The Oversight

May 1, 2014
First of a Dickensian supernatural-or, as Fletcher prefers it, "supranatural"-fantasy trilogy, from the screenwriter and author of Stoneheart (2006, etc.).The Oversight, a secret society that patrols the borders between the mundane and the magical, lost most of its membership during the Napoleonic Wars. Now only five remain: Sara Falk, a "Glint" who can view past events by touching objects associated with them; Cook, an ex-pirate; rat-catcher Hodge, who has an affinity for associates Jed the terrier and the ancient Raven; Wayland Smith; and the eerie Mr. Sharp. Also on the premises is Emmet, a golem. If their numbers dip below five (called a Hand), their powers and control dissipate. At the Hand's London safe house arrives Lucy Harker; she speaks only French, mistrusts them and turns out to be a Glint-and bait for a trap set by mysterious folk-monsters called Sluagh. Also involved are lawyer twins Zebulon and Issachar Templebane and sociopathic wizard-scientist Viscount Mountfellen. The plotters seek the key to controlling the dark side of the universe. Accordingly, Lucy, under a compulsion implanted in her mind by the Sluagh to steal the key, blunders into a magic cabinet of mirrors. In avoiding the cabinet's guardian cobra, she falls into one of the mirrors and vanishes, shattering the mirror. Sara tries to grab Lucy, but the mirror lops off her hand, which vanishes to wherever Lucy went-though somehow it's still attached. A remarkable combination of British folklore, brisk pacing and wide-ranging imagination is enhanced by multiple narrative strands, some not yet fully revealed, and set forth in evocative prose. Set against all this, unfortunately, are characters imbued with a particular monomania rather than genuine personality and presence.Intriguing and with enough potential bubbling underneath to keep readers agreeably optimistic about future installments.

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April 15, 2014
There used to be hundreds in the Oversight, guarding our world from magic, but they have dwindled to a single Hand. As long as there are five to hold the line and guard the key, those that would prey on humanity are held in check. Sara Falk leads the last Hand, and when Lucy Harker is brought to her it seems like she might be a new recruit. Unfortunately, powers aligned against the Oversight have sent Lucy to betray their trust and set in place a scheme that could destroy England's last Hand, loosing wild powers on the land. VERDICT This is a strong adult debut from Fletcher, who is the author of the Stoneheart series for children. Although it starts slowly, the long odds and high stakes keep the tension high and the pages turning, while the worldbuilding and characters are worth lingering over. Fans of Susanna Clarke's "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" will enjoy this.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 15, 2014
Fletcher wrote screenplays for many years (he wrote for several British TV series, and the 1995 American film Fair Game, among others), but he struck gold as a novelist with 2006's Stoneheart, the first in a middle-grade fantasy trilogy. Here he sticks to fantasythis time for adultswith a dark and violent story about an ancient peace that's about to be broken, an imminent clash between our world and the world of dark magic. The Oversight is the name of the group that has protected our world for centuries, going back to the dawn of history itself; now the group's members have dwindled to a handful, and they might not be enough to stop the Sluagh, creatures who want to use this world as a hunting ground. There is hope, in the form of a young girl who turns up at the Oversight's home base, but is the girl the savior of the Oversight, or its ultimate destruction? Richly atmospheric (the evil lurks in the background of every paragraph), the book should be a big hit with supernatural-fantasy readers. This is the first of a projected trilogy, and two things are apparent: three books might not be enough to tell this epic-size story, and the second book can't come soon enough.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)