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schnaucl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this book. I really liked the dynamic between Rao and Adam and their dynamic with Hunter.
The idea of something that manifests your nostalgia is an intriguing one, as is the idea of someone who immediately knows if something is true. I can certainly see why intelligence agencies would want to control a person with such an ability. Frankly, I'm surprised they'd ever let him in the field given what a valuable resource he would be.
I did not see it's all a big Libertarian plot to weaponize nostalgia coming as the explanation, although the politics of it, and the reckless disregard for testing it on an unsuspecting populace, certainly tracks.
I feel a little ambivalent about the ending. I suppose given the government connections, they could officially undo Rao's death, although explaining it to his family would be more of a challenge. I also wonder if Rao being a recreation, even a perfect one, will start to cause problems down the line. I would think it would be difficult to not have imposter syndrome.
I think this is a standalone book but I'd definitely read more if they wanted to make it a series.
The idea of something that manifests your nostalgia is an intriguing one, as is the idea of someone who immediately knows if something is true. I can certainly see why intelligence agencies would want to control a person with such an ability. Frankly, I'm surprised they'd ever let him in the field given what a valuable resource he would be.
I feel a little ambivalent about the ending. I suppose given the government connections, they could officially undo Rao's death, although explaining it to his family would be more of a challenge. I also wonder if Rao being a recreation, even a perfect one, will start to cause problems down the line. I would think it would be difficult to not have imposter syndrome.
I think this is a standalone book but I'd definitely read more if they wanted to make it a series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Body horror, Drug abuse, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Vomit, Animal death, War, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Torture, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Racism
samanyana's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Addiction, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Death
scifi_rat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
Plot: 3★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 4★
Concept/Execution: 5★/3.75★
Characters: 4.75★
Worldbuilding: 3.5★
Ending: 3.5★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 4★
Concept/Execution: 5★/3.75★
Characters: 4.75★
Worldbuilding: 3.5★
Ending: 3.5★
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Medical content, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Gun violence, Homophobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Minor: Gaslighting, Antisemitism, and Panic attacks/disorders
rinku's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The most enjoyable thing about Prophet was its romance, and that’s probably not a good sign for a sci-fi book. The sci-fi elements introduced here were interesting, but the execution was just not that great.
The problem with the plot is that it was just a bit too confusing and that the pacing was off. The story centres around objects appearing out of nothing which is caused by a remedy called Prophet. It’s somehow connected to nostalgia and the main characters – Adam, a soldier, and Rao, an ordinary guy that can see the truth and is somehow connected to Prophet – have to figure what it is about and who’s behind it.
The beginning of the story was weird and intriguing what I enjoyed first but soon I was just confused because not everything is explained properly or even makes sense. The investigation sounded interesting, but they barely investigate anything, and I was not sure what the goal of their mission was. Additionally, the middle section was so slow because barely anything happens, and the characters only stay at one place. All in all, I think that the story had more potential that was sadly not utilized enough.
What I liked though was that the atmosphere throughout the novel is constantly kinda creepy. The body horror elements were interesting as well that especially played a role towards the ending. The final section of the book was quite unsettling, and it would’ve been great if the horror elements were more in the focus in the rest of the story as well. What I found a bit unnecessary about the ending though was Rao’s fake death .
Like I’ve said, what I enjoyed the most about Prophet was the dynamic between the two main characters Rao and Adam. I liked them both and for once, I was not annoyed by the banter but actually found it funny from time to time. We sadly have not many interesting characters besides them. Especially the female characters felt a bit flat, and it was annoying how one of them was always called a psycho. Rao and Adam sometimes felt a bit cliché too with one of them having a dark secret and the other one fulfilling the cliché of the promiscuous bisexual person.
I’m not sure if I would recommend Prophet or not. The book was just a bit too long with too many things that weren’t explained enough. I probably wouldn’t have finished it if it wasn’t for Adam and Rao. Maybe a book series about shorter sci-fi cases that they have to solve would be more fitting for them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Alcohol, Body horror, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, War, Animal death, Violence, and Addiction
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Confinement, and Homophobia
paracosim's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I was interested in this book the instant I saw the cover, and I’m very pleased to say that the contents lived up to the intrigue. If you like the game Disco Elysium, this is the book for you. It’s surreal, feels a bit dreamy in some areas, but the characters are well-grounded and will reel you back in when you begin to feel like the plot is getting a little too weird. (I reached out to the authors on Twitter and as it turns out, Sin Blaché has played and loves Disco Elysium LOL.)
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators were fantastic. It actually took me a few chapters to realize the narrators were different people switching from POVs, because the voices they used for the characters sounded so similar. So it wasn’t jarring in the least. The plot was great, but there were a few parts that seemed a bit too convenient (or that made me want to shake the character’s shoulders to demand what the hell they were thinking). Overall, this was an extremely solid read and I think I’ll be buying a physical copy.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of the audiobook to review.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators were fantastic. It actually took me a few chapters to realize the narrators were different people switching from POVs, because the voices they used for the characters sounded so similar. So it wasn’t jarring in the least. The plot was great, but there were a few parts that seemed a bit too convenient (or that made me want to shake the character’s shoulders to demand what the hell they were thinking). Overall, this was an extremely solid read and I think I’ll be buying a physical copy.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of the audiobook to review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Homophobia and Animal death
gorejoyous's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What if The X Files and Sherlock Holmes and Annihilation had a perfect, beautiful book baby? I have excellent news that this is no longer just a hypothesis, but fully realized in "Prophet" by Sin Blaché and Helen Macdonald.
I started this book on a late, crowded flight and was instantly immersed. I've never been able to so clearly visualize the world and characters from a novel before, both to my adoration and horror in the case of this story. Blaché and Macdonald are a killer duo in their descriptions of the characters' actions and inner workings, letting you really get under their skin.
It's so weird and gross and lovely and upon finishing it I'm absolutely devastated in the best way possible. Extremely excited to yell about this book to everyone I know and thrilled to add two stellar authors to my "read everything by them" list.
Biggest thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the digital ARC!
I started this book on a late, crowded flight and was instantly immersed. I've never been able to so clearly visualize the world and characters from a novel before, both to my adoration and horror in the case of this story. Blaché and Macdonald are a killer duo in their descriptions of the characters' actions and inner workings, letting you really get under their skin.
It's so weird and gross and lovely and upon finishing it I'm absolutely devastated in the best way possible. Extremely excited to yell about this book to everyone I know and thrilled to add two stellar authors to my "read everything by them" list.
Biggest thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the digital ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Addiction, Murder, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Torture
Minor: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt
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