Waubgeshig Rice is an author and journalist originally from Wasauksing First Nation. His first short story collection, Midnight Sweatlodge, was inspired by his experiences growing up in an Anishinaabe community and won an Independent Publishers Book Award in 2012. His debut novel, Legacy, followed in 2014. In 2014, he received the Anishinabek Nation’s Debwewin Citation for excellence in First Nation Storytelling. He now splits his time between Sudbury and Wasauksing.
“This slow-burning thriller is also a powerful story of survival
and will leave readers breathless.” — Publishers Weekly
“Rice seamlessly injects Anishinaabe language into the dialogue and
creates a beautiful rendering of the natural world … This title
will appeal to fans of literary science fiction akin to Cormac
McCarthy as well as to readers looking for a fresh voice in
indigenous fiction.” — Booklist
“The creeping tension and vividly drawn landscapes make Waubgeshig
Rice’s characters’ choices all the more real.” — Toronto Star
“Moon of the Crusted Snow sets itself apart — an apocalypse novel
in reverse.” — Globe and Mail
“Rice complicates and demands a rethinking of the apocalyptic
category itself, which is the book’s greatest revelation and
strength … Rice’s writing is measured and he has a lovely ear for
the cadence of conversation — humour, rage, and introspection all
coming through the dialogue … Rice’s story teaches, but it’s not
didactic; it’s original, and somehow takes the frenetic pace of a
crisis, slows it down, and shows us its parts.” — Canadian Notes &
Queries
“Perfect for those who read Iain Reid’s Foe this summer and are
looking for something in the same vein.” — The Globe and Mail
“All the ingredients that went into this novel are that much more
fresh, and make the narrative so rich, because of the way Rice has
succeeded in putting them all together.” — CBC Books
“This is my go-to pick for the year … it’s such a great book … it's
really got this great balance that makes it a go-to gift this
season … really good, amazing storytelling.” — Jael Richardson on
CBC q
“In addition to being a new spin on the tech-pocalypse, it's also
an eerie, slightly fabulist novel … If you want a thoughtful,
uncanny, snow-bound read that will have you battening your hatches
for winter and rethinking what apocalypse means, pick this one up
ASAP.” — Book Riot’s Swords & Spaceships
“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
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