Only five still guard the border between the worlds. And when they fall, so do we all... The Oversight is a gothic fantasy that will appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
"The end always comes faster than you think."
Once there were hundreds of members of the Oversight, the brave souls who guard the borders between the mundane and the magic. Now there are only five. And their numbers are dwindling further still.
When a vagabond brings a screaming girl to the Oversight's London headquarters, she might answer their hopes for a new recruit, or she could be the instrument of their downfall.
In his first novel for adults, Charlie Fletcher (The Stoneheart Trilogy) spins a tale of witch-hunters, supra-naturalists, mirror-walkers and magicians. Meet the Oversight, and remember: when they fall, so do we all.
About the Author
Charlie Fletcher is a screenwriter and author living in Edinburgh. His Stoneheart trilogy for young adults has been translated into a dozen languages and the film rights have been sold to Paramount. The first volume, Stoneheart, was shortlisted for the Branford Boase award and longlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. His standalone novel for children, Far Rockaway, was published last year to great critical acclaim and has been longlisted for the Carnegie prize. As a screenwriter, Charlie is currently working on two series, one for the BBC, the other for HBO.
Industry Reviews
Exciting, exhilarating, scary and moving in equal measure, The Oversight is a teeming world of dark deeds and dark magics, brilliantly realised. This feels like the start of something amazing -- M. R. Carey, author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS
A highly entertaining fantasy that promises a trilogy worth sinking your teeth into * SciFiNow *
Fletcher's Victorian London is juicily vivid, and laced with macabre Dickensian wit. There's a real sense of grim danger, both natural and unnatural, hungrily awaiting the slightest mis-step -- Frances Hardinge, Costa Book of the Year winner
Told in a kind of compelling and hypnotic poesie that I just lapped up . . . I'll certainly be reading the next one -- Cory Doctorow * BoingBoing.net *
A richly atmospheric and intensely readable slice of Victoriana, with a splendidly eerie sense of the way the unearthly lies cheek-by-jowl with the mundane -- Adam Roberts
The Oversight is - and let's be clear here - something very special . . . It's oh so moreish a morsel. I'd read a prequel this evening, a sequel as soon as. -- Niall Alexander * Tor.com *
A remarkable combination of British folklore, brisk pacing and wide-ranging imagination * Kirkus Reviews *
Richly atmospheric (the evil lurks in the background of every paragraph), the book should be a big hit with supernatural-fantasy readers ... the second book can't come soon enough * Booklist (starred review) *
Utterly enthralling: Charles Dickens meets Susanna Clarke -- Lou Morgan
Exciting, exhilarating, scary and moving in equal measure, The Oversight is a teeming world of dark deeds and dark magics, brilliantly realised. This feels like the start of something amazing. -- Mike Carey
Fletcher's Victorian London is juicily vivid, and laced with macabre wit. There's a real sense of grim danger, both natural and unnatural, hungrily awaiting the slightest mis-step. -- Frances Hardinge
Told in a kind of compelling and hypnotic poesie that I just lapped up . . . I'll certainly be reading the next one -- Cory Doctorow * BoingBoing.net *
A richly atmospheric and intensely readable slice of Victoriana, with a splendidly eerie sense of the way the unearthly lies cheek-by-jowl with the mundane. -- Adam Roberts
Utterly enthralling: Charles Dickens meets Susanna Clarke. -- Lou Morgan
A remarkable combination of British folklore, brisk pacing and wide-ranging imagination * Kirkus Reviews *
Richly atmospheric (the evil lurks in the background of every paragraph), the book should be a big hit with supernatural-fantasy readers ... the second book can't come soon enough. (starred review) * Booklist *
The Oversight is - and let's be clear here - something very special . . . It's oh so moreish a morsel. I'd read a prequel this evening, a sequel as soon as. -- Niall Alexander * Tor.com *
