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What is love? Love is one of the most powerful and complex emotions in the world. Love can ruin lives, break hearts, build families, and share strengths. In Love after the End, a speculative science fiction anthology edited by Joshua Whitehead and contributed to by nine authors, readers explore worlds in which the ability to love persists after an apocalypse. Specifically, the anthology focuses on the concept of Indigiqueerness and Indigiqueer people, those who identify as both Indigenous and queer. These short stories bring Indigenous culture to life with bright and bold Indigiqueer main characters that lead the way in utopian worlds, inspiring readers to promote peace, here and now, rather than trying to run away from reality. As a result, Love after the End mostly succeeds as a speculative short fiction anthology that, for the most part, meets the goals of highlighting ideas of love, utopia, and Indigiqueerness except for some stories that are dystopian and confusing.

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In the short story “The Ark of the Turtle’s Back” by jaye simpson, the main characters proudly identify as Indigiqueer and actively participate in their Indigenous culture. For instance, Giiweden goes by xe/xyr/xem pronouns, ashe goes by they/them/their pronouns, and Ni is transgender: “...I was iwkekazzo, pretending to be a woman,” (simpson 63). By choosing certain pronouns and queer identities for the fictional characters, simpson works towards Whitehead’s goal of shining a light on Indigiqueerness, in order to bring a sense of familiarity as Indigiqueer people see themselves reflected in these short stories as well as to broaden the perspectives of non-Indigiqueer people. Furthermore, after using the energy-consuming Arks to escape a dying Earth running out of water, the Indigenous family does not celebrate but rather, they mourn the loss of the Earth through a special ceremony: “I fan the small flames out and let the smoke tangle with the filtered air around me, curl around my hair, and seep into my skin. Axil… begins to pray… Archie sighs with relief and, surprisingly, Dakib undoes her bun and falls into the Ceremony quickly… Giiweden starts humming a Nokomis song, and ashe keeps beat…” (simpson 74). Each one of the main characters, even Dakib who previously pushed away traditions and Archie who is still learning Indigenous words, connects with their culture through performing rituals passed down from generation to generation. In the end, the family continues to keep their Indigiqueer identity alive and strong as they search for a new home away from home.

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In the short story “Andwànikàdjigan” by Gabriel Castilloux Calderon, A’tugwewinu and Bèl maintain an invincible, passionate love for each other despite the challenges they faced with the Enforcers, who attacked them in their sleep, shooting Bèl and imprisoning A’tugwewinu. Left alone in her cage, A’tugwewinu’s thoughts wander away to her love for Bèl: “A deep ache of longing struck her heart… No more would gentle, large hands soothe her ills, or a sultry voice whisper tender things in her ear. No more would she have a heart to come home to…” (Calderon 106). Here, Calderon connects to readers’ personal experiences and prior exposures to love by conveying the devastating and hopeless feelings that come after losing a loved one. Calderon further illustrates the burning passion that these two lovers have for each other when they are finally reunited against a backdrop of an apocalyptic world: “They kissed without care of the Enforcers, or pending doom, they kissed like the world was ending, but really, wasn’t it already over, and perhaps within this kiss lay the new beginning?” (Calderon 109). The question asked here goes hand in hand with Whitehead’s goal of sharing stories where love persists no matter what happens; even after A’tugwewinu thought Bèl was dead from the gunshot and even through living a life where they are constantly hiding from the so-called Enforcers, their love for each other never once faltered, hence love after the end.

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Extra Element: Spotify Playlist on a Padlet

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Extra Element: Spotify Playlist on a Padlet

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While a majority of the short stories in the anthology imagine utopian worlds or happy endings, the short story “Seed Children” by Mari Kurisato is skewed toward the dystopian. In the beginning, Kurisato already sets the stage by describing the darkness of the world: “The increased heat of the dying star scorched the earth, boiled the seas, turned vast tracts of farmland into dunes. Dust storms buried cities. Heavy winds brought skyscrapers crashing down. Man-made diseases on the continents struck down millions,” (Kurisato 138). Obviously, such a dusty, destroyed, diseased world contradicts Whitehead’s goal of telling utopian stories to inspire people to truly live rather than simply being alive; they have already survived the apocalypse, they are currently living in a dystopian present, so why should they not start thinking about a utopian future? Moreover, Kurisato demonstrates how the people are just as doomed as the world itself: “One Seed Ship, hastily constructed from the cheapest nanomaterials available, broke apart as it rose into the sky, killing many on the ground and everyone within the doomed vessel. Few mourned those lost, as temperatures and food shortages caused worldwide clashes, and forced many to become cannibals just to survive,” (Kurisato 138). In this short story, people no longer care about the well-being of others; people no longer care about anything but themselves and their survival. There is no longer such a thing as kindness, selflessness, or gratitude when humans are reduced to animals. This is not utopian. This is unforgivably, intentionally dystopian and therefore ruins the effort of the other stories towards Whitehead’s utopia goal.

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When analyzing Love after the End as a whole, the majority of the short stories are successful with regards to the elements that can come together to make a story understandable, enjoyable, and worthwhile: setting, characters, plot, perspective, themes, etc. For instance, the short story “History of the New World” by Adam Garnet Jones finds its success in the process of bringing the character Asêciwan alive through emotional dialogue and flashbacks to loving memories with her mothers: “‘No, you weren’t! You left it to me! You made me choose so you didn’t have to… I hate you. I hate both of you…’ A single sob broke free from her body before she could clamp down on it… Asêciwan slapped my hand away and stood up on her own,” (Jones 56-57). Furthermore, the short story “Eloise” by David A. Robertson contributes to the success of the science fiction anthology through its spectacular use of the speculative to introduce the unique concept of “The Gate”, a program that allows people to live varying amounts of time in virtual reality, without losing valuable time in the real world. When Cassie is observing people in her favorite coffee shop, she realizes that “They are all connected to The Gate. Some for a few seconds, some for a few minutes, which means that some have been living in The Gate for months, or years, or decades. All while sitting at their tables with still-hot beverages, here but not really, there but not really,” (Roberston 175-176). Essentially, Robertson creates an interesting plot that draws in the audience and causes them to reflect on their daily dependence on technology in the real world.

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Although successful use of the previously-mentioned elements was incorporated throughout the anthology, one short story in particular, “Nameless” by Nazbah Tom, feels rather confusing and incomplete, in contrast. “Nameless” follows two main characters, Jessica and K’é, through separate lives where they somehow Travel to the same place in their dreams and then meet at the end for a brief moment (Tom 165). The process and reason for Traveling are never explained and Jessica remains confused after meeting K’é: “*They look up and notice a woman standing in the doorway. She looks back at K’é and Asdzáá Hashké in confusion… The woman motions to leave, panicked,” (Tom 164). Without obvious purpose or closure, “Nameless” fails on the basis of storytelling, thus lowering the success of the anthology as a whole.

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At its core, deep down inside the backbone of this anthology, Joshua Whitehead and the nine contributing authors simply want people to remember their humanity and embrace their identity. Depending on their background and life experiences, each person will have unique perspectives on Indigiqueerness, love, and utopia. Nevertheless, this anthology works to provide windows that reveal and mirrors that reflect the very real struggles and hopes of such Indigiqueer individuals through connected themes.

Word Count: 1395

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Badger, Darcie Little. “Story for a Bottle.” Whitehead, pp. 113-134.

Calderon, Gabriel Castilloux. “Andwànikàdjigan.” Whitehead, pp. 95-112.

Jones, Adam Garnet. “History of the New World.” Whitehead, pp. 35-60.

Kurisato, Mari. “Seed Children.” Whitehead, pp. 135-146.

Robertson, David A. “Eloise.” Whitehead, pp. 167-190.

simpson, jaye. “The Ark of the Turtle’s Back.” Whitehead, pp. 61-76.

Tom, Nazbah. “Nameless.” Whitehead, pp. 147-166.

Whitehead, Joshua, editor. Love after the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit & Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction. Arsenal Pulp Press, 2020.