Prophet

By: Helen Macdonald, Sin Blaché

Narrated by: Jake Fairbrother, Ryan Forde Iosco, Charlotte Davey

In this genre bending tour de force, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of H Is for Hawk Helen Macdonald and debut novelist Sin Blaché deliver a strikingly original story about an unlikely spy duo on the most dangerous and otherworldly mission of their lives

Adam Rubenstein and Sunil Rao have been nemeses and reluctant partners since their Uzbekistan days. Adam is a seemingly unflappable American Intelligence officer and Rao is an ex-Mi6 agent, an addict and rudderless pleasure hound, with the uncanny ability to discern the truth of things—about everyone and everything other than Adam. When an American diner turns up in a foggy field in the UK and is followed by a mysterious death, Adam and Rao are called in to investigate.

In a reality-bending, action-packed quest that takes Adam and Rao from secret laboratories in Colorado, to a luxury lodge in Aspen, to the remote Nevada desert, the two begin to uncover how and why people’s fondest memories are being manifested and weaponized against them by a spooky, ever-shifting substance called Prophet. As the unlikely duo battle this strange new reality, peoples' happiest memories are materializing in increasingly bizarre and tangible forms, ranging from toys and pets to fairground rides, which then turn malevolent. Prophet is like no enemy Adam and Rao or the world have ever come up against.

From the brilliant minds of Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché, Prophet is a tantalizing fusion of sci fi, noir, action, and romance—set in a universe just one perilous step from our own. An unflinching sendup of corporate corruption, a tension-shot odd-couple romance, and a rollicking adventure rolled into one, Prophet is a triumph of storytelling.

Contributor Bio(s)

Helen Macdonald is a writer, poet, and naturalist. She is the author of the bestselling H Is for Hawk and Vesper Flights along with Shaler’s Fish, a history of falconry and two other books of poetry. She’s written and presented award-winning tv documentaries for PBS and the BBC and is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Magazine. Prophet is her first novel.

Sin Blaché is a Black Irish musician and author. They have been writing horror and sci-fi stories all their life. Prophet is their first novel. Born in California, they live in the North West of Ireland and can be found obsessing over obscure folk instruments, being a reluctant savior to feral cats, and playing too many video games.

©2023 Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Mind bender

Pay attention. Not one to listen to while falling asleep. Well written s as nd thought provoking. Really enjoyed it.

Really fun, engaging, surprising

Great narration that really pulls you along. The story was interesting and new and worth your time. Would read more by this duo

A little disappointed

I was excited for this book. it started really well. the set up in the beginning was great. it was like x files. Then it made this strange turn in the middle. This turn was really hard to accept. It was just so unbelievable. I went with it even though it was so odd. it felt like the middle was a different book. Then the end of the book takes this jump and I was left feeling like this was a third story. The last part of the book is just bad. I had a hard time trying to finish it. I keep thinking I'm going to miss something that will make all of the effort worth it. I'm starting to think it's not going to happen, and

Thought provoking

Thoroughly original and thought-provoking wild ride. Audio performers were excellent but quality of the recording was occasionally jarring.

Too Long Too Slow

I enjoyed the first 6 hours of this book, was confused for the next 6, and spent the last 6 just waiting for it to be over already having invested that much time in it. There was a tremendous amount of filler that was just not that entertaining. I kept asking myself, is it over yet? Is it over yet? I was honestly just hoping something interesting would happen and kill off the main characters so there would be an ending. Overall there was a lot of potential but none of the various themes were really developed well. There were really only two developed characters and they got seriously boring by the end of the book.

Great concept

Excellent narration and the ideas behind the plot, while super interesting, frankly didn't come together as well as if have liked and as I expected. The humor was spot on and at times I laughed out loud. I'd have scored the story 3.5.

Double whammy: Amazing book and best narration ever

I’m blown away. The dialogue. The story. How it’s read. Never have characters come so alive. I swear they’re real.

Recording is terrible

The story is okay so far but the had so many re-records of the main narrator’s voice that it it extremely jarring every time the recording changes from the professional sound booth to the iPhone in the narrators closet. There was no professional studio nearby? With that many re-records it would have been worth it to splurge on eight hours in a professional sound studio.

I could not stay interested

When I listen to a good book, my mind does not wander. I don't have to struggle to stay engaged. Sadly, this was not a good book.