Burn Down Master's House is a historical retelling of 4 different stories of enslaved people in the American south. While it does not shy away from the horrors, dehumanization and brutality of slavery, it also has an overriding theme of hope and violent rebellion. We don't often hear the stories of the slaves who fought back, who resorted to violence and destruction in the face of extraordinary violence. This book is masterful in the way that it draws a modern reader into a narrative in a way that will challenge us. Slave stories at one point were outright lies, whitewashing the horrors of the atrocities into a "Gone With the Wind" nostalgic sweet slavery story, Then we have the pitiful tragedies, 12 years a slave, "trauma porn"- although I don't love the term I don't have a better one. This type of scenario is much more empowering.

The scenarios are brutal, dehumanizing, violent and tragic. Gruesome. If you want to try this but have a difficult time with that, maybe read the introduction, skips Luke and Henri's story, and read the last 3 stories. If you are good you can go back to Luke and Henri, where we get the title "Burn Down Master's House."

This book is for those ready to confront the past with a righteous anger.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dafina for the ARC. Book to be published January 2026.

"Don't let them take away what they can't touch!"
5/5
Author, Clay Cane, takes real life past situations and creates a new empowering story that intertwines his characters until the end. He is right, this is not another slave book. Burn Down Master's House is powerful. It hits the nail on the head about misinformation and remembering so we can build a whole new house and just not rearrange the inside as the author put it. I could not put this book down. Please read the introduction. I know that it is typically skipped but its well worth it and gives insight into the thoughts going into this book. I liked the fact he included the articles of the real life situations. It has great quotes as well that will resonate. The ending came away tied together perfectly. It feels good to read a book and actually cheer on the slaves to rebel, fight back and kill. I will recommend a thousand times over.

This is not an easy read, nor a happy story. It is however an important story. The storyline keeps the characters connected along with their history and with history itself. It is painful and powerful. I had to stop every couple of chapters in order to just absorb the feelings and situations. The author did the research of not only the time period, but also to account for the horrendous crimes committed against the black community. I use the term black community, because that is what the characters truly were no matter what, a community. In light of our current history happening now, this story resonates so loud. The perseverance, love and survival is the heart of the story that you must always cling to while reading it. I have forever left a piece of myself with these characters and I will always keep their memory and story in my heart so I never forget the struggle.

Four and a half stars rounded up to five. This is a meticulously researched book, that encapsulates four stories of slaves who fought back. Each story builds on the one before .
Saying that I loved this book isn't entirely correct, but I do think it should be required reading. It's hard to stomach that some of the awful things that took place are based on the truth. A very sobering read. Highly, highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

an incredibly well researched, historically based rebellion story that reinvents the contemporary slave narrative genre. clay clearly poured his soul into this book, and he very clearly cares about the subject.

not only is the writing and characters excellent, you get immensely educated through both the introduction, author’s note, and various cited sources throughout the book.

unique in its framing, this collection of connected short stories is deeply personal, moving, and unflinching in its portrayal of the horror of slavery and the beauty in revenge.

highly recommend- and I can’t wait to see more of clays work!

This book. This book just hit all the right spots. Historical. Depth. Love. Pain..Reality. Truth. I am absolutely in love with this book. Stories of people who lived in Goochland, VA all connected by the same plantation.

Burn the Masters House down is going to be one of those books they need to teach in schools, Its one of those that tugs at your soul abd doesn't let go. I'm never going to forget about Larkin or Solomon, Henri , Charity, and the rest.

It really puts things into perspective when on May 15, 2025, a fire broke out at Nottoway Plantation in Louisiana. The building was pretty much destroyed. I remember seeing this on the news and shurugging, yes it's history- but slave owning should not be memorialized or celebrated. A memorial should stand for those who were enslaved and kept as literal property. People are not property.

My favorite line from Burn the Masters House Down : "Slavery isn’t just a story of brutality; it’s a story of power, resistance, and the structures that continue to shape our world.- we should be given the history of those who rebelled and faught back."

I should know more about this. I want to hear the histories. We can not hide behind "pretty buildings" and picturesque views. People suffered.

I really liked the author putting in their sources and even at the end going into depth thru thought process. This was amazing. Hands down 5 star.

Cane takes a journalistic approach in this tale of justice for and by the enslaved. I found Burn Down Master’s House to be a poignant and refreshingly new take on a subject that has been touched on by many writers.

Fans of Colson Whitehead and Toni Morrison will find themselves right at home with this book!

Burn Master’s House Down is an explosive, no-holds-barred masterpiece that grabs you by the collar and does not let go. From the very first chapter, the tension is razor-sharp and the storytelling is fearless. The author paints a vivid, gritty world full of layered characters, buried secrets, and jaw-dropping twists that had me yelling at the pages.

What I loved most is how raw and real this story felt. It’s not just about setting the world on fire—it’s about the cost of holding the match. Every character is complex, and the emotional stakes are sky-high. I was completely invested in their pain, their choices, and their hunger for justice, revenge, or survival—depending on who you ask.

The writing? Cinematic. Bold. Unapologetically Black. This book made me feel like I was right there in the heat of it all, heart racing, eyes wide.

This book was definitely not what I expected and thank god for this.
This book will stay with for the rest of my life. The beautifully tragic but raw stories of our main characters carry us though decades of sadness and yet I have never felt some moved by a story.
Couldn't put it down for a single moment. The Way it was written was so refreshing for stories that have been written before.
Think the whole world need to study this bolls cover to cover and at least try to understand the past to learn for the future

4,5/5, what a marvelous book!

“Misinformation is an old, strong tool; it distorts history, manipulates narratives, and fuels power”

I couldn’t stop reading it from the moment I picked it up. I’m incredibly grateful to have received a proof copy of this one. Slave narratives have always piqued my interest, especially since one of my university modules gave me the insight to fully appreciate them.

Burn Down Master’s House  is structured as four short stories about rebellion and resistance, all intertwined. We often hear tragic narratives when it comes to slavery, but few focus on the strength and resilience of those who suffered. Burn Down Master’s House highlights these stories — the ones about reclaiming freedom. It’s powerful and incredibly refreshing to see the power shift from the masters to the enslaved.

Knowing that each short story is based on true events and true people makes the book even more impactful. “Remembering is an act of resistance,” and I truly believe we need these types of narratives in today’s society. We must confront the atrocities of the past — and those that continue today. Clay Cane’s novel is essential reading. We need to reshape the narrative, to give credit to those who fought for their freedom, and not focus solely on the monsters. We need to remember the victims and honor how their bravery helped pave the way for others.

Easily one of my top books for this year. When a book hooks me in from the beginning like this, I know I'm in for a great read. It's a book with heavy themes but it was stellar. The multiple inter-connected stories always do it for me. Honestly no notes. Looking forward to purchase this in 2026.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of Burn Down Master’s House.

It is a story that starts in Magnolia Row. A plantation indulging in the horror of slavery and which features characters that will be found again in the next chapters of the novel.

I would strongly advise to be prepared before reading this book as the violence featured is quite explicit- especially in the first chapter. I liked that this book focused on slavery but did not tell the same story with different characters. There were different conditions and circumstances which was interesting to read about. The last chapter especially with a black man owning a plantation.

Even though it’s fiction, it still tells the story of what some people lived. It’s always delicate to rate these stories as it’s horrible and makes you mad.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Clay Cane’s Burn Down Master’s House is a powerful and haunting novel that grips you from the first page and refuses to let go. Inspired by long-buried truths, this book offers a bold reimagining of resistance during one of the darkest chapters in American history. It doesn’t just revisit the past—it demands that we reckon with it.

What makes this story so unforgettable is the way Cane breathes life into his characters. Luke and Henri’s bond is at the heart of the novel, serving as a reminder of how hope, intellect, and sheer determination can exist even in the most brutal circumstances. Josephine, with her quiet power, lingers in your memory long after her final page. Charity’s complexity as a free woman navigating a world still shackled by oppression brings both tension and nuance, while Nathaniel’s role as a Black enslaver forces uncomfortable questions about power and complicity.

Cane’s writing is searing and unflinching. The brutality isn’t sensationalized—it’s presented as truth, and that truth is necessary. At the same time, the novel is layered with moments of tenderness, defiance, and even beauty. You feel the weight of history in every chapter, and yet, the story feels alive and urgent, speaking directly to today’s ongoing struggles with justice and identity.

This is not a passive read. It’s a book that challenges, moves, and transforms. For readers of Colson Whitehead or Jesmyn Ward, Burn Down Master’s House is essential—raw, righteous, and rooted in resistance.

Wow I mean just Wow! Don't think for one minute that this is just another book about slavery because this is so much more than that. From the very beginning I was invested with the people (refuse to call them characters). The book is broken into four chapters and focuses on four stories but each one relates to the one before. This book is raw, honest, and sometimes hard to read but it is as real as it gets. You will not be disappointed and I just can't explain the feeling I got when I finished. You have to experience it yourself. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

**First Person ARC Review: *Burn Down the Master's House* by Clay Cane**

*Burn Down the Master’s House* hit me like a lightning strike—blunt, brilliant, and impossible to ignore. This is the kind of book that doesn’t just challenge you—it demands you sit up, pay attention, and reckon with uncomfortable truths.

Clay Cane writes with the clarity and conviction of someone who’s not here to sugarcoat a single thing. From page one, I could feel the fire behind every word—his anger, his insight, his refusal to let hypocrisy hide behind polite language. It’s part memoir, part political and cultural takedown, and all of it is razor-sharp. He calls out white supremacy, respectability politics, and the deep-rooted rot of anti-Blackness with a level of honesty that’s as necessary as it is bold.

What really stayed with me, though, was how personal this book is. Cane doesn’t just analyze systems—he lays bare his own experience within them, showing the emotional toll of trying to survive, succeed, and speak truth as a Black, queer man in America. That vulnerability mixed with righteous rage is what makes this book so powerful. It’s not just informative—it’s alive.

*Burn Down the Master’s House* is a rallying cry, a critique, and a call to action all at once. It left me fired up, reflective, and more aware of the ways we all play a role in upholding or dismantling the systems around us. If you're ready to be confronted, challenged, and changed, this book is essential.

I really enjoyed it. A true depiction of slavery and its horrors and though at first glance seems like isolated chapters comes full circle and unites the characters. It all begins at Magnolia house/ plantation -the first to be “ burned down”.
Historical fiction carefully researched and documented. Several brutal scenes -and these are not for everyone.
I read it in one sitting!!!!!!

An excellent book with an unflinching portrayal of slavery in the United States. The writing style is engaging, the stories are gripping and heartbreaking. The historical accuracy was excellent and compelled me to look up the references in the footnotes.

I was captivated by this book from start to finish. Truly - what a masterpiece. I read it in one sitting. Clay Cane blends raw, powerful nonfiction events into a plot that ties these very real events together beautifully. They perfectly highlight the stories of the unfathomably brave individuals who fought back. I was hooked on every word. No American child will hear these stories in a classroom (I know I didn't), but every American should. This book should be required reading in high school classrooms. I would rate this six stars if I could. Phenomenal.

Burn Down Master's House is a wonderfully written novel, taking multiple stories and weaving them together to follow characters through their journey through slavery, rebellion, and freedom. The characters are true life heroes that show us how to endure and how to "not let them take what they can't see." Each story stems from Magnolia Row, a notoriously perverse plantation, and follows our main characters through their stories of survival and freedom. Each story shows us the power of love and fighting for what we know is right, basic human rights.

Clay Cane has done a fabulous job of researching true stories and piecing them together in a seamless retelling of how the oppressed pushed back, took matters into their own hands, and demanded to be treated as human beings. This novel is not for the faint of heart, it is not for those who refuse to look back and acknowledge our history as a nation. It is for those who are willing to sit with the raw, inhumane way we treated slaves. There are parts where you will need to push through. However, you will find yourself rooting for our star characters and condemning our villains (potentially celebrating their bloody downfall).

My biggest fear is that my review will not do this book justice. Thank you for allowing me the privilege to read and review. This will be a book I will talk about for a long time.

[4.5 stars rounded down]

This is an incredible and well-researched collection of four connected stories about enslaved peoples revolting against their owners. Opening with a nonfiction introduction written by the author that details the importance of sharing these stories - each based on one or many real historical accounts - and explains how this is not just another slave story. Then, the meat of the novel is split into four chapters, each following a different (but connected in some way) cast and we find ourselves flung across a few decades of the Antebellum period of the USA.

Every character was well-written, including the awful ones. The lives and humanity of the enslaved characters come through so strongly and beautifully. Every bit of their lives, their relationships with others, and their hopes for the future are detailed and real. Though, of course, there is no pity given to the slave owners, but they are not written off as inhuman beasts. We see that they are just as real of people as those they are enslaving, just with more power.

The writing is third person omniscient and often flows freely between characters present in a scene (though it generally sticks to one or two characters per chapter). This is generally handled well, but there are a few points (especially in chapter one, which has the largest cast) where I found myself mixed up. However, I do think that this was the best choice for the novel and allows for so much care to be put into each of the characters. It also allows us to slip briefly into the thoughts of the enslavers without much interruption and always with a powerful effect.

I wish there was better descriptive prose at points. It's very good, don’t get me wrong, just not outstanding. Many parts are very explanatory, as in: we are told explicitly how, what, and why characters are feeling a certain way. Chapter 3 is an example of this after Charity tells Clara that (view spoiler). In this, we get very written out reasoning and explanation for Clara’s beliefs and thought processes from an out of body narrator, rather than the actual transcribed thought process going through Clara’s mind. It blends in nicely with the writing style of the rest of the novel and works for it, but it’s not a style or format that I prefer. There are still some moments of great prose, the actions and scene descriptions especially.

”For the first time, for the both of them, there was no shame, no expectation. This moment wasn’t stolen or forced, it was freely given, godlike.”

The first chapter is about Henri and Luke, two 18 year old enslaved men who build a relationship together while planning on escape. We get a beautifully done, if not a bit rushed, romance between the two male leads, the friendship growing between Henri, the newest on the plantation, and Ruby, a house slave, and a growing need to get away from there together. Somehow both too long and still slightly rushed, but a very strong opener nonetheless. (Sidenote: I really hated the way that Junior’s body was described. I felt that there were so many other ways to show us and Luke being disgusted by him without focusing on his fat rolls and heavy breathing. Like okay, he's fat, can we not spend several paragraphs on describing how grotesque we’re supposed to think that is?).

”Her girlhood, stolen and battered for years, began to unfurl inside her like a flower blooming in reverse. She felt a giddiness as she watched them - her tormentors, her captors - getting a taste of bad medicine.”

The second chapter is about Josephine (who was also present in the first chapter), an 18 year old enslaved woman who, along with Old Mama Bess, decide to get back at the family that owns them. We get a further exploration into the ways that enslaved women stick together as well as how none of the members of the enslaving family’s hands are clean. This one was my personal favorite and also one of the most concise.

”In the dark, they proved what could be possible when those marginalized, no matter how small or vast, refused to turn on one another. By working together - or simply by refusing to stand in each other’s way - could subvert the forces that sought to pit them against one another.”

The third chapter is about Charity, a black woman who is able to marry a freedman in Gettysburg and must then fight in court for her freedom that was gained legally. This gives us a picture of what the freedmen living in Pennsylvania at the time were like and how the system will not take any pity on those suffering under it. This one had a slow start, but eventually bloomed into an intense and high tension story.

”If the reward was high, he sent them back in chains, pocketing the money without a shred of shame. If the price was too low, he sold them elsewhere. Every transaction lined his pockets.”

The fourth chapter is about Nathaniel, a black man who, despite growing up in slavery, gains his freedom only to become a slave owner himself. We see how he treats the enslaved under his ownership, his obsession with whiteness, and echoes of modern criticism by black Americans against their enslaved ancestors (see: Nathaniel’s “slavery was a choice” quote via Kanye West that was also written in the intro).

Though a few parts felt unbalanced and either rushed or overly explained they do not take away from the grandeur of this piece of literature.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC! All quotes are from the ARC and may not match the published version.