'Big Chief features all the twisty chessmanship—the familial feuds, the financial games, the political maneuvering—of Succession and sets it against the backdrop of Indian country. Jon Hickey has written one hell of an addictive and important debut novel.'

– Benjamin Percy, author of 

'An instant American classic! Out of the dark fields of the republic, Mitch Caddo rises to great heights, only to lose his soul in the process. But like all great American novels, there is hope--in the end, there is always hope. Jon Hickey locks arms with Alexie, Silko, Orange, Erdrich and others who are taking back a landscape that was once all theirs.'

– Ernesto Quiñonez, author of 

"Big Chief is an explosive exploration of power and its corrupting effect. Jon Hickey takes us on a feverish journey in the days leading up to a hotly contested tribal election, where loyalties are being sharply tested, and the lines between right and wrong have become blurred. I found myself holding my breath as I turned the page -- as the characters struggled to figure out how to be on the right side of history. This book is an astounding achievement."

– Vanessa Chan, nationally bestselling author of 

'Taut, timely, and brimming with suspense, Big Chief questions our notions of power and morality, holding a mirror to our crooked, calculating world. This is a monumental debut.'

– Kirstin Chen, New York Times

'All politics is local meets all unhappy families in this comical, humane, and profound debut—a deftly observed meditation on what it means to be a brother, a son, a leader, and a man. Jon Hickey is a newly minted master of slapstick American misery, and Big Chief a big-hearted book, a big mood for the big mess we’re all in.'

– J. Robert Lennon, author of Hard Girls

'Big Chief is explosive. It’s a political novel in the best way possible: the way Rachel Kushner’s Telex from Cuba or Mavis Gallant’s Paris Notebooks are. Hickey’s novel shows us what unease in a particular body politic looks like, what it feels like.'

– George McCormick, author of Salton Sea

'This is a new American classic. Hickey’s book is tightly written while being an expansive look into Indigenous politics. If you only read one book this year, make it this book.'

– Debutiful
 

'Big Chief is a marvel: unflinching yet nuanced, this story about power and politics on a reservation in Wisconsin shows the potential for corruption, and courage, in all of us. Hickey writes with precision and elegance, exploring what it means to belong to a family, a community, and a history. A family saga as well as a political drama, this book is a propulsive inquiry into how personal and cultural identity can be created and erased.'

– Gwen E. Kirby, author of 

'We’ve been waiting for the great Native American political novel, and here it is—a gripping story that illustrates the intricacies and intrigues of reservation politics. The book examines Native sovereignty, power, and corruption at the fictional Passage Rouge Nation, as well as issues of Indigenous community, family, and identity. Not to mention, Jon Hickey creates fantastically compelling characters and weaves in a healthy dose of Native humor. A tremendous debut.'

– David Heska Wanbli Weiden, award-winning author of 

'Big Chief is bursting with tribal politics, old family entanglements, and is simply put, one hell of a story. For fans of Erdrich, you can’t go wrong.'

– Erika T. Wurth, author of