Thank you to Holofernes for allowing me to read the arc of this.

This book is a bizarre fever dream of philosophical concepts I don’t feel smart enough to understand.

It was easy enough to read with accessible languages and definitions, darkly humorous and full of philosophy insights I have never come across.

It gave me a little bit of an existential crisis, but was enjoyable enough. If you like weird, philosophical sci-fi, check it out, but I feel like for most people (like me admittedly) it might go over your head a little.

I really liked this and I truly can’t tell you what it was about. It was a really smart author telling you a batshit crazy story with a lot of impressive background info based in real scientific theories and delivered in a really engaging way. The plot itself was turned backwards on itself and flipped inside out so many times that it was hard to keep track of what was going on and I’m not even sure there was a real point or that that even mattered. The whole thing verged on dreamscape but never quite became one which is fantastic because I can’t stand dreamscapes. Also, there is nothing I love more than feeling intelligent by association and this book accomplishes that in spades. I read it in two sittings but had to wait four weeks between readings because it was just so much to process. It was glorious.

At the end of the day, I’d call this more of an absurdist exploration of fringe-y philosophical ideas and “what if”isms rather than a full on coherent story. It felt like it started w a plot but it devolved pretty quickly (and violently). There was little character development because there didn’t need to be. Every single character at any given point was a tool in the demonstration of the concept the author happened to be talking about at that moment. And the plot was chock full of absurdities and absurdisms with the most unreliable narrator. In fact, I’d argue that all of the characters were unreliable in every way which now that I am thinking about it is really fucking trippy.

Anyway, I commented on a Reddit post that this book reminded me of Tom Robbins but that this author isn’t as smug. And I stand by that. I think it’s because Tom Robbins has this cool without trying vibe but also is still very much trying because he knows that he actually is cool and has to maintain that rep. This author on the other hand seems to have a lot of wildly interesting information on very fun topics if you’re a science and sci fi nerd. He is also a font of historical knowledge of different branches of science and lesser known philosophical concepts and he is having fun sharing this information with us in the nuttiest way possible. I loved it and I didn’t feel anything like the simmering-beneath-the-surface ego that you get with a Tom Robbins book but it was still just as jawdroppingly outlandish. I dug it.

Cleave the Sparrow, is a wild, mind-bending ride that blends absurdist satire with profound philosophical insights, delivering a narrative that’s as hilarious as it is thought-provoking. Set in a chaotic mid-21st-century world, the story follows Tom, a small-town reporter turned unlikely presidential successor, after his mentor, the eccentric Wilder Crick, commits a shocking public suicide during a televised debate. What unfolds is a surreal, darkly comedic exploration of reality, perception, and power, wrapped in a narrative.

The humor in Cleave the Sparrow is razor-sharp and unrelenting, striking a perfect balance between biting satire and outright absurdity. Katz skewers everything from political posturing to media manipulation with gleeful irreverence. The dialogue is quick and clever, dripping with cynicism, as characters navigate a world where nothing is quite as it seems. Katz’s comedic timing is impeccable, making even the most outlandish plot twists feel both inevitable and delightfully ridiculous.

This novel is a treasure trove of philosophical insights, weaving complex ideas into its chaotic narrative without ever feeling preachy. Katz explores the fluidity of reality and the limitations of human perception. The character of Wilder Crick, a neuroscientist-turned-revolutionary, serves as a mouthpiece for these ideas, challenging the notion of a fixed reality with his cryptic “pretzel” brain-machine and a posthumous quest to uncover the “true, hidden nature of reality.” The enigmatic Stonefish, a 2,000-year-old monk, adds a Taoist twist, guiding Tom through musings on nonduality and the illusion of self with lines like, “There’s only two ways to live this life—open or closed.” These philosophical threads are seamlessly integrated, making the book as intellectually stimulating as it is entertaining. The idea that our perception might be a flawed interface, akin to a survival-driven filter, lingers long after the final page.

Cleave the Sparrow is a triumph of satirical sci-fi, blending gut-busting humor with soul-punching questions about what it means to exist. It’s a book for those who love their fiction bold, brainy, and just a little unhinged. I’m already craving a re-read to catch every clever easter egg and koan-like gem Katz has tucked into this chaotic masterpiece.

I’ve finished this a few days ago, and I’ve been thinking over what to say about it—and particularly how to rate it. Regardless, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Cleave the Sparrow is a chaotic, ambitious debut that blends political satire, sci-fi weirdness, and Taoist philosophy into something that’s equal parts hilarious and heady. At its heart is Wilder Crick, a cranky neuroscientist turned presidential candidate, who builds a brain-machine called “the pretzel” and then commits live-TV suicide to make a philosophical point—and accidentally launch his protégé into power.

Jonathan Katz keeps the tone sharp and absurd, juggling time travel, cults, and metaphysics while pulling off laugh-out-loud moments and surprisingly moving reflections. The book asks big questions about ego, identity, and reality—often while blowing something up.

That said, not everything lands. The portrayal of Muslim characters and the handling of Shelly, the main female lead, veer into uncomfortable territory, and some readers may find the satire more provocative than thoughtful. Still, for all its flaws, Cleave the Sparrow is original, smart, and never boring.

3.5 out of 5 stars – messy, brilliant, and absolutely unforgettable.

wow. This satisfied every single weird, strange craving in literature my eccentric brain needed. This man can write with wit and dark humor, like no one else. Definitely not for everyone, but especially for the cool kids.

I'm finding it a bit difficult to rate this book. The author can clearly write and I did enjoy some parts, especially the philosophy aspects. It felt new and refreshing to me, and it did hold my attention until the end, although I was relieved once I finished the book. I'd give it 3.5 stars for how original it is, but overall it was a bit too wacky for me.

I think this was the book that someone reads when life is going a little too smoothly and the universe decides they need a kick in their soul. Thought provoking doesn't do it justice.

Cleave the Sparrow by Jonathan Katz is a thought provoking read that packs a punch. I gave this a 3.5.
The blend of political and religious satire is clever and incisive, and I appreciated its unique approach.
The humour shines through in many places, making for an engaging and entertaining experience.
While it may not be to everyone's taste, I found it a compelling and resonant read.
Thank you Netgalley and Holofernes Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow, weird and challenging and darkly funny. Unlike anything I have ever read before. If you like a wild ride through consciousness-time and the meaning of life this book is for you. I loved it and my mind is still whirling in the best possible ways.

Due to the weird way the book has been written, it is virtually unreadable.
I wonder if all the people praising this book have actually read it? I doubt many of them have.
Gave up reading this after about 12 pages, as I have found that this is the usual point when I can decide whether to carry on with a book or not.

“It was a hot girl summer for mutually assured destruction”

Honestly, I can’t quite explain how this made me feel. It was sharp and insane. I was constantly questioning reality, myself, everything. I felt like I was on drugs reading this. A total trip.

This was eerily on the nose in terms of current events in the world. I had many laughs overall!

Amazing read!
-one of those dirty Canucks

I was shocked at just how hilarious and thought-provoking this book was. There’s a great chance that you’ll be shocked too, unless you take my word for it and just read it already. This novel is full of big philosophical ideas, interspersed with dirty jokes and absurdism and science fiction tropes. It’s really hard to categorize, which is a good thing. I wish I hadn’t read it, so I could turn around and start it again today for the first time. This is definitely an author who’s going on my list--I want to read everything he writes from here on out. It was that good. Fantastic work!

I tried, it had some hilarious bits, and some thought provoking bits. And it had some really off school boy, rape stuff bits that really detracted from the good stuff. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I've finished this a few days ago, and I've been milling over what to say about it, and particularly how to rate it. Regardless, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

It's really on the nose with its political commentary, and I found some of that commentary pretty objectionable, particularly surrounding the Muslim characters. I also found the frequent threat of rape surrounding the female lead to be a bit much and in poor taste. Shelly in general felt like a category 5 "men writing women" situation. If it was meant a parody, it did not work as one for me, particularly considering how few female characters there were in general. A far lesser sin, but Tom (or possibly Katz) seems to misunderstand how cosmic inflation works. To my knowledge, it started after the Big Bang, not before it. If I'm wrong about that, sorry Tom or Katz, my bad.

I wasn't bored though, it must be said, which is quite impressive, considering that Tom takes many detours to talk philosophy. That philosophy was interesting to read about; I hadn't heard of much of it before (aside from the broad strokes of the rationalist stuff and some of the quantum mechanics). I'm still not entirely sure how much of it was real, but it didn't bother me. I was a little worried that this book was going to be wildly rationalist, but it wasn't, so win! It was remarkably easier than I thought it would be to follow, considering the time travel and quantum fuckery that happens. The only part that I don't understand at all is the final paragraphs or so, which, considering how this book reads, is pretty good. It is also funny in many places where it tries to be funny, so well done there.

I don't regret the time I spent with this book, but I also find its treatment of Islam to be wildly irresponsible at best, and Shelly's character to be tired and cliche. It'll be a three-star from me, but I am curious to see if Katz writes anything in the future.

Wilder Crick is dead—thank God, and also, maybe, oh no? That’s the chaotic, razor-sharp energy Jonathan Katz injects into Cleave the Sparrow, a genre-defying fever dream of a novel that reads like Hunter S. Thompson freebasing Kierkegaard during a political campaign meltdown.

At its surface, the book follows Tom—Crick’s awkward, bewildered apprentice—and Shelly, the hyper-competent campaign manager with the empathy of a guillotine, as they attempt to honor Crick’s dying wish: uncovering the “true, hidden nature of reality.” Whatever that means. What begins as a surreal scavenger hunt quickly spirals into a gonzo exploration of ego death, apocalyptic politics, quantum uncertainty, and the kind of philosophical whiplash that leaves you wondering whether the book’s next twist will be a nuclear explosion or a sudden monologue on the illusion of free will.

And somehow, it all works.

Katz is a literary bomb-thrower, gleefully mixing satire, existential dread, and absurdist comedy in a narrative that’s part dystopian political thriller, part metaphysical head-trip. The pacing is relentless, the tone whiplashes from hilarious to horrifying, and the prose reads like poetry written during a panic attack. It’s a book that demands your full attention and pays it back in wild revelations and deep, soul-punching questions.

This isn’t a comfort read. It’s a challenge, a dare—equal parts chaotic road trip and philosophical descent into madness. But for readers willing to lean in and let go, Cleave the Sparrow is one of the most original, thought-provoking, and gloriously unhinged novels in recent memory.