Moon of the Crusted Snow by: Waubgeshig Rice

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Published: October 2, 2018 by: ECW Press 

Pages: 213 

Rating: 4/5 stars 

CW: discussions about the genocide of Indigenous Peoples, trauma caused by colonization, cannibalism, blood and gore 

Right before winter, a northern Anishinaabe community mysteriously loses power. The band council attempt to keep residents safe and calm, and rations and restrictions are put into place. Evan Whitesky and his young family are one of the many affected by this dangerous event. However, order doesn't last for long when an outsider makes his way into the community and persuades some members that he knows how to cope with this situation the best. When residents start to go missing and the visitor's priorities begin to be questioned, Evan and other residents decide to fight back. 

I heard of this book through a mention on Greg's blog. Thanks Greg! I will read any speculative fiction by an Indigenous author, so I knew this book was right up my street. I thought the premise and the setting (wintertime in one community) could make for an interesting book, as stakes become raised even higher when community members are shut off from electricity during the coldest time of year. I overall thought this book delivered on providing an eerie and engaging plot, though I did have some trouble with the ending that prevented this from being a new favourite. 

I liked Evan as the "unlikely hero" to the book. He is a father of two young children and he just wants to make sure that they stay warm and fed. He doesn't really want to get into any vigilantism or rustle any feathers with people in the community. However, because of his protective nature, he develops over the book to really want to protect the community as if all of the residents were his children. He immediately can sense trouble once the main antagonist comes into the community and I really loved his rational personality and level-headedness. 

The tone of this book is quit haunting, and reads very closely like a gothic. The isolated setting (seeing as the community becomes cut off from neighbours because of the lack of electricity), and the chilly environment made for some really engaging tropes. I saw a bit of The Shining in this text with its keeping of the winter season, but this book really does stand on its own by being an original work of spec fic with some clever horror elements weaved throughout. Never did I feel bored, I kept turning the pages to see what was next. I wanted these characters to make it through the dystopia, and Rice did well to build up that tension of wanting to turn the page. 

Now, the main let down for me in this book was the ending. I was waiting patiently for the climax when the main antagonist would be confronted, and found myself getting close to the end with no turning point in site. Then finally, with mere pages to spare, comes the main conflict and supposed resolution. The problem I had though is that the ending seemed to me to be so rushed that I was left with many unanswered questions. I overall thought that the ending could've been drawn out more, because for me, it was a bit of a let down. 

If you like dystopias and are looking to read more diverse speculative fiction books, I would give this one a go. The premise is quite unique and the plot wasn't predictable. I feel I may be slightly in the minority of people who didn't love the ending, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. 

Have you read Moon of the Crusted Snow? What did you think? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess