Listen free for 30 days

  • Moon of the Crusted Snow

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Waubgeshig Rice
  • Narrated by: Billy Merasty
  • Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (400 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Moon of the Crusted Snow cover art

Moon of the Crusted Snow

Written by: Waubgeshig Rice
Narrated by: Billy Merasty
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.21

Buy Now for $22.21

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

A daring post-apocalyptic novel from a powerful rising literary voice

With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow.

The community leadership loses its grip on power as the visitors manipulate the tired and hungry to take control of the reserve. Tensions rise and, as the months pass, so does the death toll due to sickness and despair. Frustrated by the building chaos, a group of young friends and their families turn to the land and Anishinaabe tradition in hopes of helping their community thrive again. Guided through the chaos by an unlikely leader named Evan Whitesky, they endeavor to restore order while grappling with a grave decision.

Blending action and allegory, Moon of the Crusted Snow upends our expectations. Out of catastrophe comes resilience. And as one society collapses, another is reborn.

©2018 Waubgeshig Rice (P)2018 ECW Press

What the critics say

“Perfect for those who read Iain Reid’s Foe this summer and are looking for something in the same vein.” (The Globe and Mail)

“The creeping tension and vividly drawn landscapes make Waubgeshig Rice’s characters’ choices all the more real.” (Toronto Star)

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)

Go Behind the Scenes of Moon of the Crusted Snow

''What I hope people take away from Moon of the Crusted Snow is that there is hope,'' author Waubgeshig Rice shared with Audible in a conversation held at the 2019 Festival of Literary Diversity in Brampton, Ontario. ''Despite all the darkness that we endure even in modern society, there are things to be hopeful for.''
0:00

What listeners say about Moon of the Crusted Snow

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    274
  • 4 Stars
    85
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    235
  • 4 Stars
    60
  • 3 Stars
    38
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    242
  • 4 Stars
    68
  • 3 Stars
    25
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed the story

I struggled with the narration at the beginning but once I adjusted to the rhythm I ended really enjoying the performance. The story moves fast and I very much enjoy learning and listening to traditions and perspectives through the lens of our first nations. A great first novel from one of my favorite CBC journalists.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible

This book was enchanting. From the small events of daily life to large community concerns the Indigenous way of being was demonstrated. Concepts of community are made clear and values reinforced. It reflects the strength of First Nations communities and the humanity in their traditions of living on and with the land.
The narrator's voice was perfect.
Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

beautifully eerie

Wow, what a story! No wonder this was on the Canada Reads long list. A story about resilience, survival, and family. Great narration as well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn’t stop listening...

It is hard to write to review for a book that one simply enjoys so much. I was immersed in the community and kept asking myself what I would have done. The perseverance and resilience of the Whitesky family was evident. It was chilling yet the readers tone was calm and pleasant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Anish

I enjoyed this story. I laughter and felt anxious at some parts. I didn’t want to stop reading. Thank you for sharing your story. I look forward to more stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • K
  • 2021-11-07

amazing!

I could hardly pause this. I listened to it in 2 days. so good, I highly recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great

This book was a slow burn, and I really enjoyed the conflict and story.
the Anishinaabemowin was a great touch too!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • TC
  • 2022-02-11

Beautifully told, has stayed with me

Rice draws you into the setting, the community, immediately. I cared about the characters, shared their frustration, fear and suspicions. The plot was well-paced and the key plot points were revealed carefully, leaving a bit of mystery at times. The land was a beautiful place and the people a real, meaningful community.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

suspenseful story

this story had me listening every chance I got. I could visualize the story as it was happening. the story had me on my toes waiting to hear what would happen in the next chapter. very interesting story. loved it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

We all need to read this. We all need to learn.

This couldn't come at a better time; when we are globally challenged, pushed to the edge, then pushed again.
It is not easy to read it all in one fell swoop. At least not for me. Give time to pause, to reflect and empathize, to assume, hypothesise and then learn. One could walk away with so much inspiration.....or denial and closemindedness because it challenges us to look at the past and not look away but create new possibilities. Possibilities come with unknowns. Unknowns come with fear. But they don't have to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!