Silence of the Sparrows
We dive into the dystopian world of the novel Silence of the Sparrows and its sequel, Sound of the Sparrows. Each episode of the podcast will feature an excerpt from a chapter and some insight you won’t find anywhere else. We’re going to follow Jude Kane, his sister Maisy, and their neighbor Zara Malik as they cross New America, looking for their brother, who disappeared from their home and whom they believe may have been taken by the government. As they travel, they lend help to many others who also oppose this new government, and without intending to, they begin a movement that gains so much momentum that the Sparrows, committed to non-violence, may be caught in the middle of a civil war.
Episodes
May 3, 2026
May 3, 2026
4 min
Jude and Zara meet Callum's attorney in Washington, D.C. When they crossed over the Appalachia border, they were given matching coffee mugs, which turned out to be trackers. They tried to flee, but it was too late.
May 3, 2026
May 3, 2026
4 min
Jude and Zara are back in Slate Creek for the winter while their attorney is working on getting Callum out. Zara confesses she’s not sure how she feels about religion, and Rod encourages her to read “everything in red”, look past religion, and look for truth.
May 3, 2026
May 3, 2026
5 min
Zara meets Sonja Orozco in detention, and they learn that CAMO and the New America government is extracting kids to CME schools and overrunning SAC land aggressively and illegally in Baja. New desalination plants are pumping water into the deserts and creating arable land, but also replacing the SAC holdouts.
May 3, 2026
May 3, 2026
4 min
Jude and Zara take a detour to the Gulf near Biloxi and get caught in a storm, so they spend the night in their vehicle. In the morning, they are awakened by an officer and scanned for ID- but Zara doesn’t have one, so she is detained.
May 3, 2026
May 3, 2026
4 min
At the Blue Ridge SAC, students are taking their alternative exams after preparing for a few days with Maren Kane’s study guides. How long until the government realizes the Sparrows are beating them at their own game?
May 3, 2026
May 3, 2026
5 min
Jude avoids getting mugged by paying off the thieves, and “rescues” the damaged delivery drone. They are preparing for a SAC road trip. Altered exams and failing power grids are the two battle fronts now.
May 2, 2026
May 2, 2026
5 min
After SAC kids suddenly start failing exams, the Sparrows find out the tests have been intentionally altered by the New America Department of Education in an effort to extract SAC kids to the cities. The Sparrows enlist the help of Maren Kane, Jude and Maisy‘s mom, to help them uncover what’s happening with the exams and find a way for students to beat them at their own game.
May 2, 2026
May 2, 2026
6 min
After thwarting an attempt by the New America Defense Forces to take over the Chillicothe SAC in the last chapter, the Sparrows get word the special forces may be coming to take it by force, and Jude recommends they not be there when that happens. Can the Sparrows save the SAC by helping them escape?
May 2, 2026
May 2, 2026
5 min
In the Chillicothe SAC, Jude teaches 20 young residents how to repair and maintain the power grid so they don’t lose power again. The Sparrows are just in time: the New America Defense Forces are about to face off with the Sparrows for the first time.
May 2, 2026
May 2, 2026
4 min
Maisy and Zara remind Jude he is more than a fixer: he’s a leader. The Sparrows come to grips with who they really are and their mission in New America.