Waubgeshig Rice
Author of Moon of the Crusted Snow
About the Author
Image credit: Photo Source: https://waub.ca/about/
Series
Works by Waubgeshig Rice
Heartbeat {short story} 1 copy
The indigenous city edit 1 copy
Associated Works
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology (2023) — Contributor — 1,564 copies, 23 reviews
A Steady Brightness of Being: Truths, Wisdom, and Love from Celebrated Indigenous Voices (2025) — Contributor — 29 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1979-04-22
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Ryerson University (Journalism)
- Occupations
- author
journalist (CBC News) - Awards and honors
- Independent Publishers Book Award (2012)
Anishinabek Nation’s Debwewin Citation for excellence in First Nation Storytelling (2014) - Agent
- Denise Bukowski
- Short biography
- Waubgeshig Rice is an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation.
He's written four books, most notably the bestselling novel Moon of the Crusted Snow, published in 2018.
He graduated from the journalism program at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2002, and spent most of his journalism career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a video journalist and radio host.
He left CBC in 2020 to focus on his literary career.
His forthcoming novel, Moon of the Turning Leaves, will be published in October 2023.
In addition to his writing endeavours, Waubgeshig is an eclectic public speaker, delivering keynote addresses and workshops, engaging in interviews, and contributing to various panels at literary festivals and conferences.
He speaks on creative writing and oral storytelling, contemporary Anishinaabe culture and matters, Indigenous representation in arts and media, and more.
He lives in Sudbury, Ontario with his wife and three sons. - Nationality
- Wasauksing First Nation
- Places of residence
- Wasauksing, Canada
Sudbury, Canada - Map Location
- Canada
Members
Reviews
As winter approaches, Anishinaabe reserve in northern Ontario lose power and cellular networks. Initially, no one is too concerned since outages are frequent, but as the days pass the community becomes restless. Then two younger members of the community return from college with news that loss of power and communications has also affected the Canadian cities to the south, and society is growing unstable. The community has fuel to power generators and food reserves but will they last until the show more spring? Tensions rise when a white man arrives requesting to shelter with the community. Should they trust the stranger with the resources for their own community already dwindling?
This is an excellent thriller about a community under distress. Most post-apocalyptic stories are set in cities or suburbs so it was interesting to see the story told from people who live in the most remote parts of the world. Thematically, this apocalypse also comments on how indigenous people in the American have survived very real apocalypses and genocide. The main point of view character, Evan Whitesky, an ordinary man who emerges as an unlikely reader is a terrifically well-realized protagonist. show less
This is an excellent thriller about a community under distress. Most post-apocalyptic stories are set in cities or suburbs so it was interesting to see the story told from people who live in the most remote parts of the world. Thematically, this apocalypse also comments on how indigenous people in the American have survived very real apocalypses and genocide. The main point of view character, Evan Whitesky, an ordinary man who emerges as an unlikely reader is a terrifically well-realized protagonist. show less
I See the Bad Moon Arising
Review of the ECW Press paperback (October 2018)
Moon of the Crusted Snow is a low-key post-apocalyptic novel which portrays the after-effects of a mysterious world-wide power and communications blackout on a fictional Anishnaabe First Nations community in Northern Ontario, Canada. I describe it as low-key in the sense that you never learn what is the cause of the blackout and how outside governments and forces react to it. That is left to your imagination. All that show more you see is how one remote community deals with its immediate effects. It therefore has the feel of a more "real" story and not some crazed zombie apocalypse.
The story centres on the young family of Ethan and Nicole and their 2 children. Ethan is a worker for the Band Council but also spends time hunting and fishing to feed his own family and his extended community. Ethan has developed his survival skills through the mentoring of his father, in contrast to his younger brother Cam who is a slacker playing video games and such. The power outage comes along suddenly and at first the community thinks it is just one of the regular infrastructure problems that it has dealt with in the past with the expectation that things will return to normal in a day or two. However, winter is coming and fuel and food reserves are in short supply.
Instead, many days go by without any restoration and soon everybody begins to realize that it may not come back at all. Due to the remoteness of the community no outside word arrives until two students from the nearest town breakout from their college to travel home via snowmobiles to say what has happened in the outside world. But then further outsiders arrive, bringing with them potential fatal consequences.
I found Moon of the Crusted Snow to be a totally engrossing story which had a very realistic feel to it. The book was published in 2018, but had a further resurgence of interest during the 2020 pandemic. That led to author Rice deciding to write a sequel Moon of the Turning Leaves (Random House - expected publication October 10, 2023) which picks up the story 10-years further into the future. I read the first book through being introduced to it at the recent 2023 Lakefield Literary Festival. I now eagerly anticipate the sequel.
See photo at https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/361271558_24345228475075942_2...
Author Waubgeshig Rice (centre) in discussion with moderator John Barber (left) and author Kai Thomas ([book:In the Upper Country|60880810] (2023)) at the 2023 Lakefield Literary Festival, Canada.
Trivia and Links
Author Waubgeshig Rice is interviewed about the book on the APTN Face to Face program which you can see on YouTube here.
You can read a teaser excerpt from the sequel novel Moon of the Turning Leaves at this CBC article Anishinaabe Inspired Vision for the Future, April 25, 2023.
In a bizarre turn of events, there was at least one real-life instance during the recent pandemic of a situation which paralleled some of the events in Moon of the Crusted Snow. The outcome was quite different however, as you can read at Quebec couple fleeing COVID-19 'endangered' Yukon First Nation, chief says CBC News, March 30, 2020. show less
Review of the ECW Press paperback (October 2018)
Moon of the Crusted Snow is a low-key post-apocalyptic novel which portrays the after-effects of a mysterious world-wide power and communications blackout on a fictional Anishnaabe First Nations community in Northern Ontario, Canada. I describe it as low-key in the sense that you never learn what is the cause of the blackout and how outside governments and forces react to it. That is left to your imagination. All that show more you see is how one remote community deals with its immediate effects. It therefore has the feel of a more "real" story and not some crazed zombie apocalypse.
The story centres on the young family of Ethan and Nicole and their 2 children. Ethan is a worker for the Band Council but also spends time hunting and fishing to feed his own family and his extended community. Ethan has developed his survival skills through the mentoring of his father, in contrast to his younger brother Cam who is a slacker playing video games and such. The power outage comes along suddenly and at first the community thinks it is just one of the regular infrastructure problems that it has dealt with in the past with the expectation that things will return to normal in a day or two. However, winter is coming and fuel and food reserves are in short supply.
Instead, many days go by without any restoration and soon everybody begins to realize that it may not come back at all. Due to the remoteness of the community no outside word arrives until two students from the nearest town breakout from their college to travel home via snowmobiles to say what has happened in the outside world. But then further outsiders arrive, bringing with them potential fatal consequences.
I found Moon of the Crusted Snow to be a totally engrossing story which had a very realistic feel to it. The book was published in 2018, but had a further resurgence of interest during the 2020 pandemic. That led to author Rice deciding to write a sequel Moon of the Turning Leaves (Random House - expected publication October 10, 2023) which picks up the story 10-years further into the future. I read the first book through being introduced to it at the recent 2023 Lakefield Literary Festival. I now eagerly anticipate the sequel.
See photo at https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/361271558_24345228475075942_2...
Author Waubgeshig Rice (centre) in discussion with moderator John Barber (left) and author Kai Thomas ([book:In the Upper Country|60880810] (2023)) at the 2023 Lakefield Literary Festival, Canada.
Trivia and Links
Author Waubgeshig Rice is interviewed about the book on the APTN Face to Face program which you can see on YouTube here.
You can read a teaser excerpt from the sequel novel Moon of the Turning Leaves at this CBC article Anishinaabe Inspired Vision for the Future, April 25, 2023.
In a bizarre turn of events, there was at least one real-life instance during the recent pandemic of a situation which paralleled some of the events in Moon of the Crusted Snow. The outcome was quite different however, as you can read at Quebec couple fleeing COVID-19 'endangered' Yukon First Nation, chief says CBC News, March 30, 2020. show less
"The world isn't ending. Our world isn't ending. It already ended. It ended when the Zhaagnash came into our original home down south on that bay and took it from us. That was our world".
I read Moon of the Crusted Snow with @wellreadnative book club. It's a dystopian tale about what happens in a small Anishinaabe community awaiting a blizzard when all power has failed. Communication is cut off and unwanted visitors mysteriously appear.
I absolutely loved this one. The writing was solid and show more the tension begins right from the beginning. We are introduced to rich characters with varying relationships with the ancestor's core beliefs and traditions. Colonial history is cleverly woven throughout the story. The author does a great job of laying out the scenes without giving too much away and there were times that I was literally holding my breath because the tension was so thick. Everything unfolds through Evan's POV, who cares for his community and is reclaiming his identity and ties to the traditions of his ancestors.
What was really clever was how the author was able to write a dystopian tale centered on colonialism. In essence, he is reminding us that what happened to Indigenous people is real life horror that is inescapable. The antagonist, Scott embodies white settler mentality. From the moment he enters the scene, he tries to exert dominance, shows dissonance for their ways, tries to tear down their traditions and uses force and manipulation to try to pit them against each other. Even as their world is literally falling apart with no end in sight his white supremacy is on display and working in the background.
But this was also a survivor story. The author highlights the history of strength and unity within the Anishinaabe people, their ability to survive challenges time and time again and their undying love of community and their traditional ways. It was beautiful to see how everyone has a part to play in the community and how being of collective thinking is key to surviving tragedy.
There were moments that were reminiscent of the early pandemic. It left me reflecting on the importance of always being prepared, being adaptive and supportive of your community. It reminded me of how embedded colonialism is into everyday society and how white supremacy exerts its' strong arm as it sees fit and has conditioned some people to believe that force is the only option to survive. Even in moments when all humanity is at risk, the colonialism mentality rears its' ugly head.
Bookdragon rating 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 show less
I read Moon of the Crusted Snow with @wellreadnative book club. It's a dystopian tale about what happens in a small Anishinaabe community awaiting a blizzard when all power has failed. Communication is cut off and unwanted visitors mysteriously appear.
I absolutely loved this one. The writing was solid and show more the tension begins right from the beginning. We are introduced to rich characters with varying relationships with the ancestor's core beliefs and traditions. Colonial history is cleverly woven throughout the story. The author does a great job of laying out the scenes without giving too much away and there were times that I was literally holding my breath because the tension was so thick. Everything unfolds through Evan's POV, who cares for his community and is reclaiming his identity and ties to the traditions of his ancestors.
What was really clever was how the author was able to write a dystopian tale centered on colonialism. In essence, he is reminding us that what happened to Indigenous people is real life horror that is inescapable. The antagonist, Scott embodies white settler mentality. From the moment he enters the scene, he tries to exert dominance, shows dissonance for their ways, tries to tear down their traditions and uses force and manipulation to try to pit them against each other. Even as their world is literally falling apart with no end in sight his white supremacy is on display and working in the background.
But this was also a survivor story. The author highlights the history of strength and unity within the Anishinaabe people, their ability to survive challenges time and time again and their undying love of community and their traditional ways. It was beautiful to see how everyone has a part to play in the community and how being of collective thinking is key to surviving tragedy.
There were moments that were reminiscent of the early pandemic. It left me reflecting on the importance of always being prepared, being adaptive and supportive of your community. It reminded me of how embedded colonialism is into everyday society and how white supremacy exerts its' strong arm as it sees fit and has conditioned some people to believe that force is the only option to survive. Even in moments when all humanity is at risk, the colonialism mentality rears its' ugly head.
Bookdragon rating 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 show less
Evan and his partner Nicole live on a reserve in northern Canada with their children. Their community is a tight-knit one, although there are problems like unemployment and addiction. Some of the community members have resumed living in a more traditional way, such as going out to hunt or learning about plant medicine.
When the reserve is suddenly cut off from the south, with no reception and no power while being almost snowed in, these traditional skills become more important than ever. But show more new challenges arise, especially when outsiders find their way in. As time goes by, the story becomes considerably darker and the danger grows.
In the beginning I found it a bit hard to connect to Evan and Nicole, but apart from that, I was captivated by this novel and read it straight through in two sittings. It is not only an extremely gripping and exciting read, but also a glimpse into life on a reserve and into Anishinaabe culture and history. The author weaves this together with shades of horror literature and Indigenous mythology in a skillful way.
I have already bought two more novels by Waubgeshig Rice and cannot wait to read them! show less
When the reserve is suddenly cut off from the south, with no reception and no power while being almost snowed in, these traditional skills become more important than ever. But show more new challenges arise, especially when outsiders find their way in. As time goes by, the story becomes considerably darker and the danger grows.
In the beginning I found it a bit hard to connect to Evan and Nicole, but apart from that, I was captivated by this novel and read it straight through in two sittings. It is not only an extremely gripping and exciting read, but also a glimpse into life on a reserve and into Anishinaabe culture and history. The author weaves this together with shades of horror literature and Indigenous mythology in a skillful way.
I have already bought two more novels by Waubgeshig Rice and cannot wait to read them! show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 7
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 1,769
- Popularity
- #14,555
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 116
- ISBNs
- 31
- Languages
- 2