The Sequel We Have Been Waiting For : Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice

During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, I was one of the strange humans who coped with the devastation by consuming an abundance of pandemic literature. That fateful week in May when everything began shutting down (unless you were Texas), I read story after story of the end times. I remember being utterly shocked that stories written a few years before could have accurately guessed how humanity would react to widespread chaos. I began expanding from pandemic-centric to general apocalyptic novels. I noticed that most stuck to similar tropes and formulas: the threat arrives/occurs in a large city, the reader follows one individual or small group traversing the country in order to reunite with a loved one, find a cure, survive, etc., and you often get a glimpse at to what happened on Day 1. That was until I read “Moon of the Crusted Snow” by Waubgeshig Rice.

Taking place on a remote Anishinaabe reservation in Northern Canada, we follow a small community that has become reliant on their weekly supply shipments, generators, and medications from the south. Only a few members of the tribe are like Evan who continue to hunt and preserve the Anishinaabe tradition. Accustomed to frequent power outages, the small community was not surprised when the lights shut off in late autumn. However, after several weeks of no power, missing food shipments, and the onset of winter, the community elders began to craft a survival plan. Our main character Evan ,being a skilled hunter and pillar of the community, was entrusted with the vital tasks to provide food and assist the reservation. Eventually, two college students return and bring news of a society in chaos. Shortly after, a group of white survivors led by a hulking man named Scott, arrive and slowly begin to cause a strain amongst the residents. Those following Scott’s leadership seem to be thriving. However, it is clear the social hierarchy favors the new white visitors who will survive by any means necessary. The Anishinaabe must defend their community from the southern visitors and relearn and teach the ways of their ancestors in order to survive.

After reading “Moon of the Crusted Snow” TWICE now, I am very familiar and have grown attached to the characters of the apocalyptic Anishinaabe community. Waubgeshig Rice crafted a totally unique story from the apocalypse canon. As a reader, you are in the dark, figuratively and literally, along with the Anishinaabe. Unaware of the reason for the collapse of society, isolated from resources, and turning to hunting, gathering, and the pulling of each other's resources for survival. We see them struggle through the first winter of the apocalypse and the primary threat comes from a group of white travelers who claim to want to live among them, but refuse to honor and respect their authority on their own land… sound familiar?

The highly anticipated sequel, “Moon of the Turning Leaves”, takes place twelve winters after the lights go out. Evan helped lead the community from their reservation and settled in a prosperous area. Over the last 12 years, the community of fifty settlers have turned back to the ways of their Anishinaabe ancestors out of necessity. Not only by hunting, fishing, and gathering, but also by learning the language, prioritizing the importance of the social status of elders, and embracing the old religious practices. Despite their best efforts and years of survival, the prosperity of the land is waning. Evan, along with his daughter and four other brave community members, embark on a journey to find their people’s homeland in hopes of migrating their community back to the true home of their ancestors.

The long journey to find their home land is riddled with danger. Attempting to beat the onset of winter, they must travel quickly, avoid injury, and do their best to avoid confrontation with other survivors.

Unlike many post-apocalyptic stories, Waubgeshig Rice does not present the survival of the Anishinaabe as a “struggle”. Instead, the new Anishinaabe community of settlers are seemingly content to be returning to the way of their ancestors despite the loss and struggle they have endured. Although they “lost everything” when leaving the reservation, they were able to rebuild and eventually thrive despite hardships thanks to the knowledge passed down to them from generation to generation. No longer able to rely on supplies from the government, they are permitted to live as their people intended. Rice expertly highlights parallels between early Native American tribes that thrived before being persecuted by white settlers and the new Anishinaabe settlement.

Much like the Native Americans of the 1600s, they worship and fear nature - understanding they are at its mercy for survival. The true threat they experience and do not understand comes from the power seeking groups of settlers and “defenders.” The Anishinaabe do not infiltrate or attack others for resources or land, they are on a peaceful journey and are only threatened by power-hungry white supremacist groups. Although they are a peaceful people, they are fierce fighters and will defend their people.

These beautiful characters and story give readers a glimpse into the precious life and philosophies of Native Americans and how it differs from our selfish modern society. Instead of living as one community, we are encouraged to look out for our own best interests. Instead of respecting nature, we use and abuse it. Instead of working for our survival, we work in offices to provide a profit for one person.

Both novels in this series have become favorites of mine. I will reread these when I need to be reminded of the goodness in humanity. I have Waubgeshig Rice to thank for my newfound love of apocalyptic novels and my even deeper respect and adoration for the life, incredible perseverance, and history of Native Americans.

This book is now available in Canada and will be published February 27th in the US.

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