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.

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!

“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

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.

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.

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.

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.