What do you think?
Rate this book
SEÑOR DEL CAOS, EL
A debut thriller of global intrigue and political conspiracy In the summer of 1531, Medici soldiers, working for Pope Clement VII, tortured to death an obscure Swiss monk, Eusebius Eisenreich. What Eisenreich would not reveal was the location of a simple manuscript, On Supremacy, that far surpassed anything imagined by Machiavelli. The Pope never found the manuscript. This deadly document is at the heart of The Overseer. It has fallen into the hands of a cabal intent on ripping apart society as we know it and creating the terrifying new world order described in the manuscript. A faimile of Eisenreich's disturbing document has been reprinted in this book.
672 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1998
21 people are currently reading
343 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Rabb
15 books120 followersJonathan Rabb grew up knowing he would be an academic. The son and grandson (on both sides) of historians, Rabb’s world shook at its very core when he opted to try his hand at political theory. As an undergraduate at Yale, Rabb divided his time among Locke and Hobbes and Hegel while spending his more reckless hours singing with the Whiffenpoofs and galloping across stage in such roles as Harry the Horse and a perfectly bean-poled Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. He even went so far as to make his living his first years out of college as an actor in New York before settling on a PhD program at Columbia.
Somehow, though, that was not to be. While in Germany researching the very compelling and very obscure seventeenth-century theorist Samuel von Pufendorf (Whiffenpoof on Pufendorf), Rabb got the idea for a thriller in which a young professor at Columbia gets caught up in a vast conspiracy predicated on deciphering a centuries-old manuscript, a response to Machiavelli’s The Prince. Suddenly theater and history had come together in the form of historical fiction and, leaving his Fulbright and academia behind, Rabb spent the next two years teaching test prep and writing furiously.
In 1998, his first novel, The Overseer, reached bookshelves, followed three years later by The Book of Q—another historical thriller—and his marriage to Andra Reeve, the director of prime time casting at CBS television. Having discovered a new kind of bliss in his private life, Rabb decided it was time to dive into the decay and despair of Berlin between the wars. He set to work on what would be the first in his Berlin Trilogy, Rosa, and also began to teach fiction at the 92nd Street Y. In July 2004 his wife had twins, and for the next two years, while writing and researching Shadow and Light, Rabb became their primary caretaker. Somehow, they continued to grow and flourish, and Shadow and Light found its way to the page.
Rabb is now deep into the final book of the trilogy, and still finds time to perform Gilbert and Sullivan with the Blue Hill Troupe of New York, the Harrisburg Symphony, and anyone else willing to indulge his love of Patter roles. This fall, Rabb started teaching in the NYU Creative Writing Program and continues to write reviews for Opera News and essays for the series I Wish I’d Been There.
Somehow, though, that was not to be. While in Germany researching the very compelling and very obscure seventeenth-century theorist Samuel von Pufendorf (Whiffenpoof on Pufendorf), Rabb got the idea for a thriller in which a young professor at Columbia gets caught up in a vast conspiracy predicated on deciphering a centuries-old manuscript, a response to Machiavelli’s The Prince. Suddenly theater and history had come together in the form of historical fiction and, leaving his Fulbright and academia behind, Rabb spent the next two years teaching test prep and writing furiously.
In 1998, his first novel, The Overseer, reached bookshelves, followed three years later by The Book of Q—another historical thriller—and his marriage to Andra Reeve, the director of prime time casting at CBS television. Having discovered a new kind of bliss in his private life, Rabb decided it was time to dive into the decay and despair of Berlin between the wars. He set to work on what would be the first in his Berlin Trilogy, Rosa, and also began to teach fiction at the 92nd Street Y. In July 2004 his wife had twins, and for the next two years, while writing and researching Shadow and Light, Rabb became their primary caretaker. Somehow, they continued to grow and flourish, and Shadow and Light found its way to the page.
Rabb is now deep into the final book of the trilogy, and still finds time to perform Gilbert and Sullivan with the Blue Hill Troupe of New York, the Harrisburg Symphony, and anyone else willing to indulge his love of Patter roles. This fall, Rabb started teaching in the NYU Creative Writing Program and continues to write reviews for Opera News and essays for the series I Wish I’d Been There.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
September 18, 2025
The novel is based on the existence of a document by 16th Century monk. The monk sent the document to Pope Clement, suggesting that while Machiavelli told him how to take over Florence, he could just as well take over the country. This document has been unearthed and men in the United States have plans to implement it. The Overseer of the title is like a CEO - and we do not know his name - while he has three men directly beneath him to implement three distinct spheres of operation.
And so, we have a political thriller. There are more or less "quiet" times while a search is ongoing for additional copies of the document - called On Supremacy. Sarah Trent is an operative for the government's Committee on Supervision. Sarah is charged with ferreting out the Overseer and his organization. She seeks out Xander Jaspers, an academic and researcher familiar with the 16th Century. People do not want Trent and Jaspers to find these other copies of the document, of course. and there are many instances when their lives are in peril.
This is a debut novel. I found it better than one might expect for a debut. The writing, for the most part, is quite good, although I admit there are sections in the first pages that might have been upgraded. One should not expect fully fleshed characterizations in a thriller, and while Trent and Jaspers are not fully fleshed, the characterizations are better than many in the genre. Rabb maintains his focus on the plot, although I admit that is only obvious when one gets to the last 20% or so of the novel. I think my big negatives are that there are too many characters and the chapters are too long.
I have read Rabb's Berlin Trilogy and was looking forward to this. I'm not sorry I finally got to it. I've just added his other two novels to my over-burdened wish list. For this title, I think 4 stars is sufficient.
And so, we have a political thriller. There are more or less "quiet" times while a search is ongoing for additional copies of the document - called On Supremacy. Sarah Trent is an operative for the government's Committee on Supervision. Sarah is charged with ferreting out the Overseer and his organization. She seeks out Xander Jaspers, an academic and researcher familiar with the 16th Century. People do not want Trent and Jaspers to find these other copies of the document, of course. and there are many instances when their lives are in peril.
This is a debut novel. I found it better than one might expect for a debut. The writing, for the most part, is quite good, although I admit there are sections in the first pages that might have been upgraded. One should not expect fully fleshed characterizations in a thriller, and while Trent and Jaspers are not fully fleshed, the characterizations are better than many in the genre. Rabb maintains his focus on the plot, although I admit that is only obvious when one gets to the last 20% or so of the novel. I think my big negatives are that there are too many characters and the chapters are too long.
I have read Rabb's Berlin Trilogy and was looking forward to this. I'm not sorry I finally got to it. I've just added his other two novels to my over-burdened wish list. For this title, I think 4 stars is sufficient.
June 7, 2022
3,5 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Op een namiddag even na vieren valt de stroom uit in de toren van Washington Airport en raakt het luchtverkeer volledig ontregeld; iets later ontploft een hele reeks bommen in een drukbezocht winkelcentrum; tegen de avond verkeert de hele stad in een staat van chaos en vallen er talloze doden en zwaargewonden te betreuren.
Er wordt een naam gefluisterd: Eisenreich. De naam van een 16e-eeuwse monnik die, in navolging van Machiavelli, voor paus Clemens VII een plan ontwierp om de wereldheerschappij te bemachtigen. Een meesterlijk plan, maar zo gewelddadig dat de paus de ontwerper ervan onmiddellijk ter dood veroordeelde. Eeuwenlang is dit dodelijke document spoorloos geweest, maar nu hangt de dreiging ervan over de moderne wereld, want Eisenreichs ideeën, opgetekend in zijn tractaat Over de heerschappij, zijn nu in handen gevallen van een organisatie die ze als blauwdruk gebruikt bij haar streven: het vernietigen van de bestaande maatschappelijke kaders en het scheppen van een nieuwe wereldorde op de puinhopen van de oude.
Klinkt maar al te waar op het moment. Dacht aan dit boek afgelopen november. Het is gewoon griezelig hoe het zich nu allemaal op de wereld ontvouwd.
Herlezen dus. En de actualiteit van vandaag doet me nog steeds de rillingen van de rug lopen.
Op een namiddag even na vieren valt de stroom uit in de toren van Washington Airport en raakt het luchtverkeer volledig ontregeld; iets later ontploft een hele reeks bommen in een drukbezocht winkelcentrum; tegen de avond verkeert de hele stad in een staat van chaos en vallen er talloze doden en zwaargewonden te betreuren.
Er wordt een naam gefluisterd: Eisenreich. De naam van een 16e-eeuwse monnik die, in navolging van Machiavelli, voor paus Clemens VII een plan ontwierp om de wereldheerschappij te bemachtigen. Een meesterlijk plan, maar zo gewelddadig dat de paus de ontwerper ervan onmiddellijk ter dood veroordeelde. Eeuwenlang is dit dodelijke document spoorloos geweest, maar nu hangt de dreiging ervan over de moderne wereld, want Eisenreichs ideeën, opgetekend in zijn tractaat Over de heerschappij, zijn nu in handen gevallen van een organisatie die ze als blauwdruk gebruikt bij haar streven: het vernietigen van de bestaande maatschappelijke kaders en het scheppen van een nieuwe wereldorde op de puinhopen van de oude.
Klinkt maar al te waar op het moment. Dacht aan dit boek afgelopen november. Het is gewoon griezelig hoe het zich nu allemaal op de wereld ontvouwd.
Herlezen dus. En de actualiteit van vandaag doet me nog steeds de rillingen van de rug lopen.
April 30, 2012
This is a compelling international thriller. Just when you think it is safe to stop, the characters are spun in a new direction that leaves the reader breathless.
Government agent Sarah Trent is sent on a fact finding mission. Little does she know that it is a conspiracy to draw her back into the world of espionage. Her research leads her to Columbia University professor Xander Jaspers. Jaspers becomes Sarah´s instructor in understanding an even larger conspiracy.
That conspiracy is centered on The Overseer. The Overseer is two things. It is the central character of a manuscript written by sixteenth-century monk named Eisenreich. It is also the leader of a contemporary cabal that intends the overthrow of the United States government. The blueprint for conquest, from the manuscript, is frighteningly plausible.
The credibility of this plot is what gives the story line its impact. As events unfold-bombings, murders, etc., the world sees them as isolated incidents. The reader knows them to be part of a larger scheme. It calls to mind the horrors that occur in the United States all too frequently. Rabb efficiently plays upon our own conspiracy fears. Even more effectively he has his characters utilize those fears to their own advantage.
Amidst the acts of terrorism and attempts on their own lives Sarah Trent and Xander Jaspers must find The Overseer. They hunt for a way to derail the scheduled events. Sarah and Xander are likable characters who truly need each other if they are to survive. Each brings talents and knowledge necessary to their task.
Jonathan Rabb has developed interesting characters. Not one of them is a cardboard cut out. The heroes and villains alike are absorbing individuals. The conclusion to the story is satisfying while leaving the reader wanting Sarah and Xander to return. The historical aspects are as well constructed as the contemporary portions. The only grating aspect is the insistence that the manuscript would have been sent to a sixteenth century pope in Italian when a Latin copy was available. The Overseer is a clever and original work that demands readers use their minds as well as engaging their emotions.
Government agent Sarah Trent is sent on a fact finding mission. Little does she know that it is a conspiracy to draw her back into the world of espionage. Her research leads her to Columbia University professor Xander Jaspers. Jaspers becomes Sarah´s instructor in understanding an even larger conspiracy.
That conspiracy is centered on The Overseer. The Overseer is two things. It is the central character of a manuscript written by sixteenth-century monk named Eisenreich. It is also the leader of a contemporary cabal that intends the overthrow of the United States government. The blueprint for conquest, from the manuscript, is frighteningly plausible.
The credibility of this plot is what gives the story line its impact. As events unfold-bombings, murders, etc., the world sees them as isolated incidents. The reader knows them to be part of a larger scheme. It calls to mind the horrors that occur in the United States all too frequently. Rabb efficiently plays upon our own conspiracy fears. Even more effectively he has his characters utilize those fears to their own advantage.
Amidst the acts of terrorism and attempts on their own lives Sarah Trent and Xander Jaspers must find The Overseer. They hunt for a way to derail the scheduled events. Sarah and Xander are likable characters who truly need each other if they are to survive. Each brings talents and knowledge necessary to their task.
Jonathan Rabb has developed interesting characters. Not one of them is a cardboard cut out. The heroes and villains alike are absorbing individuals. The conclusion to the story is satisfying while leaving the reader wanting Sarah and Xander to return. The historical aspects are as well constructed as the contemporary portions. The only grating aspect is the insistence that the manuscript would have been sent to a sixteenth century pope in Italian when a Latin copy was available. The Overseer is a clever and original work that demands readers use their minds as well as engaging their emotions.
January 28, 2008
A well-written and seat-gripping thriller. Might make you think of the DaVinci Code because it's got people searching for a manuscript, but that's about where the similarity ends, since this one is all about political theory and its application to controlling states via terrorism pre-9/11.
The female protagonist is a smart and sensitive government operative, the male protagonist a gentle golly-gee-whiz academic, and they actually seem like believable people, at least as far as thrillers and vast conspiracies go. It's also a lot less gritty than your usual thriller (like Jason Bourne) -- yes, people get shot at and blown up, but not in gory detail, and even the sex and profanity are restrained. The Bad Guy is obvious early on, but it doesn't matter. Even the ending, which ties together things a little too neatly, doesn't really matter. This one is all about the characters.
The female protagonist is a smart and sensitive government operative, the male protagonist a gentle golly-gee-whiz academic, and they actually seem like believable people, at least as far as thrillers and vast conspiracies go. It's also a lot less gritty than your usual thriller (like Jason Bourne) -- yes, people get shot at and blown up, but not in gory detail, and even the sex and profanity are restrained. The Bad Guy is obvious early on, but it doesn't matter. Even the ending, which ties together things a little too neatly, doesn't really matter. This one is all about the characters.
April 19, 2016
I plodded through this one, it got somewhat better towards the end but nevertheless it was a struggle.
November 14, 2022
Interesting book. An old ARC, from 1998, it’s been on my shelf for a few years. I’m noticing that, aside from current arcs, I rarely read recent releases. I just don’t like reading what everyone else is reading. I feel like it’s been done already. 🙃
Interesting characters, though I became confused about who was who at times. Dr. Jaspers is a unique, attractive character. Well done. Lundsdorf, a surprise. O’Connell, who becomes a strong likable character. Sarah, for all of the people who need strong, super-tough women in their reading. The many other persons for whom I wish I’d had a cast of characters sheet . (the one major advantage to reading ebooks is that you can search to remind yourself of who on earth these people are!)
Odd that I’m reading this book now, as something similar seems to be happening on a worldwide scale: economic markets spiraling, weak government, major supply issues, brainwashing groups of children to blindly obey, social unrest, all seemingly planned by unseen forces. I sure hope our situation in 2022 ends as calmly as the book did.
Interesting characters, though I became confused about who was who at times. Dr. Jaspers is a unique, attractive character. Well done. Lundsdorf, a surprise. O’Connell, who becomes a strong likable character. Sarah, for all of the people who need strong, super-tough women in their reading. The many other persons for whom I wish I’d had a cast of characters sheet . (the one major advantage to reading ebooks is that you can search to remind yourself of who on earth these people are!)
Odd that I’m reading this book now, as something similar seems to be happening on a worldwide scale: economic markets spiraling, weak government, major supply issues, brainwashing groups of children to blindly obey, social unrest, all seemingly planned by unseen forces. I sure hope our situation in 2022 ends as calmly as the book did.
June 14, 2017
Something gave me this book in the year 2000 and since then I've tried to read up to five times. Finally, I have done so.
Author's narrative is insufferable. Interspersing chapters, he breaks the continuity of the story, jumping scenes and actors in the same chapter in a chaotic way. It does that, you mislead so many. There is too little action and suspense, and too much unnecessary talk and reflects.
Author's narrative is insufferable. Interspersing chapters, he breaks the continuity of the story, jumping scenes and actors in the same chapter in a chaotic way. It does that, you mislead so many. There is too little action and suspense, and too much unnecessary talk and reflects.
May 27, 2009
Not great. The stilted writing would have been okay if the plot was suspenseful and engrossing, but unfortunately things just plodded along. The characters were implausible, but not as implausible as the pseudo-Machiavellian storyline. Oh, well--it was just a beach read.
June 7, 2010
Sixteenth century supremacy theory is put into practice in the twentieth century. I couldn't finish this one.
June 14, 2010
I forced myself to keep reading for 50 pages. The writing is stilted and the plot not compelling. Not spending any more precious reading time on this one!
May 12, 2024
Cannot recommend enough. Absolutely phenomenal. Two of the most driven and realistic fleshed-out characters I've read in books in a while, with an author who clearly knows the world he set his book in. Masterful storytelling with plenty of action and a good helping of academia so you get enthralled and also learn. Almost got the feeling this was inspired by Indians Jones, if he got his start in governmental power structure policy-making instead of archeology.
July 15, 2019
Un libro que hace un viaje del presente al pasado a manos de la agente Sarah Trent tras la aparición de un cuerpo en Montana, que recuperará la pista sobre el manuscrito del monje Eusebius Iacobus.
Un libro increíble que no puedes dejar de leer.
Un libro increíble que no puedes dejar de leer.
February 9, 2025
El libro me pareció lento, que los personajes eran incoherentes y hubo un momento en que me pareció ridículos que los malos que eran bastante nazis, se molestaran en el momento en que se lo dijo la protagonista... Literalmente lo eran.
Se me hizo bola.
Se me hizo bola.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2017
Excitement on every page. Love the international flavor as well as the intrigue. Keeps you guessing.
September 20, 2017
A little overly descriptive, but fun.
May 2, 2020
1st book I have read by him, I ordered a few more. Terrific story, fresh story, Loved it.
February 23, 2021
Una historia interesante. Acción inmersiba a pesar de lo irreal que pueda ser. Ligero de leer.
August 1, 2023
Muy interesante y atrapante. Resuelve muy bien la trama.
Read
October 21, 2025Els personatges no m'han enganxat
June 17, 2022
Libro bastante raro que me ha coincidido con tiempos bastantes raros. Alomejor por eso no terminó de calarme. Sin más. La prota molaba y se llamaba como yo.
August 19, 2021
Trepidante novela de acción con un trasfondo literario, El señor del caos, sigue la estela que abrieron las novelas de Dan Brown y similares. Con esto no quiero decir que sea un mal libro. Solo otro más de una lista interminable de lecturas tan parecidas unas a otras que parecen idénticas.
El autor de esta novela, Jonathan Rabb, inició su carrera literaria con esta obra. Como escritor resulta un tanto burdo y bastante mediocre. Su estilo de escritura pese a ser muy dinámico, está desprovisto de elegancia. Y es que a su forma de narrar le falta soltura, realismo y equilibro. Remata el conjunto con una prosa bastante simple, un lenguaje meramente pragmático y unas descripciones escuetas aunque aceptables. Los personajes son harina de otro costal. En este tipo de novelas suelen ser el punto más débil. Y aquí no hay ninguna excepción. Los protagonistas, Sarah y Xavier, me parecieron planos, superficiales y vacíos. No tienen substancia y no te dejan más impresión que la de ser unas simples herramientas para que la trama progrese.
La historia que nos cuentan en El señor del caos, es la típica de toda buen thriller con conspiración incluida. En este caso la intriga está a cargo de un antiguo manuscrito escrito por un monje en el siglo XVI que proporciona las claves para poder construir un nuevo orden mundial estable y duradero. De un lado estarán Sarah, una agente gubernamental enviada a investigar lo que, en principio, parece información de relleno sin relación, y Xander, un joven profesor de universidad. En la parte contraria, una organización con años de preparación de ventaja que pretende derribar al gobierno e instaurar uno nuevo estable y perdurable, siguiendo las instrucciones del manuscrito del monje. Cuando Sarah descubre el nombre de Eisenreich durante su investigación consulta con Xander y a partir de ahí, se desarrolla una carrera contrarreloj llena de acción y emoción, en la que nuestros protagonistas intentarán evitar la caída en el caos de todo el país. Y obviamente (eso no hace falta ni decirlo) el desenlace se resuelve de forma satisfactoria demasiado rápido. Por cierto que las páginas finales están compuestas por el “auténtico” manuscrito de Eisenreich “Sobre la Supremacía” con una serie de puntos, demasiado vagos e imprecisos como para resultar realmente útiles, que explican cómo destruir el gobierno actual sembrando el caos para proceder a levantar un nuevo gobierno sólido y estable. De más está decir, que si no os interesa el tema, os resultará sumamente pesado leerlo.
En definitiva, El señor del caos, es puro entretenimiento, muy útil en la época estival o entre lecturas más densas. La única idea que puede sacarse, más allá de la historia principal, es que la literatura, aún habiendo sido escrita hace cientos de años, puede ser muy peligrosa. Pero me alegra ver que, con esta obra no es el caso. Su simpleza es tan grande que solo hay lo que ves. Sin dobles sentidos. El único caos que puede sembrar es el neuronal que te hará pensar, durante bastante tiempo, que leerse esta obra mereció realmente la pena.
El autor de esta novela, Jonathan Rabb, inició su carrera literaria con esta obra. Como escritor resulta un tanto burdo y bastante mediocre. Su estilo de escritura pese a ser muy dinámico, está desprovisto de elegancia. Y es que a su forma de narrar le falta soltura, realismo y equilibro. Remata el conjunto con una prosa bastante simple, un lenguaje meramente pragmático y unas descripciones escuetas aunque aceptables. Los personajes son harina de otro costal. En este tipo de novelas suelen ser el punto más débil. Y aquí no hay ninguna excepción. Los protagonistas, Sarah y Xavier, me parecieron planos, superficiales y vacíos. No tienen substancia y no te dejan más impresión que la de ser unas simples herramientas para que la trama progrese.
La historia que nos cuentan en El señor del caos, es la típica de toda buen thriller con conspiración incluida. En este caso la intriga está a cargo de un antiguo manuscrito escrito por un monje en el siglo XVI que proporciona las claves para poder construir un nuevo orden mundial estable y duradero. De un lado estarán Sarah, una agente gubernamental enviada a investigar lo que, en principio, parece información de relleno sin relación, y Xander, un joven profesor de universidad. En la parte contraria, una organización con años de preparación de ventaja que pretende derribar al gobierno e instaurar uno nuevo estable y perdurable, siguiendo las instrucciones del manuscrito del monje. Cuando Sarah descubre el nombre de Eisenreich durante su investigación consulta con Xander y a partir de ahí, se desarrolla una carrera contrarreloj llena de acción y emoción, en la que nuestros protagonistas intentarán evitar la caída en el caos de todo el país. Y obviamente (eso no hace falta ni decirlo) el desenlace se resuelve de forma satisfactoria demasiado rápido. Por cierto que las páginas finales están compuestas por el “auténtico” manuscrito de Eisenreich “Sobre la Supremacía” con una serie de puntos, demasiado vagos e imprecisos como para resultar realmente útiles, que explican cómo destruir el gobierno actual sembrando el caos para proceder a levantar un nuevo gobierno sólido y estable. De más está decir, que si no os interesa el tema, os resultará sumamente pesado leerlo.
En definitiva, El señor del caos, es puro entretenimiento, muy útil en la época estival o entre lecturas más densas. La única idea que puede sacarse, más allá de la historia principal, es que la literatura, aún habiendo sido escrita hace cientos de años, puede ser muy peligrosa. Pero me alegra ver que, con esta obra no es el caso. Su simpleza es tan grande que solo hay lo que ves. Sin dobles sentidos. El único caos que puede sembrar es el neuronal que te hará pensar, durante bastante tiempo, que leerse esta obra mereció realmente la pena.
February 26, 2017
My impressions as I went through this: implausible but slow to get going, much in common with the later Dan Brown Langdon novels but the treasure hunt was less entertaining and the plot more credible, decent finish but with a credibility level about equal to early James Bond novels, and finally the conspiracy plot in some ways is likely closer to reality than a lot of people realize.
In terms of rating it swings from 2 to 4 and I think 3 is a fair rating. The story without the manuscript could be shortened by about a third without losing the 4 stuff but excizing the 2 stuff..
In terms of rating it swings from 2 to 4 and I think 3 is a fair rating. The story without the manuscript could be shortened by about a third without losing the 4 stuff but excizing the 2 stuff..
January 17, 2011
I never had any interest in reading the Da Vinci Code, and if I'd heard about this, I might not have been interested in it, either. But somehow I picked up a damaged copy of it, and got terribly interested but it was in such bad shape that there was no way to go on reading. I found that I had to request it from the library, and as soon as it arrived I started over at the beginning. I've read it in chunks since then.
If I'd read this book when it was first released, back in 1998, I'm sure it would have been much more chilling. It was quite effective, even in 2011. I can easily remember the public figures who are echoed in Rabb's books - there are certainly similar ones in the news every day right now (some of them the same ones!)
I did, however, enjoy The Overseer for what it was. I didn't find myself chafing at the flaws other reviewers here have mentioned. Yes, government agents in such thrillers have to be nearly superhuman, and the protagonist, in order to survive, has to learn new rules very quickly. But the reader also has to suspend her disbelief, or she has no business reading such things. If the hero is an idiot, I'll accept that he's a slow learner and likely to die - but then he wouldn't be the hero, would he?
All in all, a decent read if you enjoy thrillers.
If I'd read this book when it was first released, back in 1998, I'm sure it would have been much more chilling. It was quite effective, even in 2011. I can easily remember the public figures who are echoed in Rabb's books - there are certainly similar ones in the news every day right now (some of them the same ones!)
I did, however, enjoy The Overseer for what it was. I didn't find myself chafing at the flaws other reviewers here have mentioned. Yes, government agents in such thrillers have to be nearly superhuman, and the protagonist, in order to survive, has to learn new rules very quickly. But the reader also has to suspend her disbelief, or she has no business reading such things. If the hero is an idiot, I'll accept that he's a slow learner and likely to die - but then he wouldn't be the hero, would he?
All in all, a decent read if you enjoy thrillers.
August 16, 2017
Eine Gruppe von Leuten setzt an, die Theorien eines Mönches aus dem 16. Jahrhundert zur Erlangung der absoluten Staatsmacht in die Praxis umzusetzen. Voraussetzung für diese dauerhafte Staatsmacht ist es, erst einmal Chaos und Panik zu erzeugen.
Erst als die ersten Probeläufe für das Chaos analufen, wird klar, daß es diese Leute ernst meinen und sie gewillt sind, alles zu zerstören, um dann ihren neuen Staat aufzubauen. Die Zeit, sie noch aufzuhalten, ist knapp...
Spannend geschrieben, trickreich erzählt. Und auch die Überraschung am Ende fehlt nicht, in der sich wieder ganz andere als die Drahtzieher entpuppen. Als besonderes Schmankerl hat das Buch als Anhang eine Übersetzung des Büchleins, das die ganze Geschichte auslöste. Eine wirklich schöne Idee.
Erst als die ersten Probeläufe für das Chaos analufen, wird klar, daß es diese Leute ernst meinen und sie gewillt sind, alles zu zerstören, um dann ihren neuen Staat aufzubauen. Die Zeit, sie noch aufzuhalten, ist knapp...
Spannend geschrieben, trickreich erzählt. Und auch die Überraschung am Ende fehlt nicht, in der sich wieder ganz andere als die Drahtzieher entpuppen. Als besonderes Schmankerl hat das Buch als Anhang eine Übersetzung des Büchleins, das die ganze Geschichte auslöste. Eine wirklich schöne Idee.
July 6, 2023
This novel started out well - I was quickly drawn into the story and the two main characters were plausible and interesting and the writing was crisp and tight. However, as it went on, it just went on and on. Sarah became more of a fantasy James Bond character, Xander seemed to become too quickly adept at thriller work and everyone seemed to know more and more than the reader. In the end, it was a stuggle to finish and the climax, when it came owed way too much to James Bond movies, with large multi=billion dollar underground lairs and villians with privae armies too easily defeated.
December 18, 2013
A strange book! I don't mean a bad one, I mean a strange one! So much so that I do believe I will read it again quite soon. The story is a bit confused at the start. But it gets more and more interesting as it goes. Since English is not my mother language, I had a bit of trouble understanding some things, and had to read it over again until I caught what it meant. I would recommend it to a person that enjoys the language, and is not only in a hurry to know the end of the story.
December 4, 2014
Excelente libro, en la misma vena de las novelas de Dan Brown con un toque de Maquiavelo. El manuscrito que es base de la novela sugiere temas interesantes que de ser puesto en practica generaria desestabilizaciones sociales en busqueda de adquirir poder. El tercer acto de la novela me decepciono un poco y el final apresurado, sin embargo es una lectura ampliamente recomendable.
*Escrito sin acentos.
*Escrito sin acentos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2008
It was very hard to put this book down. Rabb went so far as to write the "400 year old manuscript" that is at the center of the story. All-in-all a very clever piece of work...both the story and the manuscript.
August 19, 2013
I found the basic premise of the book to be rather farfetched...so that made it hard to believe the things that happened in it. There was also too much discussion of political philosophy for a mystery/thriller. The action scenes were well-written and the characters believable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews