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  • Moon of the Crusted Snow

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Waubgeshig Rice
  • Narrated by: Billy Merasty
  • Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (400 ratings)

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Moon of the Crusted Snow

Written by: Waubgeshig Rice
Narrated by: Billy Merasty
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Publisher's Summary

A daring post-apocalyptic novel from a powerful rising literary voice

With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow. 

The community leadership loses its grip on power as the visitors manipulate the tired and hungry to take control of the reserve. Tensions rise and, as the months pass, so does the death toll due to sickness and despair. Frustrated by the building chaos, a group of young friends and their families turn to the land and Anishinaabe tradition in hopes of helping their community thrive again. Guided through the chaos by an unlikely leader named Evan Whitesky, they endeavor to restore order while grappling with a grave decision. 

Blending action and allegory, Moon of the Crusted Snow upends our expectations. Out of catastrophe comes resilience. And as one society collapses, another is reborn. 

©2018 Waubgeshig Rice (P)2018 ECW Press

What the critics say

“Perfect for those who read Iain Reid’s Foe this summer and are looking for something in the same vein.” (The Globe and Mail)

“The creeping tension and vividly drawn landscapes make Waubgeshig Rice’s characters’ choices all the more real.” (Toronto Star

Moon of the Crusted Snow asks how do we live in a good way during the collapse of the infrastructure that supports modern life? For Evan Whitesky, the answer lies in rekindling Ojibwe, the old ways, language and culture. For other characters, when the food runs out, all options are on the table, no matter how gruesome. As the tensions between those surviving the end of modern civilization build to a harrowing conclusion, Rice deftly weaves tender family moments with his brutal survival scenes in the unforgiving northern Ontario winter. Chilling in the best way possible." (Eden Robinson, award-winning author of Monkey Beach and Son of a Trickster)

Go Behind the Scenes of Moon of the Crusted Snow

''What I hope people take away from Moon of the Crusted Snow is that there is hope,'' author Waubgeshig Rice shared with Audible in a conversation held at the 2019 Festival of Literary Diversity in Brampton, Ontario. ''Despite all the darkness that we endure even in modern society, there are things to be hopeful for.''
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What listeners say about Moon of the Crusted Snow

Average Customer Ratings
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Enjoyable for ALL Canadians

As a Cree from Northern Saskatchewan I knew almost every character he described making it hit close to home. It's nice to have Waub Rice and now many other Indigenous authors out there to choose from; their perspective is much needed in the literary world. Nitiniki (from my heart).

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6 people found this helpful

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Hoping for a sequel

I really enjoyed this novel. It is an interesting peek into a community very different from my own, and yet similar in many ways as well. I appreciated the epilogue, but I still want more and hope for a sequel in future.

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4 people found this helpful

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Outstanding!

Loved this story. Enjoyed learning a First Nations perspective on surviving their second apocalypse.The first happened when white men arrived. Narrator was excellent.

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1 person found this helpful

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Highly recommended

I enjoyed this novel. it is rooted in indigenous storytelling with deeper meaning and understanding

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Genuinely enjoyed this, inspiring

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Having worked in and around First Nations for decades I can admit to holding a hopeful curiosity for how these communities would react under a scenario like this.
This book brought me so close to this community that I am now seriously considering booking a week or two on a First Nations Territory up in Northerm Ontario to learn and use my trade skills to help my friend build something on his land there.

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It's good to be Anishnaabe

It's a nish story, written by a nish, for nish. We may be one of the largest indigenous groups but not a whole lot of entertainment is about us specifically. So I'm very glad this has been written.

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Gripping

Very well written, draws you in and along, and stays with you after you're put it down.

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A tale of a return to living with the seasons

This tale is a reminder that we should be living with the seasons now by choice. Sooner or later, we will be living with the seasons any way we choose.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Realistic apocalyptic scenario from a First Nation point of view

I am not much of a reader of fiction. I decided to try this novel because of the apocalyptic premise and the native view. The concept intrigued me. The realism of the prose helped me immerse myself in the lives of the characters. The slow methodical rhythm of the narrator was spot on. I’ve just downloaded the sequel.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Was expecting a lot more, especially for a credit.

Was a good first book for this author, and their future projects I’m sure will improve, felt the story was fairly tame and predictable, my opinion is it wasn’t worth the price of a credit. Author does an excellent job in describing moods and surroundings.

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