By another writer, commissioned for January print issue of The Skinny:

"“Did Black queer people exist in the distant past?” Jones asks in the novel’s introduction. “Of course they did.” The Prophets shades in this history that has been erased and whitewashed in America. This is historical fiction that feels essential, like a prayer to the past."

Full review: https://www.theskinny.co.uk/books/book-reviews/the-prophets-by-robert-jones-jr

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for this copy of The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

Using the thoughts and voices of both the enslaved and the slavers Robert Jones Jr. tells the story of Samuel and Isiah, two young men in love with each other and how their love impacts every person on Elizabeth Plantation. For some their love is a powerful reminder of what it means to be a person, for others it's a sin and an impediment to the needs of others. More than just one life hangs in the balance as the story reaches its powerful conclusion.

I loved the writing style that was used in The Prophets. Robert Jones Jr. uses each chapter to introduce you to the next chapters main character, if only in a very minor way. Reading this book felt like walking down a long path in which each stepping stone held a tiny clue as to what was coming next. There is a rhythm to The Prophets that makes it feel almost musical at times. I will be thinking about this book for a long time. When you read it you probably will too.

I’ve agonised over writing something about this. How can whatever I write possibly do this book any justice? It’s beautiful, it’s haunting and it’s terrible. I don’t mean that it’s bad-terrible. I mean that it’s a book that I wish never had to be written. What is terrible, is mans inhumanity to man.
The story centres around the slaves on the Elizabeth Plantation (also known as ‘Empty’ to the slaves), and in particular, Samuel and Isaiah. They are betrayed by the other slaves, as if by revealing their love, it will make their lives safer. Of course this is not the case, as we see when we read the chapters centred around some of the other slaves. We learn about the inhumane treatment of the slaves by their immoral white owners (or toubabs, as they are called by their black slaves). I felt that the white people in this book had a mad, mentally unhinged quality about them: after all, how else could you reconcile treating human beings worse than animals?
I found the chapters written from the African people’s perspective, as they were free then captured and imprisoned, so interesting. It made them even more real to me. These were real people (as opposed to the animals that they were seen as by the slavers) with families, traditions, lives, loves and beliefs. The scenes on board the slave ships were harrowing.
It has taken me over a week to tackle this review. This book really affected me deeply, and there were many times that I had to put the book down and walk away. Then, I would feel guilty that I had the luxury of doing just that, unlike the slaves who lived every moment of their lives as some white mans possession to do with as he saw fit.
I can’t believe that this is a debut novel. The writing is beautiful, even in the most horrific moments. The magical elements add a suggestion of hope and the indomitable spirit of these people. And the ending is just perfection. I’m sure that this book will win awards - it SHOULD win - and I’m glad that I’ve had the opportunity to read it.
Many thanks to the publisher for granting me access to this book via NetGalley. It has been a privilege to read it.

One of the most important and empowering coming-of-age novels I have read in a while; "The Prophets" centers on the subject of slavery and handles it with sensitiveness, through lyrical writing style and allusions to the Bible.

“Ignorance wasn’t bliss, but degradation could be better endured if you pretended you were worthy of it” especially because “Lies are more affectionate than truths”.

I am sceptical of any book or author that gets compared to Toni Morrison let alone a debut but, this novel has come the closest to matching the mood and voice of Morrison’s Beloved. I honestly felt as if I had been transported back to Sweet Home.

The novel follows two enslaved young men Isaiah and Samuel who find love in the arms of the other. It is vivid, in parts grotesque, enthralling, heart wrenching, breath-taking. It unfolds before you, drawing you into a pit of despair whilst allowing little glimmers of hope to seep through that compel you to keep reading despite the of dread of knowing what comes when reading books set during this time.

This is a captivating novel about love in a setting that continually strips away humanity and I expect this will be one of the most important books of 2021.

TW: Racism, Racist Slurs, Sexual Abuse, Physical and Verbal Abuse, Homophobia

This is a soul stirring, ambitious, and stunning debut from Robert Jones Jr., an epic and intimate look at the history of slavery and the love that dare not speak its name. Structured by chapters named after books from the bible, this is a lyrical and beautifully written novel, set in the Deep South at a Mississippi cotton plantation. A multitude of characters are given voices, from the best to the monstrously worst of humanity, that coalesce in their devastating impact on the reader, in this most uncomfortable and hard to stomach book. Ultimately, despite depicting the raging inhumanity, the horrors and terrors of being enslaved, all of which comes all too alive through the visceral and vibrant rich descriptions, it is hope, kindness and the miracle of love that captivates. The green shoots and tendrils of love will grow in the most inhospitable and stoniest of ground, nowhere is this more apparent than in the forbidden love of Samuel and Isiah for each other, a homage to the incredible nature of the human spirit, and the existence, against all the odds, of joy.

This is powerful, emotional, spiritual, and unforgettable storytelling, a novel that looks destined to become a classic, and which left me highly anticipating what the author will write next. Without question, a must read. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

Incredibly powerful poetic writing, telling the story of a slave owners plantation in the southern states through the eyes of several narrators. Weaving the day to day life in the “Empty” plantation with fables of generations before this builds to a powerful devastating conclusion. At the heart of the novel is the gay love affair between Samuel and Isiah, but the themes of homophobia, slavery, patriarchy and oprsssion are common through history as the various narrators demonstrate.

This isn’t an easy read. Lots of symbolism, metaphors and imagery that meant I had to read and reread several passages to keep track of the story. As such approach with that in mind as it won’t be for everyone.

This is one hell of a story, hard to read to in places, sentences that will make you gasp with the beauty they behold. A huge story, with heartache, hate, injustice and cruelty but most of all love, in every shape and form. A mighty book, a must read, definitely going to be huge in 2021!

The Prophets is a singular and stunning debut novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in each other, and a betrayal that threatens their existence. Isaiah was Samuel's and Samuel was Isaiah's. That was the way it was since the beginning, and the way it was to be until the end. In the barn they tended to the animals, but also to each other, transforming the hollowed-out shed into a place of human refuge, a source of intimacy and hope in a world ruled by vicious masters. But when an older man--a fellow slave--seeks to gain favor by preaching the master's gospel on the plantation, the enslaved begin to turn on their own. Isaiah and Samuel's love, which was once so simple, is seen as sinful and a clear danger to the plantation's harmony.

With a lyricism reminiscent of Toni Morrison, Robert Jones, Jr., fiercely summons the voices of slaver and enslaved alike, from Isaiah and Samuel to the calculating slave master to the long line of women that surround them, women who have carried the soul of the plantation on their shoulders. As tensions build and the weight of centuries--of ancestors and future generations to come--culminates in a climactic reckoning, The Prophets masterfully reveals the pain and suffering of inheritance, but is also shot through with hope, beauty, and truth, portraying the enormous, heroic power of love. A moving, touching and beautifully written ode that speaks to the power of human interaction and love of all kinds, wherever we may find it. Highly recommended.

The Prophets is an absorbing novel, with unsettling overtones, profound and deeply moving. Masterfully written in beautiful poetic prose it enriches the soul through the dreams and expression of love amidst the most repressive and abusive life imaginable.

“Blessèd be the ones who gaze upon the night and holy are the ones who remember. And memory is not enough! To know from beneath: That is a story only a prophet can tell. But with the world being what it is and the world being what it forever will be, never without a grieving heart. Here is the fire now: dancing, destroying. But honestly only wanting to be sung to softly sweetly. It is a dying flame shrinking flickering waiting to be extinguished finally by a lullaby. But there are no singers left.”

The pain and horror experienced by black slaves will continue to echo through time as books like The Prophets continue to tell their story. The inhumane treatment of people who only dream of survival, and avoiding the wrath and cruel entertainment of plantation owners is appalling. How much further could you descend when you are already at the bottom. Yet slaves continued to survive, continued to find love, continued to share their lives with others, and found a dignity that was so far from the character of their owners, that it bestows unreserved reverence for the generations that suffered.

Samuel and Isaiah are slaves on the Halifax cotton plantation, in the Deep South, a place referred to as Empty. The perfect name for a place that strips away your freedom, dignity, peace, happiness and all too evidently, your life. Both men find love with each other and have so much to lose if discovered. Maggie is aware of their relationship and so much of what happens on the plantation. She shares food, advice and as much awareness as possible, especially as she has a gift of foresight. Maggie works in the Big House for Paul and Ruth Halifax, owners who are ruthless, brutal, and cynically manipulative. The great cast of characters are all full of light and shade, and to tell the story from the different character perspectives, gives it a superb observational capacity that is truly epic.

The relationships and the subtle yet distinctive interactions, the dialogue, and the menacing overtones achieve an experience that coalesces such beauty and such sadness. The ending is powerful and as it ends it is worth taking a moment to hold this story in quiet reverence.

I could not help feeling certain similarities to Sing, Unburied, Sing – not from the storyline perspective, but the emotional impact the story elicits, and the lyrical writing that evokes such vivid images that are forever etched into our minds. The Prophets is a book that is unforgettable and will surely spend considerable time on bestseller lists, and will justly receive nominations and awards recognition for outstanding literature.

I would highly recommend this book and I would like to thank Quercus Books, Riverrun and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for an honest review.

This is an incredible debut novel. It is well written,well crafted and leaves you moved by the plight of these people in these times. It is a gentle book dealing with a beautiful relationship that is contorted by the ignorance of people and the brutality of slavery. It should be on everyone's reading list in 2021.

The Prophets takes place on a plantation known amongst the slaves as Empty. There is little joy to be found on Empty yet, among the misery, two male slaves Isaiah and Samuel find love - it is a light that shines through an otherwise bleak series of events.
Throughout the book we hear from 7 powerful ancestors who not only guide us as readers but also guide the characters we are following. We learn how the first slaves were captured when we meet a female King who hosts a delegation of white missionaries only for their arrival to signal the end of her rule and the abuse of her people for centuries to come. Interestingly, before the missionaries brought their religion to her people, we witness that their attitudes towards homosexuality and gender were far more progressive than those of the white people sent to "civilise" them with the final joyful act on the island being the bonding (marriage) of two men. Names are also important with many of the slaves having a name they keep for themselves and one conferred on them by their masters. In opting to keep that link to their ancestors by remembering their given names or choosing a name of their own, they are able to exercise a small act of agency.
We follow the events on Empty from multiple character perspectives, some of whom are white slave owners. The views these characters espouse are of course abhorrent but nevertheless helpful in understanding the rationale slave owners used to justify their actions.

In the acknowledgments Jones credits Toni Morrison with inspiring him to write The Prophets, he also goes by Son of Baldwin on social media. Early reviewers have gone on to name Jones as the successor to James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. Personally, having read Morrison and Baldwin this year, I don't think Jones' writing style should be compared to theirs. That's not to say Jones is not an excellent writer or that The Prophets is not a fantastic debut however, I worry that such comparisons will put undue pressure on a work that stands on its own. Read The Prophets because it is a good book and because it explores fresh themes in an interesting way not because you are looking for the next Baldwin. It is enough for me to know that this book could only have been written thanks to the pioneering black authors who chose to write about black people before it was considered 'woke' to read their work. The fact this book exists, that it was published at all, that is the lasting legacy of Morrison and Baldwin.

I finished this book a couple of days ago and I’m still trying to find the words to do it justice in a review and I’m not sure I can – but I will give it a go. The story follows two enslaved young men on the Halifax plantation and their deeply beautiful yet intense love for each other. The narrative encompasses many of the voices of the people who live in this place, known as Empty, and culminates in a powerful and violent crescendo.

The Prophets is a truly unique and beautifully written novel which, despite involving a great deal of pain and suffering still manages to demonstrate an incredible tenderness. The writing is lyrical and delicate whilst at the same time being searing and angry. It sounds like these components would fight against each other but Robert Jones Jr. has pulled everything together so skilfully and in such a memorable way that it becomes a stunning tour de force of a novel. You cannot fail to be moved by the way the passion and love between Samuel and Isaiah unfolds on the page and by the way the other characters individual voices are so strongly felt and evoked.

I read The Prophets quickly, in large part because there is a kind of feeling of being drawn in and propelled by the words. There is a searing and passionate movement as the story jumps from one character to another and then occasionally flashes back to another time and place entirely. I really don’t want to give anything away that would detract from readers experiencing this unrelentingly compelling book for themselves. I know this is the kind of book I will glean more and more from by rereading it at a slower pace which I certainly plan to do. I truly believe this will be one of the most impressive and profound books of 2021, it thoroughly deserves to be.

One of the first things that really struck me about this book was how beautiful and lyrical the writing is. There were lines and passages that made me pause or go back to reread them to fully appreciate how powerful they were.

This is not a plot driven story and the "action" only really begins in the final 15% of the book. Instead, this book captures the daily lives and histories of the black slaves at Elizabeth plantation, known as Empty due to its remote location. The main focus is on the characters of Samuel and Isaiah, who are forced to hide their love for each other, and their connection to the other characters around them.

Their stories are brutal, harrowing and eye-opening and the book does not shy away from detailing the ordeals inflicted on the slaves, particularly those which formed parts of breeding practices . The contrast of these barbaric acts with the unconditional and intense love and passion between Samuel and Isaiah was powerful and gave a sense of hope which ran throughout the story.

The last few pages of this book took my breath away and I know this is a story which will stay with me and that I will be so glad to have read.

Thank you to Quercus Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

It is plain to see that this book is a love letter to the cannon of great African American writers and their works.It is heavily influenced by the authors Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Octavia Butler and Maya Angelou amongst others. This is a sweeping story following a plantation in the Deep South of America and follows the slaves Samuel and Isaiah. Sam and Isaiah form a budding sexual and intimate relationship despite their struggles to survive on the plantation. However their daily lives on the plantation are far from harmonious and it only gets worse for the two black men as the novel progresses.

The novel also focuses on different characters perspectives like the other slaves and the slave owners family. This novel also has similar supernatural / spiritual elements like The Water Dancer which I didn’t enjoy as much as the main plot line but I do feel added to the overall epicness of the novel. This will not be great for readers who need propulsive writing as this book is lilting and more of a slow burn.

But I will be ordering this in physical copy at some point as I feel I haven’t got the most out of this book in an ebook format. I would love to re read this book much more slowly and take my time to connect with the slower pacing and lyrical writing style. Although I do think the last quarter of the novel could have been more purposefully condensed.

Thank you to the author Robert Jones Jr., riverrun publishing and NetGalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rarely have I read a book that moved me and unsettled me so profoundly.
The Prophets is set on the Elizabeth Plantation, known as Empty by the slaves that live and work there. The central characters are Samuel and Isaiah, adolescent slaves who have grown up together and found love as they share the barn where they work and sleep. Their illicit relationship is discovered which sets off a train of events which can only end in disaster.
The story is told by many different voices; Samuel and Isaiah, the ambitious Amos who brings religion to the slaves as an attempt to ingratiate himself with the master, the women of the camp who quietly wield more power than is understood, Paul, the owner of the plantation, and his wife and son. This gives an important understanding of each character’s motivations, hopes and fears. It also highlights the innate goodness and evil that can be at the core of someone and raises profound questions about nature versus nurture.

Robert Jones Jr has written an astonishing debut novel. His use of language is lyrical yet every word is used so precisely - he knows exactly where he is going with this story. I expect it to be one of the novels of 2021, it is unflinching in the way it holds a mirror to the horrific history of slavery. I felt disgust and anger, and a need to understand the repercussions of this terrible period. The ending is shocking but gives us thought and some hope that a strength and power developed from these dark days, even if we must never pretend that the fight is over.
Thank you to #netgalley and #quercus for allowing me to review this advance copy

In the acknowledgements of this extraordinary book, Robert Jones Jr. mentions so many names in gratitude, it feels like a lifetime of all those he may have met, been taught by, read, listened to, watched, and this collective speaks to the nature of the work itself. The prophets, the old gods of Africa who survive the slave ships to the plantations of the American South, alive in the blood of people tearing their hands picking cotton, are a group that speak together. Behind every foretelling, foreshadowing is perhaps a better word for them, is a history of multitudes that presents alternative social and religious structures unbound by a Christian, patriarchy of shame.

I appreciate this shift in contemporary literature to embrace the chorus, for individuals are always an expression of the whole and this book is so brilliant at making the horrors of life on a plantation breathe with different facets of one jewel.

Robert Jones Jr. also writes to Toni Morrison in the acknowledgements, wishing she’d been able to read the book, hoping that somewhere in the universe she is able to be pleased with it. I feel certain if she is somewhere and has been able to see this book, she would indeed be pleased with it. He does such a brilliant job of showing what it means to love, how it shines, attracting and repelling others with its magic. The love between two young male slaves in the barn is one of the most beautiful depictions of love I’ve ever read. Their looks and bodies speak without sound, their love creates an awesome hope in the darkness.

I don’t want to say a lot more about this book. It comes out on the 5th January 2021 and you should pre-order it now. This is a book that will be on all the prize-winning lists of next year. All the praise you read about it isn’t hype, it’s true. This book is a majestic epic that asks all sorts of questions of the past and present, that seeks to find new ways of looking at the history of slavery and our connection to the land. The writing is fresh and ancient all at once. The Prophets is a fabulous novel and Robert Jones Jr. a writer whose work I will be waiting to read again with great anticipation.

It is very difficult to write a review that does justice to this book. It is a historical fiction novel that tells us the lives of multiple people who live in a cotton plantation called Empty by the slaves, and Elizabeth by the owners.

At the center of the story we have Isaiah and Samuel, two slaves who love each other. Amos, another slave (who wants to be toubab - white) sees their love and contempt for authority as danger to the rest of the slave community, so he actively starts preaching against them. But that is really not the full story. We have a book with multiple (many!) points of view, some centered on the slaves, some of the owners, and if you go into it thinking that it's all about a love story you're in for a surprise. In reality, it's not about Isaiah and Samuel. The story goes much deeper than that (I did say it was difficult to do justice to the book!). It's about life in the plantation, about the relationships between the different characters with each other, about beliefs and religion (it had to, with that title), about the way slaves are treated, about the power of the female slaves. Each chapter is a window into someone's mind, and not one of them was uninteresting.

It is not an easy read, not only because of the story it tells, but because of how it's told. The prose is almost too beautiful for such a hard story. In turn, it requires the reader to pay attention and remain focused on the book. I firmly believe this will be one of the top books of 2021, and I can't thank NetGalley, Quercus Books and Robert Jones Jr for the privilege of receiving an ARC of this book.

This is the story of Isaiah and Samuel, two slaves on the Elizabeth Plantation who find love and joy with each other until someone discover their secret. Part historical fiction and part literary fiction, it is a deeply affecting story which pulls you between the love between 'The Two of Them" and the barbarity, abuse and cruelty of slavery. Using multiple POVs allows a rich tapestry of voices, each with their own experience and stories, which creates layers upon layers to this story.

I’m sure we’ve all read books that feel really special, ones that leave a silence in their wake - the ones that stun with their cruelty and their beauty, all at the same time, so let me say right now, that in author Robert Jones Jr, there is a master wordsmith at work, taking the written word and transforming it into something magical. Even more remarkable, is the fact that this is the author’s debut novel!

The Halifax cotton plantation in the Deep South (otherwise known as Empty) isn’t somewhere you’d choose to be, it’s where unfortunate people have ended up, having been taken from their homeland, sometimes even torn from a distraught mother’s arms.

The storyline centres around Samuel and Isaiah, slaves at the cotton plantation. Two young gay men who fall in love, and love (forbidden or otherwise) is very hard to come by in a place that grinds down even the strongest of people.

Various characters, both the slaves and the slavers, are given a voice, describing their lives , and their feelings, and out of these many characters, it was Maggie that I personally found to be one of the most interesting. She likes to ‘mother’ Samuel and Isaiah, sneaks extra bits of food for them from the Big House whenever she gets the chance, and gives them the benefit of her great wisdom, and special powers.

Maggie is a complex but utterly fascinating character, she has ‘the favour’ (she ‘sees’ things before they happen). She works in the Big House, as cook/housekeeper for Massa Paul and Missy Ruth, neither of whom can be trusted, both devious and cruel personalities. Massa Paul makes Maggie do things she doesn’t want to do - degrading things that she doesn’t understand, whilst Missy Ruth, in the pretence of being a friend, then accused Maggie of theft, which wasn’t true. Still, Maggie gets back at them in her own little ways without them ever suspecting a thing, and that feels so good, it’s the only control she has in life - her one bit of power.

Slavery, and its ensuing pain, misery, and hardship, makes one wonder at the fortitude and perseverance required both to live, and to survive, the cruelty and oppression. Though it depicts a terrible time in history, and the bonds of slavery were extremely harsh, this novel lifts it up, characterising as it does, a different kind of bond - the invisible bonds of true love. A truly magnificent and unmissable novel.