houston, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 358 pages
  • Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (May 12, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0609602535
  • ISBN-13: 978-0609602539
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,442,945 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

53 Reviews
5 star:
 (28)
4 star:
 (8)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
 (6)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (53 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Ludlum was never this clever, December 3, 1999
By A Customer
Read the other reviews. People either loved it or hated it. Had to see for myself. It's true that Rabb does use a bit too much flowery language from time to time, but the story, and the way he makes the philosophy so important to the plot make this a far cry from anything Ludlum ever did. Nice first try. I really couldn't put it down.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absoutely nail biting thriller, May 17, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: The Overseer (Hardcover)
Rumors abound in twentieth century academic circles that in the sixteenth century, a contemporary of Machiavelli wrote a treatise on how to rule the world that makes The Prince look like an elementary school primer. The book, On Supremacy, was considered so harsh, the Pope killed its author and banned the printing of its content.

An ultra-conservative group, headed by the mysterious Overseer, plans to implement the book's guidance so that they can establish a new world order built on their concept of society. While most people from Gibson to Roberts to others reject a conspiracy theory, Fed Sarah Trent and Columbia University professor Xander Jaspers realize that an evil plot to homogenize the world under the cabal's rule is happening. They know that the only way to stop the group from succeeding is to obtain a copy of the infamous Eisenreich manuscript and expose the identity of the Overseer.

The incredibly brilliant story line turns THE OVERSEER into one of the best political thrillers of the decade. The out-Machiavelling of The Prince comes across as genuine with a real historical feel to it. Though the lead protagonists seem to be captured and un-captured a bit too much, Jonathan Rabb has written a thriller that will remain popular way into the new millennium.

Harriet Klausner

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Manuscript at the end blew me away!, July 31, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: The Overseer (Hardcover)
I went out and bought this after reading the Washington Post review, and I completely agree. This has got to be one of the smartest thrillers I've ever read. Not only is it a page-turner, but the characters are really compelling, and the twists totally catch you by surprise. Plus, i'ts written very well which is usually hit or miss with a book like this.

The best thing about the book, though, is how it manages to get all the ideas about politics and philosophy across. It's clear Rabb really knows his stuff. Read the manuscript at the end. It will blow you away.

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