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Cloud Six
Surprise, you’re dead! This hilarious and moving novel follows a couple forced into unthinkable challenges when, after dying in a plane crash, they find themselves in the lowest tier of heaven, filled with laughter and dread, fear and acceptance, and family bonds even death can't break
Following a catastrophic plane crash, married couple Mam and Bunko have found themselves in Cloud Six. It's the newest, and lowest, tier of heaven, run by a slumlord demon named Widdershins who takes the form of an underwear model. With a rabbit skeleton as their guide, the pair do their best to remain hopeful and together in their to navigate the strangest of places, to find help, and to catch even one glimpse of the teen daughter they left behind.
While Mam and Bunko try to accept their fate, Widdershins navigates workplace politics and tries to impress an ex lover. And Amy, who appears in the book as our guide and scribe, grapples with how to tell an honest story with Satan breathing down her neck.
Cloud Six is Amy Fusselman at her most original and heartfelt, offering a blistering yet humorous take on the many trials of contemporary life, including parenting, substance abuse, depression, gun violence, and climate change.
Following a catastrophic plane crash, married couple Mam and Bunko have found themselves in Cloud Six. It's the newest, and lowest, tier of heaven, run by a slumlord demon named Widdershins who takes the form of an underwear model. With a rabbit skeleton as their guide, the pair do their best to remain hopeful and together in their to navigate the strangest of places, to find help, and to catch even one glimpse of the teen daughter they left behind.
While Mam and Bunko try to accept their fate, Widdershins navigates workplace politics and tries to impress an ex lover. And Amy, who appears in the book as our guide and scribe, grapples with how to tell an honest story with Satan breathing down her neck.
Cloud Six is Amy Fusselman at her most original and heartfelt, offering a blistering yet humorous take on the many trials of contemporary life, including parenting, substance abuse, depression, gun violence, and climate change.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Cloud Six was more fun and touching than I was expecting.
Mam and Bunko, a married couple with one daughter (Penny), end up in heaven after a plane crash. The problem is that this is Cloud Six, the lowest tier of heaven. Demon Widdershins (poorly) manages Cloud Six, and the welcome fanny pack doesn’t really help the couple navigate the afterlife.
The POV switches between Mam and Bunko on Cloud Six; poor, newly orphaned Penny back on Earth; and some of the demons in charge. The author also adds some funny 4th-wall-breaking commentary between sections. It’s a quick read at a little over 200 pages, and quite different from the usual stories I read, which I think added to my enjoyment. Following along with Mam and Bunko was endearing, as they’re desperate to check in on their daughter, but it was also frustrating because hardly anyone they meet helps or can give straight answers. The story has absurdist humor throughout. I’m a fan, but I understand it’s not for everyone. The writing reminded me a little bit of Terry Pratchett in that regard. Several parts made me laugh out loud, and I used sticky tabs to mark my favorites as I read. A helpful/humorous notes section is included in the back.
Some favorites:
-…where you had to labor one-on-one with middle schoolers who were, to put it mildly, out of their minds.
-Death! It was as if it happened all the time!
-The whole affair would have been better if people had just said to her, “Sucks that your parents died,” and she had said “Yes,” or nodded, or made no reply at all, because why should she say anything? Words were so dumb.
-Gloria was a plant, and plants saw themselves as the ballet dancers of the world, whereas they saw humans as the clowns. Humans were right up there with pandas.
-[freedom from confusion]
Recommended for fans of humorous literary fiction who also don’t mind contemplating death and the meaning of life while reading.
Thank you to Catapult for the gifted physical copy!
Mam and Bunko, a married couple with one daughter (Penny), end up in heaven after a plane crash. The problem is that this is Cloud Six, the lowest tier of heaven. Demon Widdershins (poorly) manages Cloud Six, and the welcome fanny pack doesn’t really help the couple navigate the afterlife.
The POV switches between Mam and Bunko on Cloud Six; poor, newly orphaned Penny back on Earth; and some of the demons in charge. The author also adds some funny 4th-wall-breaking commentary between sections. It’s a quick read at a little over 200 pages, and quite different from the usual stories I read, which I think added to my enjoyment. Following along with Mam and Bunko was endearing, as they’re desperate to check in on their daughter, but it was also frustrating because hardly anyone they meet helps or can give straight answers. The story has absurdist humor throughout. I’m a fan, but I understand it’s not for everyone. The writing reminded me a little bit of Terry Pratchett in that regard. Several parts made me laugh out loud, and I used sticky tabs to mark my favorites as I read. A helpful/humorous notes section is included in the back.
Some favorites:
-…where you had to labor one-on-one with middle schoolers who were, to put it mildly, out of their minds.
-Death! It was as if it happened all the time!
-The whole affair would have been better if people had just said to her, “Sucks that your parents died,” and she had said “Yes,” or nodded, or made no reply at all, because why should she say anything? Words were so dumb.
-Gloria was a plant, and plants saw themselves as the ballet dancers of the world, whereas they saw humans as the clowns. Humans were right up there with pandas.
-[freedom from confusion]
Recommended for fans of humorous literary fiction who also don’t mind contemplating death and the meaning of life while reading.
Thank you to Catapult for the gifted physical copy!
October 1, 2026
What a fun, quirky little read! Love the fourth wall breaks and the poignant moments peppered throughout the story. Maybe one day we will do something about the “freedom from confusion” issue we have.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Cloud Six by Amy Fusselman. Thanks to catapult for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
After a plane explosion, married couple Mam and Bunko find themselves in Cloud Six, the newest and lowest level of heaven. A rabbit as their guide, they try to navigate their new world to check on their daughter, still in the world of the living.
That was… definitely interesting! Pretty short and a fast read, I’m left with a lot of questions. I don’t think I fully understood it, but I still definitely enjoyed it. Overall, on a macro level, I’m not particularly sure about it but all of the little parts within the whole were great. There was some truly hilarious content, in a sardonic and often dark humor fashion. There’s a fourth wall that is often broken. There are author notes that explain many of the comments, so you will flip back and forth a lot.
“Maybe one’s capacity to be horrified didn’t abate with repeated exposure, like she had always assumed. Maybe horror was like hope, it sprang eternal.”
Read if you like:
-Abstract stories
-Commentary of contemporary life
-Fantasy
-Parenting tropes
Cloud Six comes out 9/22.
After a plane explosion, married couple Mam and Bunko find themselves in Cloud Six, the newest and lowest level of heaven. A rabbit as their guide, they try to navigate their new world to check on their daughter, still in the world of the living.
That was… definitely interesting! Pretty short and a fast read, I’m left with a lot of questions. I don’t think I fully understood it, but I still definitely enjoyed it. Overall, on a macro level, I’m not particularly sure about it but all of the little parts within the whole were great. There was some truly hilarious content, in a sardonic and often dark humor fashion. There’s a fourth wall that is often broken. There are author notes that explain many of the comments, so you will flip back and forth a lot.
“Maybe one’s capacity to be horrified didn’t abate with repeated exposure, like she had always assumed. Maybe horror was like hope, it sprang eternal.”
Read if you like:
-Abstract stories
-Commentary of contemporary life
-Fantasy
-Parenting tropes
Cloud Six comes out 9/22.
October 2, 2026
One of the strangest books I’ve read.
A couple dies in a plane explosion leaving behind their 16 year old daughter.
They end up in the afterlife at a low tier heaven run by demons.
I felt like it was written by an author on acid. A trip to Alice in Wonderland. There was spicy sex, talk of suicide, breaking the fourth wall. Holy cow!
Don’t like it but couldn’t put it down-which is why I gave it a 3 and not a 2.
A couple dies in a plane explosion leaving behind their 16 year old daughter.
They end up in the afterlife at a low tier heaven run by demons.
I felt like it was written by an author on acid. A trip to Alice in Wonderland. There was spicy sex, talk of suicide, breaking the fourth wall. Holy cow!
Don’t like it but couldn’t put it down-which is why I gave it a 3 and not a 2.
September 27, 2026
Oh my gosh, why is this not being recommended like everywhere. I absolutely loved this. It's weird and quirky and funny and moving and angry and sad. Ugh, so good. It captures like the whole human experience via a story of a couple of dead people in some low tier heaven/hell situation. Never mind the metafiction angle with Fusselman chatting it up with Satan.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Earnest and silly!
Read
October 9, 2026Cloud Six is a very experimental novel that follows Mam and Bunko after they die in a plane accident and are in Cloud Six, the newest and lowest level of heaven, as well as their daughter Penny right after their death. As much as I wanted to get into this novel and looked forward to it, I found it very disjointed because of its experimentation, and I couldn't get into the story or care about the characters as much as I should have.
The 4th wall is often broken in the story, and I'm usually a fan of that in media, so I did enjoy these 4th wall breaks, but only in isolation. When it went back to the original story, I didn't feel they fit as well as they could have.
I felt the novel has so many good ideas, but it tried to make the format and story structure experimental just for the sake of it, not to enhance the storyline. As a result, it was more distracting than helpful, which is a shame because I think the storyline, characters, and even the 4th wall breaks had so much potential.
The 4th wall is often broken in the story, and I'm usually a fan of that in media, so I did enjoy these 4th wall breaks, but only in isolation. When it went back to the original story, I didn't feel they fit as well as they could have.
I felt the novel has so many good ideas, but it tried to make the format and story structure experimental just for the sake of it, not to enhance the storyline. As a result, it was more distracting than helpful, which is a shame because I think the storyline, characters, and even the 4th wall breaks had so much potential.
October 1, 2026
When Mam and Bunko die in a plane crash, they end up in the lowest tier of heaven, where they're busy missing their 16 year old daughter, fucking, making friends with a bunny and making sense of the demons and killers surrounding them. Uninspiring writing coupled with a lame plotline, forced humour that falls flat and characters that are less than one dimensional qualify this as the most insipid novel I'd had the misfortune reading all year. Really missing those three hours I'll never get back!
Zero stars.
Zero stars.
September 28, 2026
Interestingly written, with the author as a narrator and a character, with the afterlife envisioned as a struggling business model, and with the first stages of decrepitude portrayed as freedom. Laughed out loud a couple times.
Did Not Finish
October 2, 2026I can only describe this very strange weird book to being on psychedelic drugs which I have never been on, but I am assuming that the side effects from psychedelic drugs are exactly what this weird book would do to someone. Moving on.
September 29, 2026
Another new book I could not get through after about one third through.
September 25, 2026
THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!
Imagine you’ve just died (ouch) and you’ve woken up in heaven, except your first experience is that similar to being stuck in line at the DMV and there’s not really anything to do except sit on an IKEA couch.
Now imagine you find out you’re actually on the lowest-tier of heaven, that you didn’t make it to Cloud Nine, that there was a housing crisis in heaven and now your tier of heaven is run by a slumlord demon named Widdershins who essentially runs the place like a bad NYC landlord. And all you have is a talking rabbit to help you get around, and you just really want to look down on earth and see if your child is okay.
Cloud Six is darkly funny, absurd, experimental. It’s goofy as hell. It had me hootin and hollerin out loud, reading every passage to whoever would listen. Amy Fusselman writes herself into the novel, announcing herself as the narrator and intermittently checking in on you, which is a fun concept. Fusselman has written something that feels like walking into a fun-house mirror at a state fair and seeing all of humanity warped and exposed staring back at you.
Some scenes read like Family Guy cutaways and there’s a deeper meaning there if you really want to look—that the only way to understand life is to understand death, and what is death if we don’t know what it is to live? But, like life, is there even a meaning at all? But who has time for that here. It’s just an author goofin’ around and having fun.
Thank you to the publisher for the free copy #gifted, it was a genuine delight no bs!!!!
Imagine you’ve just died (ouch) and you’ve woken up in heaven, except your first experience is that similar to being stuck in line at the DMV and there’s not really anything to do except sit on an IKEA couch.
Now imagine you find out you’re actually on the lowest-tier of heaven, that you didn’t make it to Cloud Nine, that there was a housing crisis in heaven and now your tier of heaven is run by a slumlord demon named Widdershins who essentially runs the place like a bad NYC landlord. And all you have is a talking rabbit to help you get around, and you just really want to look down on earth and see if your child is okay.
Cloud Six is darkly funny, absurd, experimental. It’s goofy as hell. It had me hootin and hollerin out loud, reading every passage to whoever would listen. Amy Fusselman writes herself into the novel, announcing herself as the narrator and intermittently checking in on you, which is a fun concept. Fusselman has written something that feels like walking into a fun-house mirror at a state fair and seeing all of humanity warped and exposed staring back at you.
Some scenes read like Family Guy cutaways and there’s a deeper meaning there if you really want to look—that the only way to understand life is to understand death, and what is death if we don’t know what it is to live? But, like life, is there even a meaning at all? But who has time for that here. It’s just an author goofin’ around and having fun.
Thank you to the publisher for the free copy #gifted, it was a genuine delight no bs!!!!
October 9, 2026
📚Cloud Six by Amy Fusselman📚
Mam and Bunko wake up in Cloud Six, the lowest level of heaven, after dying when their plane explodes. What follows is a madcap, wholly unique adventure that’s hard to succinctly put into words.
Along the way there is: a talking rabbit, demons dealing with relationship and health insurance issues, a wise tree named Ernestine, skeletons with guns, genitals replaced with smooth doll crotches, a moody houseplant named Gloria, Satan himself, and more!
This is truly one of the wackiest novels I’ve ever read, but it’s not without its heartfelt beauty. In some ways it’s Beetlejuice meets Alice in Wonderland meets Dante’s Inferno, but then again it’s also its own thing. Undoubtedly, it won’t be for everyone, but if you let its quirkiness wash over you, I bet you’ll have a delightful time!
Hi, Amy! (Even though you probably won’t read this 😉)
Mam and Bunko wake up in Cloud Six, the lowest level of heaven, after dying when their plane explodes. What follows is a madcap, wholly unique adventure that’s hard to succinctly put into words.
Along the way there is: a talking rabbit, demons dealing with relationship and health insurance issues, a wise tree named Ernestine, skeletons with guns, genitals replaced with smooth doll crotches, a moody houseplant named Gloria, Satan himself, and more!
This is truly one of the wackiest novels I’ve ever read, but it’s not without its heartfelt beauty. In some ways it’s Beetlejuice meets Alice in Wonderland meets Dante’s Inferno, but then again it’s also its own thing. Undoubtedly, it won’t be for everyone, but if you let its quirkiness wash over you, I bet you’ll have a delightful time!
Hi, Amy! (Even though you probably won’t read this 😉)
October 14, 2026
I wasn't expecting a book about a plane crash and the bargain-bin section of heaven to be this funny. A demon who looks like an underwear model, a skeletal rabbit, and a couple desperate to check on their daughter? What a setup. The part that really works is how Mam's worry about Penny cuts through all the nonsense. The author popping into her own story and the constant oddball detours can make things feel a bit scattered, and I wanted more time with Mam and Bunko. But I liked that the jokes never completely swallow the sadness. It's messy, wildly imaginative, and weirdly touching. Definitely not the book to pick up if you want a neat plot, but a fun one if you're happy to get lost.
September 22, 2026
3.75 ⭐️
This was a quirky, weird, and at times heartfelt.
Mam and Bunko get high, get on a plane, and the plane EXPLODES. They leave behind their 16 year old daughter Penny who is now being taken care of by Bill(mama 21 year old brother).
There are demons, skeletons committing gun violence, demon rot aka cancer, trips to Vegas, and a whole cast of characters.
Some moments made me laugh out loud! Overall I had a fun time.
Thank you Catapult for the gifted copy.
This was a quirky, weird, and at times heartfelt.
Mam and Bunko get high, get on a plane, and the plane EXPLODES. They leave behind their 16 year old daughter Penny who is now being taken care of by Bill(mama 21 year old brother).
There are demons, skeletons committing gun violence, demon rot aka cancer, trips to Vegas, and a whole cast of characters.
Some moments made me laugh out loud! Overall I had a fun time.
Thank you Catapult for the gifted copy.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Reading Cloud Six was like watching Hank and Peggy Hill (or in this case, Mam and Bunko) try to navigate a strange purgatory world after they perish in an airplane explosion. Yes, you did read that correctly! A hilariously absurd, sardonic, and philosophical novel of what it means to die-- and what it means to live, too.
March 20, 2026
Brilliant.
Favorite lines:
The meaning of life is that it stops.
[freedom from confusion]
I don’t know what living is, and that’s what living is.
Favorite character:
Gloria
Favorite lines:
The meaning of life is that it stops.
[freedom from confusion]
I don’t know what living is, and that’s what living is.
Favorite character:
Gloria
Review of advance copy
very good place coded
I want sure where the ride was going and if the rails made even connected but ultimately I enjoyed the ride
I want sure where the ride was going and if the rails made even connected but ultimately I enjoyed the ride
July 22, 2026
For fans of “The Good Place,” Amy Fusselman, her assistant, Byron, and Satan himself take readers on a weird journey to a third place of the afterlife that is not quite hell, but it’s definitely not heaven.
Told from a wide array of perspectives, with humor and heart, CLOUD SIX explores themes of grief, control, acceptance, and, most of all, how badly people want to assign meaning and purpose to it all- to have freedom from confusion.
Highly original and compulsively readable, I devoured CLOUD SIX in a single sitting.
Told from a wide array of perspectives, with humor and heart, CLOUD SIX explores themes of grief, control, acceptance, and, most of all, how badly people want to assign meaning and purpose to it all- to have freedom from confusion.
Highly original and compulsively readable, I devoured CLOUD SIX in a single sitting.
May 24, 2026
Hi hello, hilarious and so well orchestrated.
Mam and Bunko have died, and they didn’t pass over to heaven or hell, but rather “Cloud Six” a labyrinthian liminal space of sorts meant to keep its inhabitants wandering around aimlessly until they’ve reached their final form: a pile of bones.
Told from the pov of living and deceased characters, and heck even our author breaking the fourth wall, herself… Cloud Six is a comedic take on the afterlife that kept me giggling with every turning page.
I am so thankful to Catapult Books, and NetGalley for advanced access before this beauty hits shelves on September 22, 2026!!
Mam and Bunko have died, and they didn’t pass over to heaven or hell, but rather “Cloud Six” a labyrinthian liminal space of sorts meant to keep its inhabitants wandering around aimlessly until they’ve reached their final form: a pile of bones.
Told from the pov of living and deceased characters, and heck even our author breaking the fourth wall, herself… Cloud Six is a comedic take on the afterlife that kept me giggling with every turning page.
I am so thankful to Catapult Books, and NetGalley for advanced access before this beauty hits shelves on September 22, 2026!!
August 3, 2026
I received an advanced galley of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
After dying in a plane crash, Mam and Bunko find themselves on the lowest tier of heaven that is run by a slum lord demon. They follow a rabbit skeleton tour guide and hope to make the best of their situation while the demon must navigate workplace politics.
After reading the synopsis, I thought I was about to embark on a quirky yet weird journey. What I ended up with was a confusing and disappointing slog. Don’t get me wrong, something about this book kept me in it to the end. And something has me thinking about it still. Which is probably why it got higher stars than I would have given it based on plot alone. I just didn’t get it. What the author was trying to do went way over my head, and instead I read a jumble of side stories that were tied together but also complete islands on their own. I didn’t care about any of the characters, and yet I couldn’t stop wanting to see where it went. Was I satisfied I stuck it out? No, but there was some pride I held on even to the bitter end. There are definitely smarter readers than me who will love this book, and I am happy they find it. Just wasn’t for me.
After dying in a plane crash, Mam and Bunko find themselves on the lowest tier of heaven that is run by a slum lord demon. They follow a rabbit skeleton tour guide and hope to make the best of their situation while the demon must navigate workplace politics.
After reading the synopsis, I thought I was about to embark on a quirky yet weird journey. What I ended up with was a confusing and disappointing slog. Don’t get me wrong, something about this book kept me in it to the end. And something has me thinking about it still. Which is probably why it got higher stars than I would have given it based on plot alone. I just didn’t get it. What the author was trying to do went way over my head, and instead I read a jumble of side stories that were tied together but also complete islands on their own. I didn’t care about any of the characters, and yet I couldn’t stop wanting to see where it went. Was I satisfied I stuck it out? No, but there was some pride I held on even to the bitter end. There are definitely smarter readers than me who will love this book, and I am happy they find it. Just wasn’t for me.
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