Moon of the Turning Leaves - by Waubgeshig Rice (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Waubgeshig Rice's stories are good medicine. Moon of the Turning Leaves is a restorative balm for my spirit." -- Angeline Boulley, New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper's Daughter

In this gripping stand-alone literary thriller set in the world of the award-winning post-apocalyptic novel Moon of the Crusted Snow, a scouting party led by Evan Whitesky ventures into unknown and dangerous territory to find a new home for their close-knit Northern Ontario Indigenous community more than a decade after a world-ending blackout.

For the past twelve years, a community of Anishinaabe people have made the Northern Ontario bush their home in the wake of the power failure that brought about societal collapse. Since then they have survived and thrived the way their ancestors once did, but their natural food resources are dwindling, and the time has come to find a new home.

Evan Whitesky volunteers to lead a mission south to explore the possibility of moving back to their original homeland, the "land where the birch trees grow by the big water" in the Great Lakes region. Accompanied by five others, including his daughter Nangohns, an expert archer, Evan begins a journey that will take him to where the Anishinaabe were once settled, near the devastated city of Gibson, a land now being reclaimed by nature.

But it isn't just the wilderness that poses a threat: they encounter other survivors. Those who, like the Anishinaabe, live in harmony with the land, and those who use violence.

Review Quotes

"The world-building is top-notch in Moon of the Turning Leaves, painstakingly creating not only Evan Whitesky's quest to find a safe home for his people, but the careful way a community-focused culture would deal with the many disasters inherent in the end of the world. Tense, atmospheric, and ultimately hopeful, Rice masterfully delivers an unsettling, page-turning sequel." - Eden Robinson, author of Return of the Trickster

"There's a kindness, a gentleness, and a deep respect at the heart of the culture Rice portrays, and it stands in refreshing contrast to the usual violence and cynicism of most dystopian fiction. Rice's evocation of the countryside is gorgeous and immersive; the land becomes an essential character in its own right. This is a pastoral travel tale of much grander scope than its predecessor and a powerful, remarkable follow-up." - Booklist (starred review)

"Brilliant." - Strange Horizons

"What will endure for me from this novel aren't its villains; instead, it's the work of its heroes, working to preserve their own traditions and each other in the face of a world that's much harsher than they ever expected." - Reactor magazine

"In Rice's harrowing sequel to Moon of the Crusted Snow, set 12 years after a global power outage, the Anishinaabe people who settled in New Village are forced to relocate, trekking through a dystopian landscape in hope of finding a new home. Rice chronicles their journey in gorgeous prose, placing plenty of postapocalyptic horrors in their path but never losing sight of hope." - Publishers Weekly, Best Books of the Year

"[Moon of the Turning Leaves] is gripping, to say the least, and it's a haunting read that'll linger in the recesses of your mind for quite some time." - Book Riot

"Rice puts a refreshing, Indigenous perspective on postapocalyptic tropes. . . The humanity and heart on offer here make this a showstopper." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Rice renders an achingly realistic portrayal of a broken, post-apocalyptic world that still manages to contain hope and beauty." - Library Journal (starred review)

"Rice has created not only a compulsive narrative but, perhaps more significantly, a compelling world, rooted in both the traditions of the Anishinaabe and the ashes of late-stage capitalism. It's a powerful, tour de force accomplishment that will leave readers hoping for a third book." - Toronto Star

"In Moon of the Turning Leaves, Waubgeshig Rice finds hope at the end of the world" - Globe and Mail (Toronto)

"The attention to the material culture of the future Anishinaabe people is particular and impressive. . . yields an immersive power." - Wall Street Journal

"Rice quite brilliantly weaves this sequel to Moon of the Crusted snow such that the ongoing journey of those wonderfully drawn characters carries on seamlessly. Moon of the Turning Leaves stands on its own while simultaneously carrying the heart of the original story. Suspenseful and gripping, the great anticipation for this next installment is borne out by this artful storytelling." - Michelle Good, award-winning author of Five Little Indians and Truth Telling

"An epic journey into the future, powerfully haunting." - Silvia Moreno-Garcia, New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau

"[Moon of the Turning Leaves] is by turns beautiful and inspiring and bleak and violent. In other words, the perfect dystopian read. Let's hope Waubgeshig Rice doesn't make us wait too long for the next visit to this captivating world." - Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor and The Hunger

"Waubgeshig Rice's stories are good medicine. Moon of the Turning Leaves is a restorative balm for my spirit." - Angeline Boulley, New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper's Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed

"If you've ever wondered how the Anishinaabe way would fare after the Great Collapse, this is the novel for you. Fans of McCarthy's The Road and The Walking Dead will feel right at home here with the intrigue, the dread and the hope. What a magnificent read. Mahsi cho, Waubgeshig Rice. Bravo!" - Richard Van Camp, author of The Lesser Blessed and Loyal to Heaven