Reviews with content warning for War - Prophet Song

Prophet Song is an unflinching and emotionally brutal portrayal of a nation spiralling into war. Paul Lynch’s novel grips the reader with its intensity, pulling you into the heart of a society on the brink of collapse.

What stands out most is Lynch’s exceptional prose. His unconventional descriptions of everyday moments breathe life into the narrative in ways that are unexpected yet striking.

For instance, when describing a simple exchange, Lynch writes:

She finds herself watching the face so intensely she is met with the feeling of an existence unalterably separate from hers, can feel her smile uncoupling from her face, the smile sliding past her jaw onto the floor.

Or this vivid depiction of a tender yet tragic moment:

What has been stored in the body, what has been locked in the heart gives release through Molly’s mouth into sobbing…We have entered into a tunnel and there is no going back, she says, we just need to keep going and going until we reach the light on the other side.

Lynch’s writing is both beautiful and harrowing, capturing the emotional toll of life under siege. The novel’s intensity weighs heavily, and while I found it incredibly powerful, I have no desire to read it again—not because it’s a bad book, but because of its emotional heft. The experience was profound, but draining.

That said, Prophet Song is a novel everyone should read at least once. It exposes the jarring and tragic realities of life in a war-torn country in a way that will leave you both shaken and reflective. The devastating truth is that this depiction accurately reflects the reality for many in our world today, a fact which is cause for pause, reflection, and action.

Content Warnings

alyssaakdefusco's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book left me speechless. I'm gutted. I could not put it down. I think this is a must read for those of us separated from the reality of war, genocide, and forced migration.

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columba_livia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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aseel_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

I think the idea of the story was interesting but I hate this style of execution and it was really hard to concentrate on the story. Some plot events had me super engaged

um bailey dying?? Wtf

but like it took me so long to remember the names of the kids and I felt like the mum could have been more proactive, especially in the second half

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madeleiner's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jacss's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was intense. I started reading it a few months ago, but couldn't finish it in time (libraries eh). Picked it up at the book store recently and was able to finish it.

Although it was easy to hop back into the story, intriguing as it is, the writing needed some getting used to again. For some reason my brain wants to skip passages when quotation marks are left out. So that took some discipline.

The story itself is a dystopian war that unfolds slowly in Ireland and follows a normal family. Starting off with "that is impossible, they wouldn't let they happen would they?" and finishing with absolute horrors. I had to put the book down near the end, but picking it back up is worth it.

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swivelhead's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Distressingly relatable against the backdrop of what's going on in various countries around the world in present day (cliche as that sounds), but this book does the dystopian Orwell-esque storytelling really well.

However, at the core of it is the grounded story of a mother (Eilish) trying to hold her family together against the aforementioned turmoil and war that I found really powerful. The writing style is a little atypical/challenging, but I really enjoyed it (I can see how others wouldn't though).

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marmalou_'s review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I wont ever forget this story.

Set in a modern-day Ireland at the start of a civil war, where the country quickly descends into a totalitarian regime. The story follows Eilish trying to hold her family together amongst the terror and chaos as their lives unravel around them. A very tough read because this dystopian world doesn’t seem that far away.

4.5* but would have been 5* if I hadn’t found the writing style so challenging

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