Best Book of the Year NPR • The Washington Post • Boston Globe • TIME • USA Today • Entertainment Weekly • Real Simple • Parade • Buzzfeed • Electric Literature • LitHub • BookRiot • PopSugar • Goop • Library Journal • BookBub • KCRW • Finalist for the National Book Award • One of the New York Times Notable Books of the Year • One of the New York Times Best Historical Fiction of the Year • Instant New York Times Bestseller  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 fearlessly reveals the pain and suffering of inheritance, but is also shot through with hope, beauty, and truth, portraying the enormous, heroic power of love. Winner of the Publishing Triangle’s Edmund White Award Finalist for the Ernest J. Gaines Award For Literary Excellence Finalist for the Crook's Corner Book Prize Finalist for the Prix Médicis Etrange Finalist for the Chautauqua Prize Longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Longlisted for the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award #1 Indie Next Pick  One of:  The New York Times Book Review 's Books to Watch for in January  The Washington Post 's 10 Books to Read in January TIME 's 10 New Books You Should Read in January O, the Oprah Magazine 's 32 LGBTQ Books That Will Change the Literary Landscape in 2021 Cosmopolitan ’s New LGBTQ+ Books to Add to Your Reading List Entertainment Weekly ’s 14 Books to Read During Black History Month Good Morning America ’s Best Books to Read this January  Marie Claire 's Must-Read 2021 Book Releases by Black Authors  CNN ’s Best Books of January NBC News ’ 10 Best Fiction Books by Black Authors in 2021 Harper's Bazaar 's Winter's Best New Releases Reader's Digest 's Most Anticipated Books of 2021 BuzzFeed ’s Most Anticipated Historical Fiction of 2021 Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2021 Electric Literature 's Most Anticipated Debuts of 2021 The Millions ' Most Anticipated Books of 2021 Thrillist ’s 30 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2021 Spy ’s Best and Most Anticipated Books of 2021 Read It Forward ’s Favorite Reads of January 2021 The Root ’s Most Anticipated Books by Black Authors in 2021 The Advocate ’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of 2021 St. Louis Magazine ’s Must-Read Books of 2021 Debutiful ’s Best Debuts of January Lambda Literary's Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books of January  LGBTQ Read’s Most Anticipated LGBTQIAP Fiction of 2021 Picks Kirkus Reviews ' Most Anticipated Books of the Fall TheBody ’s 5 Essential Summer Reads by Queer Authors TheGrio ’s Top 50 Books to Read This Summer Vibe ’s 15 Best Fictional Books by Black Authors CNN.com ’s Essential Reading for Pride Month The New York Times Style Magazine ’s 25 Most Influential Works of Postwar Queer Literature "Beautifully written." — Isabel Allende, Elle "An extraordinary, vivid novel written with heart and imagination.... The Prophets really dazzles." –NPR, Weekend Edition “[An] often lyrical and rebellious love story...Jones seems to be reaching across centuries of blood and memory in an attempt to shake awake a warrior armed with weapon and wit that lies sleeping in his imagined, beloved, Black reader....Jones proves himself an amazing lyricist, pulling poetry out of every image and shift of light....What a fiery kindness that ending, this book. A book I entered hesitantly, cautiously, I exited anew—something in me unloosed, running. May this book cast its spell on all of us , restore to us some memory of our most warrior and softest selves.” – The New York Times Book Review "A lyrical and rebellious love story." – The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) “With this epic novel, Jones, who is known for his blogging and Twitter presence as Son of Baldwin, marks his entry into the literary arena