The Gatekeeper's Staff cover art

The Gatekeeper's Staff

TJ Young & The Orishas, Book 1

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Gatekeeper's Staff

By: Antoine Bandele
Narrated by: Nekia Renee Martin
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Only £0.99 a month for the first 3 months. Pay £0.99 for the first 3 months, and £8.99/month thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Start my membership

About this listen

TJ Young has been surrounded by magic his entire life, yet he has never tapped into it...until now.

Fourteen-year-old TJ grew up normal in a secret community of gifted diviners in the heart of modern-day Los Angeles. His powerful sister was ordained to lead his people into a new age of prosperity, but her mysterious death in Nigeria threatens to destroy the very foundations of TJ’s world.

Desperate to pick up where his sister left off and uncover the secrets behind her questionable death, TJ commits himself to unlocking the magical heritage that has always eluded him. So he enrolls in Camp Olosa—a remedial magic school for the divinely less-than-gifted in the humid swamps of New Orleans.

But little does he know, TJ is destined to cross paths with powerful spirits of old thought lost to time: The Orishas.

Delve into this young adult fantasy based on the mythology of the West African gods, where TJ will encounter unlikely allies, tough-as-gatorhide instructors, and the ancient secrets of the Orishas.

©2021 Antoine Bandele (P)2021 Antoine Bandele Magic Africa

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Easytown Novels: Books 1-3 cover art
Cracked Open cover art
Superworld Part 1 cover art
Second String Savior cover art
The Witch Squad Cozy Mystery Series Books 1 - 3 cover art
Teaching the Teacher's Pet cover art
The Magic Eaters cover art
The Secret Journal cover art
Dreamless cover art
Homeland cover art
Sufficiently Advanced Magic cover art
The Demon's Apprentice cover art
The Hills Have Spies cover art
Morgan Is My Name cover art
Life After: The Complete Series cover art
Year One cover art
All stars
Most relevant
There's something about TJ's story that keeps me going back to read it, as well as the short stories connected to the universe. This is a coming of age mythology series I think everyone needs to read. If you enjoy Percy Jackson or Tristan Strong, you're going to love TJ Young more.

As someone who didn't know much of the Yoruba faith, or pickup basketball, I learnt a lot and experienced a world that feels real. The characters and their relationships are what kept me reading. TJ, Manny, Ayo, and even TJ's love for his sister Dayo, everything that happens feels earned and important.

Add to this, the audiobook is well read and gives this feeling of being IN the story for the music and sounds provided within it, helped by the brilliant narration by Nekia Renee.

If this isn't on your TBR/TBL (to be listened) yet, put it to the top.

An incredible story for all ages

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Honestly, I can easily listen to this book again. I probably will 😂 it’s gripping but I wish there were more descriptions of each character - to help me visualise more!

Really gripping book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved this book and introduction the the world and life of TJ Young. As an African history enthusiast I'm always looking for stories that take deep inspiration from the continent. and Antoine's work does just that. The mystery, magic system and the character had me invested, I'll be definitely diving back into this world with the upcoming books.

awesome introduction to the Yoruba mythos

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The reading would’ve been more interesting and informative if the narrator made more effort with how the Yoruba words are pronounced. probably a Yoruba speaking narrator will be better next time.

Yoruba speaking narrator will be beneficial

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.