Màgòdiz

by Gabe Calderón

Màgòdiz (Anishinabemowin, Algonquin dialect): a person who refuses allegiance to, resists, or rises in arms against the government or ruler of their country.

Everything that was green and good is gone, scorched away by a war that no one living remembers. The small surviving human population scavenges to get by; they cannot read or write and lack the tools or knowledge to rebuild. The only ones with any power are the mindless Enforcers, controlled by the Madjideye, a faceless, formless spiritual entity that has infiltrated the world to subjugate the human population.

A’tugwewinu is the last survivor of the Andwànikàdjigan. On the run from the Madjideye with her lover, Bèl, a descendant of the Warrior Nation, they seek to share what the world has forgotten: stories. In Pasakamate, both Shkitagen, the firekeeper of his generation, and his life’s heart, Nitàwesì, whose hands mend bones and cure sickness, attempt to find a home where they can raise children in peace, without fear of slavers or rising waters. In Zhōng yang, Riordan wheels around just fine, leading xir gang of misfits in hopes of surviving until the next meal. However, Elite Enforcer H-09761 (Yun Seo, who was abducted as a child, then tortured and brainwashed into servitude) is determined to arrest Riordan for theft of resources and will stop at nothing to bring xir to the Madjideye. In a ruined world, six people collide, discovering family and foe, navigating friendship and love, and reclaiming the sacredness of the gifts they carry.

With themes of resistance, of ceremony as the conduit between realms, and of transcending gender, Màgòdiz is a powerful and visionary reclamation that Two-Spirit people always have and always will be vital to the cultural and spiritual legacy of their communities.

Genres: Queer, Fantasy, Indigenous, LGBT, Science Fiction, Fiction, Dystopia

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Max Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

It felt a little like a jigsaw puzzle at first where I didn't have all the pieces but as I read they slowly appeared and fell into place; the world setting, the relationship between the characters, the stories of gender for example. That said it was so beautiful as a story of Anishinabeg thought, queerness, trauma and disability and healing and survival in a very plausible apocalyptic world.

[Sam Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this post apocalyptic novel, showcasing Indigenous teachings, strength and resilience.

My only criticism is that the cover makes this book look like YA, and it most definitely is not.

Unique and well executed.

[SamSamSam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read anything like this before, and I need that to change YESTERDAY. I listened to the audiobook which was great not only for hearing the pronunciation of words from a variety of languages, but also to hear pronouns that I don't encounter very often used correctly over and over again. As a genderfluid person, it was so refreshing to read a story where gender is central to the characters' identities, but not an issue or point of conflict. I loved the beautifully done poly representation, too!
All these fabulous details aside, the story itself was also so well executed! The plot was engaging and original, and the conclusion very satisfying and hopeful. I will be recommending this over and over and over and over and...

[RatGrrrl]

I love all the concepts and ideas, but I just can't get on with the prose or audiobook narration.

DNF @ 39%

I truly wish that weren't the case.

This is very much a me problem.

[Annine · Rating 4 out of 5]

About colonialism and indigenous traditions, set in an apocalyptic dystopia. Queernormative and revolutionary with focus on found family.

CW: torture, cultural erasure, oppression, captivity, abduction, death, murder, violence

[Brittany]

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

This was unlike anything else I've read this year so far (2024). This is a dystopian, post-apocalyptic science fiction adult novel about an Indigenous two-spirit and gender diverse cast that navigates a world that is polluted, dying, and basically no longer fit for human thriving.

Calderon created such an expansive, queernormative world with so many different genders (*there are stories and folklore behind each of these genders, which you'll learn throughout the novel). I loved how each of these characters intersect, and the found family at the core of the story.

I will admit that in the first 25% or so, I was a bit lost because I hadn't read sci-fi in a bit, so it took me a while to gain my bearings. However, once I met more characters, and learned more about the Anishinaabe cultural context; I was fully invested and couldn't wait to see how this story unraveled!

Though GC illustrated such atmospheric imagery and world in this book, the interpersonal relationships and dynamics stood out the most to me! The ending was so bittersweet, and I will be thinking about this book and these characters for a while.

I think this story and world would translate well to a tv series!!! *manifesting*\

Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Death, Pregnancy, Genocide, and Sexual assault

[Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was so empowering and impactful; thank you for raising the voices of those often shoved to the wayside.

I am comforted to know that whenever I feel small, I can retrieve this book from my shelf and re-enter a world where gender diversity is the norm (and also practise my Anishnaabemowin).

Gichi Miigwech 💛

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book with a great ending. I found the genders confusing. It would have been nice to have a glossary or chart that explained them at the beginning of the book. I loved the story of the genders, but it was rather late in the book to help.

[Link Oberon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 — a decent story but the writing style was incredibly frustrating. Not that it was hard to understand, more just it wasn’t very sophisticated and there was a lack of effective worldbuilding.

[Kestrel B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where my queer punks at?? Get in here and read this. Plz.

All-gender inclusive and queer normative world! Spicy scenes and romances for Intersex, trans masc, trans femme, lesbian, pan, poly- like dang! Mentioning this first because I see the question come up in discussion boards often- where's representation for Trans and Intersex demographics? Here!

That being said, this is far from a romance or smut. More about the empowerment that love provides, especially within a resistance effort. The characters are strong and loyal, have their own flaws that don't drive the plot but are tended to on the side. I loved the focus on preserving language and stories, there's so much Anishinaabemowin and tidbits of Taino and Mexica, along with many lush cultural stories. With the dynamic of a barren dystopic setting, it felt so hopeful and impactful when characters nestled in for recounting their histories.

The narrator is omniscient, quickly switching from one character's thoughts and dialogue to anothers- which was super confusing the first few chapters. Once the reader adjusts it comes pretty natural, at least with the physical book. Sometimes the messaging gets a little blunt, but I'm bias to agree with it and didn't mind. The only real issue I had was with the ending, which felt rushed and a little, uh... idk, Hallmarkesque. Not enough to ruin it for me, but def had a little eyeroll at some overused symbology.

[Solly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Not entirely sure how I feel about this one. I really liked some of the worlbuilding, characters and story, but at the same time the ending felt rushed to me, as did some of the relationships. There were a lot of characters and relatively short page count and I kind of wanted more development from a lot of the relationships in this book. But I had a good time overall, very interesting take on gender, great characters, interesting themes and story. I just wanted it to be a bit more developed in places.

[Ana Connelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little while to adjust to the writing style and some of the language used, but once I did I couldn’t put this down, a post apocalyptic setting with found family trope; which I’m an absolute sucker for! I loved the indigenous stories that filled this book and have been left enlightened by diverse gender identities that are honoured in this book.

[Ripley · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I wanted to like this book more than I did, but unfortunately I felt that the gender system (that was really a combination of gender identity, sexual attraction, gender role, powers, and biology) was too convoluted to really follow. We're told there is eight genders and get more information as time goes on, but never a concrete answer as to what each one is. It at times felt like one's role was tied rigidly to their gender, which isn't an idea that I like very much. The author made up somewhat for this by later recognizing that people play multiple roles when they need to, regardless of their gender.
I recognized the 'xe/xir' pronouns as being gender-neutral, but did not realize 'pe' was also a gender-neutral pronoun. I wanted to know why the characters might choose these pronouns over they/them, but that was never explained--there was just a mix of them all with the majority being they/them. I did like the narrative of preserving storytelling and the indigenous traditions weaved throughout. However, I did wish that the different languages had English translations next to them--I know their translations were in the back of the book, but since I read an e-version I did not know about this until I was finished.

[Ma'Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up because I genuinely want more novels and other media like this, but the writing, storytelling structure, and audiobook narration of this one really turned me off and either confused or bored me more often than it fascinated and engaged me effectively.

One factor that really influenced my opinion of the book and the author (based on the cover of the audiobook saying "Read by the author") is the awkward vocal inflection used throughout the first three quarters of it every time they said "ze" or "hir." Those "third pronouns" as they're often called sounded unnatural and clunky in the narrator's mouth, like they had never used them in regular speech before until writing this somewhat experimental short-story-turned-novel. I understand why new pronouns can take some getting used to saying as replacements for "he/she, his/hers, him/her," etc. The first time in my own life that I had a friend who used those pronouns was in 2010/11, and in order to show respect and demonstrate a good example of how zir pronouns were supposed to sound, I decided to practice alone at home by reading news articles aloud and changing all of the pronouns to nonbinary ones that were becoming more common again. The narrator finally gets it down in the final 20% or so of the audiobook, but stars!, they should have practiced and had some coaching on that before recording their own audiobook. The thing that threw me off at the very end, after this somewhat negative perspective of the author's experience and seriousness, was that they credit someone named Everett Rain as the narrator of the audiobook, not Gabe Calderón! I don't understand whose voice was bugging me the majority of the time now - did the author or did this Everett person narrate the main text? Is the cover a publishing error (aka a lie)?

In addition to improving in inflection/emphasis, the book waits until the last quarter to finally explain some of the key aspects of the world (e.g. particular Indigenous tribal traditions of 8+ genders). The story improves near the end, but I was really struggling to resist the urge to DNF this book honestly. I've been eager to read it since it came out in 2022, and am preparing to discuss it at an upcoming queer book club, but I feel like I need a cheat sheet with characters mapped out and the glossary provided at the end handy.

To be clear, I don't fault the book for challenging the readers - many of whom are white descendants of settler-colonizers like myself - to infer things from context and get accustomed to various native words and phrases being used. It's the how all that is shown that I think was rather messy. Coincidentally, I was simultaneously working my way through the audiobook of A Closed and Common Orbit, which also uses ze/hir/hirs pronouns for at least one character, and by comparison, the narrator incorporated those words very smoothly.

[Angie Van Sprang · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was tough for me to decide how to rate this book and what I wanted to say about it. It certainly took me by surprise, I did not think it would be my cup of tea. Calderon masterfully blends together elements of sci fi, undeniable indigeneity, and post-modern queer ideals to form a truly robust picture of what our world could come to at the apex of the climate crisis.

[This is sort of a spoiler paragraph]
I love how this book incorporated aspects of reality so seamlessly into the story. Calderon’s concept of gender here is completely original and unlike anything I’ve read before. There appear to be 8 genders in this version of our world, and if I gathered the clues correctly, I believe we have cis male, cis female, nonbinary, transgender, healer, aromantic/asexual, firekeeper, and storyteller. This spectrum combines current understandings of gender with culturally significant roles in native societies. I thought it was neat how everyone was referred to as a “third, sixth, eighth” etc. To that end, I really appreciated the semantic nods toward aspects of our written language being lost and the characters coming up with their own terms for things. I smirked at every line where Riordan referred to his creations as “guys” to indicate explosives. I was also honestly surprised by the consistent use of neopronouns in this book. It made me realize I’ve never read a book that has characters using neopronouns, and to be frank I thought it was going to take me out of the story. It didn’t. I was surprised how easily they flowed within the story and I appreciate that it made me stop and think about some biases I was likely carrying around neopronoun use.
[Spoilers end here]

I really loved how original this story was. I don’t know if that would’ve been possible without Calderon’s use of multiple languages to convey specific objects or concepts in the book. There were words from Algonquin/Anishinaabemowin, Plains Cree, Mi’Kmaq/L’Nu, Taino, French, Greek, Arabic, Irish, Hindi, Korean, and Chinese languages. Obviously this story centers around characters whom are all First Peoples, so languages indigenous to North America were most prominently used. Remember to look in the back of the ebook on kindle for the glossary! I wish I would’ve found it sooner than I did lol (user error). Overall, Calderon is an author of great intrigue to me. This was a feat of a novel and I am waiting in anticipation to see what is spun from their loom next.

[seasalted.citrus (Topaz, Oliver) · Rating 5 out of 5]

if i give this a 4.5 later that’s on me but fuck it I’m giving it 5 stars. The whole cast was just casually indigiqueer (WITH TWO CHARACTERS USING NEOPRONOUNS. ONE OF WHICH IS A POV!! HI RIORDAN!!), with the roles and significance of non-binary genders and Two Spirit identities even part of the worldbuilding?!? Admittedly the first fourth or so was confusing with all the different POVs, but as more detail on the post-apocalyptic environment was given (and I read parts of Anishinaabeg culture sprinkled in throughout, so I could get some context on *that* front), and the storylines started to merge together, I was super invested in how it’d unfold!! There’s such a strong emphasis on family and I loved how each character’s culture was important, from their bonds to even some of the plot elements (prayers and offerings to ancestors are *crucial* at different points in the story. It can sometimes be involved in ensuring the well-being of another character).

Also, surprise polyamory with three of the characters??Go figure.

Goodness I also loved the world itself!! There was enough depth to the post-apocalyptic dystopia(?) that it felt plausible. I also enjoyed seeing the different tight-knit Indigenous communities! None of them were thrown in for diversity’s sake, there was importance and care written into each one.

And there was so much heart in the overall story too…unfortunately my QLL loan was due the day I’m writing this review(and one person had it on hold. I’m re-borrowing this the second they’re done), so I can’t go and look at all of my quotes I had highlighted but there were some beautiful lines about hope, non-blood familial bonds(oh god and the pain of losing those people!! A lot of violence in this book), and love. If I have the room I’ll talk about it more in a Bookstagram caption but for now I will not go on, lest I become unintelligible.

Anyhow I’m still on my “In The Watchful City” agenda(..kind of. My book hyperfixations give conflicting info haha) so I’ll say that if you liked the emphasis on storytelling(slightly different context there, though), culturally diverse characters and queer cast of that one(+ the neopronoun rep!!), and bittersweet ending, you’d like this one too. Or, y’know, if you read “Màgòdiz” and want more recs, switch around the order of those titles lol.

I am totally reading more books by Gabe Calderón. This was awesome.

[Gia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt relevant to our current world because it touches on historical events where indigenous peoples and minorities have been systematically targeted, tortured and killed. And while I felt empathetic to the situation it seems the "enforcers" were collected and created, I wondered if there were ever ones who chose to join them. It made also think of the kids taken and forced to be "soldiers".

A lot of the story was sad and heartbreaking but the feeling of resistance and hope in the present moment was always there and powerful.

As much as I could imagine the inspiration for the book's context and plot, it wasn't predictable or clenched in any way. The only "challenging" aspect of the story were the triggering moments the characters encountered or recalled as the story progressed.

Speaking on oppression, survival and freedom during what seems like the end of the world, of cultural traditions, cultural and familial history is not an easy thing to do. But stories like these and stories of resistance are always important.

I did select this book for the 2025 Trans Right Readathon but the 2spirited and beyond characters of the book weren't so much as the "subject" rather they were just present, active characters of the narrative doing their best to live and survive. I always love and appreciate books that normalize individual's identities rather than drawing attention to them as a teaching or "political tool". There are definitions given along the way and sometimes there's not (like with the language) that story can fill in the blanks.

To summarize 😅, I enjoyed reading this book.

[Xan Rooyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read/listen.

While I cannot speak to the authenticity of the rep here, I did love learning more about the Anishinaabe view on gender. There are 8 different genders discussed in this book and characters use various pronouns including neo-pronouns.

While I did find the beginning a little confusing as there were a lot of characters to keep track of in a dystopian world that blended elements of sci-fi with indigenous mythology, the various story threads all came together well in the end.

I loved the characters, even prickly Riordan. I'm very grateful I listened to this so that I could hear all the Anishinaabe words, names, and phrases said correctly (presumably). The only thing that bugged me a little about this book was the head-hopping between characters which sometimes left me a little confused about what was happening.

CW: SA (described after the fact), torture, death, violence, violence against children. Some scenes get pretty gruesome and bloody so be warned.

I'm definitely keen to read more by this author.

[Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The good:

An amazing world, an amazing system of genders and indigenous peoples. I was very lost in the beginning, especially in regard to the different genders (and to be honest a lot of it is never really explained, but I don't really mind), I got more and more used to it.

The bad:

As best as I can describe it, the writing is immature. It's clunky, the dialogue doesn't always flow, and there's absolutely no sense of how long anything takes. The whole book takes place over almost an entire year but it feels like maybe a week, and not in a good way. Perhaps because of this, we never get to see how the characters grow into a family. Riordan and Yun-seo are perhaps the only ones whose relationship is actually shown changing - and honestly I would've loved a lot more from them. But everyone else feels very, "we went to sleep as strangers and we woke up as the tightest family ever."

I think it's the potential of this book that excites me more than anything. I want MORE stories like this. I want more dystopia and scifi and fantasy like this.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an interesting, thought-provoking book.  It really stretched my brain, to wrap my head around the 8 different types of people, and my mind wanted to figure it out to label them.  It took me about half the book to get into the swing of acceptance of the terminology, and that's on me and my old brain. The story itself was very engaging, the pace was quick, it kept me turning pages to find out what happens next, what will happen with that person, oh my goodness, what will they do ??  lots of action, but lots of quiet interpersonal moments, too.  I love that the author used language we are not necessarily used to, and I used that pronunciation legend avidly ! ( miigwech for that ! ) The intertwining stories of love, loss, spirituality, and grief were addressed caringly and respectfully.   The references to folklore and history were artfully laced throughout the book.  Looking forward to more from this author.  

[ColleenIsBooked · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook, which was nice because the author narrated it and I could hear the pronunciation of the words in different languages. However, because I did listen on audio, the beginning was a little bit confusing especially as apocalyptic sci-fi is not my typical genre. But the more I listened, the more everything started to fit together and make sense. I really liked the different relationships that we see throughout the story and I did tear up a bit at the end because it was a really beautiful scene. I think if you liked The Marrow Thieves series by Cherie Dimaline, this book will scratch the itch for more. It's more adult, but we still have the apocalyptic atmosphere, the found family, the cultural connections, the interpersonal relationships. This book is very LGBTQIA+ friendly and explores a lot of different identities in a very interesting way.

[Juniper Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This heart wrenching post-apocalyptic novel tells the story of indigenous two spirit & gender diverse people coming together and honouring their truths at the end of the world. This novel is aggressively gay, staunchly queer and is a love song to BIPOC peoples around the world. At the center of the novel we find a found family struggling to find language for their shared trauma and sorrow for a polluted and dying Earth. As the individuals in the story take shape the author crafts each wither their own gifts and gender identity, finding beauty in each person.

I found it a little bit slow and I really wish more depth had been given to each scene and individual. As an idea I adored it, as a novel I found it a bit slow and under developed at times. I did love the story don’t get me wrong. It was wonderful and will stay with me, I just wanted… more!

[Sherilyn Moreton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more, I really did. The premise is interesting - dystopian future, not many people left and the ones who are left are starving, for safety and food both. Only a few Indigenous folks remain, and live in fear.

This book had a ton of queer representation which was incredibly refreshing, but I think the downside of the book was that it felt like it needed more editing. We go into the story hearing all this terminology with no intro, no information, and minimal explanation until almost halfway through the book.

There were many aspects I liked about the characters and I felt a lot of love in the writing, but I feel that perhaps it needed a touch more polish before being published.

[Tommy Galvan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A non binary indigenous futuristic sci fi book that left me confused with so many unanswered questions that should not be allowed. Though the premise of the book at first is cool and interesting the author somewhere at the beginning got quickly lost in their own world they were trying to write. A lot of unexplained details got thrown all at once from the start and never really got quite explained. Definitely either a much deep edit or a duet of another book should have been explored when writing this to make it a more smoother understandable read.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The world-building was stellar and even though in some ways it's your standards "a a group sets out on a quest story" the execution was beautifully done. I also felt deeply for the characters and it felt like seeing my own community reflected back on the pages.
The author's choice to include Anishinaabe words without translation in the text was a really great linguistic intervention.
I want to hear more about all the genders and I hope we get more stories from this world.

[janiris · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved learning about gender through an indigenous lens and the world/ environment was interesting. i loved learning about how the different pieces came together but i did feel like the story could be a a bit disjointed at times and there were some moments that felt so ? why. specifically the sexually intimate scenes. they felt unnecessary and shallow to me and took me out the story. there were just too many moments that took me out of what could have been a very fascinating and moving story.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was phenomenal! I loved everything about it. I loved the queernormative world with eight different genders and the acknowledgement that there might be other genders still. I found myself caring deeply about the characters, not despite but because of their rough edges. I also loved how bits and pieces from various languages and cultures were interwoven in the story in meaningful ways, especially anishinabemowin.

[Littlebookterror · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enchanted by this story.
It took a little bit for me to fully grasp where the story was going and to become acclimated to the writing but then, oh then, I was utterly charmed by our main characters and the journey they go on.
Intertwined with the present we also get stories and flashbacks, weaving an unusual tale that I won't forget for a long time.

[TeeReads]

DNF @ 36%

I was so excited about this book. It's rep that is desperately needed, and we don't see enough of. This was so unique to me. The premise is great, and the writing is beautiful, but my brain is just not clicking with the story. I keep feeling confused. I think I will come back to this another time, but my brain is just not having it right now.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was absolutely incredible. Heart-wrenching, character-driven, queer, and deep. I read the short story A’tugwewinu in the anthology Love After the End that was expanded into this book; it was wonderful to delve into the world I got a glimpse at from the anthology story. I definitely want to read more from this amazing author.