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Trail of Lightning

Trail of Lightning is a 2018 urban fantasy novel by American author Rebecca Roanhorse, the debut installment in her Sixth World series published by Saga Press.^[1] Set in a post-apocalyptic Dinétah—the traditional homeland of the Navajo people—following a supernatural flood called the Big Water that submerges much of North America, the story centers on Maggie Hoskie, a skilled monster hunter trained by the god Neizghání.^[1] Infused with elements of Navajo mythology, including gods, heroes, and creatures from Diné lore, the narrative explores themes of isolation, vengeance, and cultural resurgence amid a world where ancient legends manifest alongside modern survival challenges.^[1] The novel received widespread recognition in speculative fiction circles, securing a nomination for the Hugo Award for Best Novel, a Nebula Award nomination for Best Novel, and winning the Locus Award for Best First Novel in 2019.^[1]^[2] Praised for its vivid integration of Indigenous perspectives into genre conventions, Trail of Lightning has been included in lists such as Time's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, though some critiques noted pacing issues and familiarity with urban fantasy tropes.^[1] Its publication marked Roanhorse's breakthrough, contributing to discussions on Indigenous futurism while drawing attention to debates over cultural representation in literature.^[1]

Background and Publication

Author Rebecca Roanhorse

Rebecca Roanhorse was born on September 23, 1971, in Conway, Arkansas.^[3] She is of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo descent on her mother's side and African American on her father's side, with no direct Navajo ancestry.^[4] Adopted as a child by an Anglo family, she was raised in Fort Worth, Texas.^[5] Roanhorse earned a B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale University and an M.A. in Theology from Union Theological Seminary.^[4] She later pursued legal studies, obtaining a law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law, and worked in fields including computer programming and law before focusing on writing.^[6]^[3] Her entry into speculative fiction came through short stories; her debut, "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™," published in Apex Magazine in 2017, won the Hugo Award and Nebula Award for Best Short Story.^[7] These accolades, along with a nomination for the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, established her in the genre and contributed to securing a contract for her first novel.^[4] In 2018, she received the Astounding Award (formerly John W. Campbell Award) for Best New Writer.^[8]

Development and Inspiration

Rebecca Roanhorse conceived Trail of Lightning as an urban fantasy novel centered on Navajo (Diné) mythology, drawing inspiration from her affinity for the genre exemplified by Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, but reimagined in an indigenous context. The core concept emerged as a post-apocalyptic tale featuring a monster slayer navigating a flooded, myth-infused Dinétah, blending tropes from post-apocalyptic fiction—such as the climate-driven "Big Water" catastrophe, which Roanhorse linked to real-world rising sea levels and environmental disasters—with Diné oral traditions and heroes like those in traditional stories. She pitched the manuscript as an "Indigenous Mad Max: Fury Road," emphasizing a rugged, survivalist world where gods and monsters roam a resilient Navajo Nation remnant, reflecting her interest in indigenous futurism amid global collapse.^[9]^[10] Roanhorse began drafting during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in late 2015 or early 2016, employing a "pantser" approach without a formal outline, though she sketched a loose three-act structure focusing on the protagonist's emotional arc. She completed the first draft with support from a local writing group and revised it to prioritize character-driven narrative in first-person perspective for immersion. The manuscript was acquired in a preemptive two-book deal by editor Joe Monti at Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in August 2016, marking her debut as a novelist. This timeline positioned the work as a deliberate fusion of speculative realism—incorporating plausible climate apocalypse elements—with fantastical liberties, such as invented clan-based powers derived from Diné lore.^[9]^[11]^[10] For authenticity, Roanhorse relied on her two years of lived experience on the Navajo Nation, where she provided legal aid in Window Rock and practiced in Navajo courts, gaining functional proficiency in Diné Bizaad (Navajo language) through client interactions and community immersion. She consulted publicly available Diné stories already adapted into speculative fiction, verified spellings and details from cultural sources, and avoided depictions of sacred ceremonies to respect taboos, while integrating Navajo concepts like resilience narratives without glossaries for natural flow. Despite her non-Diné heritage as Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo and mixed ancestry, she emphasized drawing from accessible traditions and personal observations to evoke reservation realities in a speculative framework, prioritizing narrative accessibility over ethnographic precision.^[12]^[10]^[9]

Publication History

Trail of Lightning was first published in hardcover on June 26, 2018, by Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.^[1]^[13] A paperback edition appeared in 2019.^[14] The audiobook version, narrated by Tanis Parenteau and lasting 8 hours and 58 minutes, was released by Audible Studios on August 7, 2018.^[15] The novel serves as the opening installment of the Sixth World series.^[16] Marketing for the book highlighted its status as Rebecca Roanhorse's debut novel and incorporated themes of indigenous futurism, positioning it within speculative fiction rooted in Navajo cultural elements.^[17] Promotional materials emphasized the post-apocalyptic Southwestern setting to appeal to readers of urban fantasy and mythological narratives.^[1]

Setting and World-Building

Post-Apocalyptic Dinétah

The novel's setting unfolds in a post-apocalyptic Dinétah, the traditional homeland of the Diné people, precipitated by a climate catastrophe termed the Big Water. This event entails widespread flooding that submerges vast portions of North America, effectively dismantling modern infrastructure and federal authority while transitioning the world into what is designated the Sixth World in Navajo cosmological terms.^[18]^[19]^[20] Dinétah emerges as a sovereign entity, extending beyond the pre-apocalypse confines of the Navajo Nation reservation, insulated from the surrounding anarchy by physical barriers that enforce isolation. This territorial expansion and self-imposed seclusion underscore a governance model rooted in tribal autonomy, necessitating communal adaptation to scarcity in essentials like food and technology amid the federal government's dissolution.^[18]^[21]^[22] Concomitant with environmental devastation, the apocalypse catalyzes the resurgence of entities from Navajo lore, including gods and monsters, alongside Diné individuals endowed with clan-specific supernatural capacities. This fusion of mythological revival with pragmatic survival imperatives highlights causal tensions between internal cultural resurgence and external perils, portraying a society where self-reliance manifests through both ancestral knowledge and improvised defenses against resource depletion and incursions.^[17]^[23]^[24]

Integration of Navajo Mythology

In Trail of Lightning, Diné mythology is adapted into the world-building by literalizing traditional oral legends as active supernatural phenomena in the post-apocalyptic Sixth World, where a cataclysmic flood known as the Big Water revives ancient gods, heroes, and monsters as tangible entities shaping Dinétah's reality.^[25] This integration posits mythological forces as causal drivers of the environment and conflicts, with deities and creatures exerting direct influence over physical laws and survival dynamics, diverging from purely symbolic interpretations in historical ethnographies to enable speculative mechanics like resurgent magic.^[5] Key figures from Diné lore, such as Changing Woman—the central deity who birthed the Twin Heroes and established clan structures—are referenced as foundational to heroic lineages, with her progeny like Naayéé’ Neezghání (Monster Slayer) embodying enduring protective roles amid renewed chaos.^[25] Similarly, trickster entities like Coyote and creator gods such as the Black God appear as interactive presences, their traditional attributes adapted to interact with the altered landscape, providing narrative anchors for cultural continuity without altering core cosmological functions.^[5] Monstrous adversaries draw from anaye (alien monsters) in Diné narratives, including massive beings like Ye’iitsoh and horned water monsters, which manifest as literal predators ravaging communities, compelling ritualistic confrontations rooted in slaying traditions.^[25] These entities are not mere metaphors but causal agents of destruction, their resurgence linked to the apocalypse's disruption of natural barriers, contrasting traditional accounts where such monsters were eradicated once by the Twins, here requiring perpetual vigilance.^[25] Clan-based powers represent an adaptation of ethnographic clan origin stories into inheritable supernatural traits, such as velocity from the Walks-Around clan or precision killing from Living Arrow, functioning as evolutionary advantages derived from ancestral myths rather than abstract kinship ties.^[25] This mechanic fictionalizes lore by quantifying mythical heritage as combat utilities, enabling causal chains where clan identity directly enhances survival against mythological threats, though it deviates from oral traditions' emphasis on ceremonial rather than individualistic prowess.^[25]

Plot Summary

Overview

Trail of Lightning is a 2018 fantasy novel by Rebecca Roanhorse, the first installment in The Sixth World series published by Saga Press. The story centers on Maggie Hoskie, a young Diné monster slayer operating in Dinétah, the sovereign Navajo territory that endures as a walled enclave following the apocalyptic "Big Water" event, which submerged much of the continent due to climate catastrophe.^[20] In this setting, ancient mythological entities and monsters have reemerged, compelling Maggie to undertake hunts against supernatural threats preying on human settlements.^[26] The narrative adopts an urban fantasy framework, structured around episodic quests that accumulate toward escalating personal conflicts, interweaving high-stakes action sequences with traversals of the flooded, myth-infused landscapes of the Southwest and moments of internal reflection.^[27] Presented in first-person perspective from Maggie's viewpoint, the plot unfolds chronologically, tracing her evolution from solitary, training-focused pursuits to engagements with wider mythical forces and alliances.^[28] This progression highlights a fast-paced rhythm, blending monster-slaying combat, exploratory travelogue elements, and introspective character development without reliance on traditional world-ending climaxes.^[21] Roanhorse integrates Navajo cosmology and folklore into the post-apocalyptic speculative framework, positioning Maggie as a hereditary killer empowered by clan-based supernatural abilities to confront resurgent yokai-like beings drawn from Diné tradition.^[29] The genre fusion yields a gritty, magical realism-inflected tale that prioritizes individual agency and survival amid cultural resurgence, eschewing broader geopolitical machinations in favor of localized, myth-driven confrontations.^[22]

Key Events and Structure

Spoiler warning: The following outlines contain significant plot revelations. The narrative commences with protagonist Maggie Hoskie accepting a bounty to locate a missing girl abducted by a tsé naayéé’ (monster) in the settlement of Lukachukai, resulting in the monster's elimination through combat and a mercy killing of the terminally altered victim.^[30]^[31] This opening hunt establishes Maggie's solitary monster-slaying methodology, honed after the loss of her grandmother to witches, which activated her latent Water People clan powers enabling enhanced speed and water manipulation.^[31] Subsequent events introduce Kai Arviso, a young would-be medicine man and grandson of elder Tah, whom Maggie encounters en route to further investigations in places like Tse Bonito and Crownpoint; together, they collect survivor testimonies on CDs while fending off threats such as ch’į́įdii ghosts, Thirsty Boys water spirits, and elongated Longarm entities amid a destructive fire.^[30]^[31] These mid-story escalations, prompted by the trickster Coyote's assignment of feathered rings as tools against divine foes and directives to retrieve Níłch’i’s breath (sacred fire), intertwine Maggie's unresolved abandonment by her immortal mentor Neizghání with clan-based power dynamics and orchestrated monstrosities invading human settlements.^[31] The progression culminates in confrontations at sites like Grace Goodacre's refuge—where zombie-like tsé naayéé’ assaults reveal Kai's latent fire abilities—and the Shalimar nightclub, leading to a manipulated duel with Neizghání, betrayals exposing Coyote's role in Maggie's grandmother's death to forge her as a weapon, and final reckonings involving apparent sacrifices and bindings that avert prophetic world-endings tied to her personal traumas.^[30]^[31] Employing a first-person linear structure divided into five chapters without formal acts, the novel sustains rapid pacing via episodic hunts that intensify from localized perils to mythic scales, interspersed with flashbacks to Maggie's adolescence and training for contextual depth.^[30]^[31] Diné temporal frameworks, emphasizing cyclical world-ages over Western linearity, underpin plot causalities through motif recurrences like immortal interventions and heritage activations, ensuring supernatural outcomes stem from accumulated trials rather than contrivances.^[32]

Characters

Protagonist Maggie Hoskie

Maggie Hoskie serves as the central protagonist of Trail of Lightning, depicted as a twenty-year-old Dinétah monster slayer whose supernatural abilities stem from her Navajo clan heritage. Orphaned at age sixteen after her grandmother's death at the hands of cannibalistic witches, Hoskie's clan powers activated, conferring enhanced speed and strength that enable her to confront otherworldly threats effectively. Under the isolated tutelage of the god-like Neizghání, she underwent intensive combat training, forging her into a proficient, self-reliant hunter adapted to the dangers of a fragmented world.^[33]^[34] Hoskie's character is marked by emotional guardedness, stemming from early trauma, which manifests in impulsivity and profound distrust of others, shaping her approach to survival-focused hunts. Her primary motivations revolve around vengeance for personal losses and pragmatic self-preservation, leading to decisive, often unyielding actions against monsters that prioritize immediate efficacy over broader alliances. These traits, while amplifying her lethality—fueled by a clan-derived "lust for the kill"—also reveal internal vulnerabilities, as her isolation breeds psychological strain realistic to prolonged exposure to violence and bereavement.^[28]^[35]^[36] Over the course of events, Hoskie transitions from a solitary operative reliant on her honed skills and powers to a figure confronting deeper inquiries into her lineage and identity, prompted by the limits of her self-imposed detachment. This development arises causally from the cumulative pressures of her hunts, which expose the inadequacies of pure isolation against complex personal and cultural legacies, prompting tentative reevaluation without eroding her foundational drive for autonomy and retribution. Her arc underscores a grounded progression where fantastical empowerment intersects with authentic emotional reckoning, highlighting resilience tempered by unresolved inner turmoil.^[34]^[37]^[38]

Supporting Figures

Neizghání, the immortal Monster Slayer drawn from Navajo tradition as the son of Changing Woman, functions as Maggie's distant mentor, having trained her in supernatural combat after she demonstrated prowess against witches, though his eventual absence leaves her to navigate threats independently.^[39] His god-like status underscores the precarious reliance on divine figures in a fragmented world, where such mentors impose rigorous discipline but withdraw without explanation, forcing apprentices to forge self-reliant paths.^[33] Kai, a novice medicine man and storyteller gifted with lightweaving abilities that enable illusionary projections and minor healing, joins Maggie as a reluctant partner during her investigations, injecting levity through his verbose tales and naive worldview that clashes with her hardened pragmatism.^[40] Their dynamic reveals post-apocalyptic alliance strains, as Kai's dependence on communal lore and restorative skills complements Maggie's lethal focus yet breeds friction over risk-taking and emotional vulnerability in survival scenarios.^[41] Grandpa Tah, an elder medicine man rooted in Diné traditions, dispatches Maggie on monster-hunting contracts from his remote hogan, embodying ancestral knowledge that bridges pre- and post-apocalypse lifeways without direct involvement in fieldwork.^[28] His counsel emphasizes clan-based reciprocity, contrasting the isolation of lone operators like Maggie and highlighting how elder guidance sustains fragile networks amid resource scarcity. Antagonists encompass mythical creatures such as horned water monsters (tééchii) terrorizing settlements and opportunistic witches exploiting chaos, alongside rival human slayers from competing clans whose powers manifest in elemental or predatory forms, escalating conflicts through territorial disputes over salvage and influence in Dinétah.^[36] These foes propel the narrative by testing alliances, as clan rivalries—fueled by differing supernatural gifts like speed or shapeshifting—mirror real-world divisions amplified by apocalypse-induced isolation, where cooperation yields to predation for dominance.^[34] Gods and immortals, including figures like Coyote, intervene sporadically with self-serving motives, manipulating events through trickery or boons that advance or hinder quests, their capriciousness exemplifying causal unpredictability in a mythology-infused reality where divine whims disrupt human strategies for stability.^[41] Such interactions strain mortal-immortal bonds, as beneficiaries grapple with strings attached to otherworldly aid, prioritizing personal agendas over consistent protection.

Themes and Analysis

Indigenous Futurism and Cultural Identity

Trail of Lightning exemplifies Indigenous Futurism, a subgenre of speculative fiction that integrates Indigenous knowledge systems and cosmologies to envision decolonial futures, as articulated by Grace L. Dillon in her 2012 anthology Walking the Clouds.^[21] The novel advances this movement by situating its narrative exclusively within Dinétah, a post-apocalyptic iteration of the Navajo homeland elevated as a sovereign entity amid global catastrophe, where traditional stories and entities emerge to facilitate cultural resurgence rather than assimilation or extinction.^[42] This framework privileges Diné agency, deploying mythological elements as tools for adaptation and resistance against environmental collapse, thereby subverting science fiction conventions that historically marginalize Indigenous survival.^[43] The work enhances visibility for Native speculative narratives by foregrounding a Diné protagonist, Maggie Hoskie, whose immersion in clan-based powers and storytelling underscores cultural continuity as a source of strength in dystopian settings.^[44] Through first-person perspective, it immerses readers in a worldview where time operates cyclically, intertwining past myths with future-oriented resilience, aligning with Indigenous Futurism's emphasis on reclaiming narrative sovereignty from linear, progressivist colonial models.^[45] This approach counters erasure tropes prevalent in mainstream post-apocalyptic fiction, portraying Indigenous communities not as relics or victims but as architects of their Sixth World renewal.^[42] However, the novel's depiction of Dinétah as a largely self-contained haven, protected by walls and focused on internal mythological revival, has drawn observation for idealizing cultural insularity, potentially underemphasizing historical patterns of inter-tribal exchange and alliances that characterize broader Indigenous histories.^[46] While empowering in its assertion of tribal specificity, this sovereign isolation in the narrative may streamline complex relational dynamics into a more unitary Diné-centric recovery, reflecting genre aspirations for hopeful reclamation yet risking oversimplification of pre-colonial and contemporary intertribal realities.^[37] Such portrayals contribute to speculative fiction's evolving discourse on Indigenous identity, balancing assertion of distinctiveness against the multifaceted coalitions evident in real-world Native activism and scholarship.^[47]

Monster-Slaying and Heroism

In Trail of Lightning, heroism manifests as pragmatic extermination of supernatural threats in the flooded Dinétah, drawing directly from Diné oral traditions where figures like the Monster Slayer (Nayéé Neizghání) eradicated predatory beings such as the Big Monster (Yéʼiitsohí) to safeguard human survival.^[48] Protagonist Maggie Hoskie embodies this archetype as a commissioned monster hunter, employing rifles and clan-derived abilities alongside mythic lore, while incorporating psychological realism through trauma-induced isolation and self-doubt akin to post-traumatic stress, as her powers awaken amid the loss of her family to apocalyptic floods.^[25] This updates traditional slayer narratives—rooted in communal protection against existential dangers—with genre conventions of individualized action, yet grounds them in causal realism where survival demands relentless, resource-scarce confrontations rather than glorified quests.^[25] Maggie's capabilities, including superhuman speed from her Water clan heritage and lethal precision from her Living Arrow lineage, emerge not as unearned supernatural endowments but as competencies forged through apprenticeship under the immortal Neizghání, involving grueling combat drills and survival ordeals following her traumatic activation of powers.^[25] This portrayal critiques lone-wolf hero myths common in action genres by revealing dependencies on broader Diné networks, as Maggie navigates alliances with figures like storyteller Kai Arviso, whose supportive role underscores heroism as interdependent rather than solitary, reliant on shared cultural knowledge and mutual aid for efficacy against monsters.^[25] Such causal structuring highlights earned agency over predestined exceptionalism, aligning with Diné emphases on relational balance amid chaos. While the novel excels in visceral, myth-infused action sequences that achieve immersive spectacle—evoking the raw intensity of ancestral confrontations—critics note an ambivalence in ethical depth, where Maggie's reflexive violence occasionally prioritizes expediency over probing moral ambiguities, as in her reflection that "sometimes the ones we call our heroes are the greatest monsters of all."^[25] This risks glorifying brute force as heroic default without fully dissecting long-term societal repercussions or alternatives to extermination, contrasting the work's strengths in psychological realism with a genre-driven focus on immediate threats over restorative justice.^[25]

Criticisms of Thematic Execution

Critics have observed that Trail of Lightning's pacing, while generally propulsive and action-oriented, suffers from abrupt dips during character interactions, which can feel confusing and disrupt narrative momentum.^[28] These lulls often coincide with introspective passages exploring the protagonist's trauma, creating an uneven rhythm that prioritizes visceral monster-slaying sequences over sustained thematic buildup.^[28] Although the novel excels in establishing Maggie's distinctive voice, this approach results in underdeveloped sub-themes, such as the rapid evolution of interpersonal trust dynamics, which strain causal plausibility in a survivalist context marked by isolation and betrayal.^[28] The breakneck overall pace further constrains worldbuilding, rendering the post-apocalyptic Dinétah setting vivid in spectacle—flooded landscapes, clan-based enclaves, and magical confrontations—but sparse in logistical details like resource scarcity or societal reconstruction mechanisms.^[49] Reviewers attribute this to a simplistic plot structure that favors immediate thrills and monster hunts, sidelining deeper causal explorations of how soft, clan-derived magic interfaces with harsh environmental imperatives, such as sustained food production or trade networks amid ongoing floods.^[49] Digressions into personal backstory, while enriching character introspection, occasionally fragment the main arc, leaving unresolved tensions in how individual heroism scales to communal viability in the Sixth World.^[20]

Reception

Critical Reviews

Trail of Lightning received generally positive critical reception for its introduction of Navajo mythology to urban fantasy, with reviewers highlighting the novel's distinctive post-apocalyptic setting in Dinétah and its strong protagonist. Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, praised author Rebecca Roanhorse for vividly depicting "Navajo land, legends, and culture" in a "marvelous fantasy debut," emphasizing the seamless blend of indigenous elements with genre conventions.^[50] Kirkus Reviews called it a "sharp, wonderfully dreamy, action-driven novel," crediting Roanhorse's achievement as the first Indigenous American Nebula winner for delivering an engaging, myth-infused narrative.^[51] Critics lauded the fresh indigenous perspective, noting its rarity in fantasy literature. Grimdark Magazine appreciated the "rich Native American stories and culture" that distinguish the book, alongside robust world-building featuring magically fortified walls and climate-altered landscapes.^[28] Fantasy-Hive described the unapologetically Navajo voice as transformative, with exceptional world-building that merges rez life, mythology, and retro aesthetics into a compelling "Big Medicine" atmosphere.^[26] The protagonist, Maggie Hoskie, a guilt-ridden monster slayer, drew acclaim for her depth; Elitist Book Reviews highlighted her "strong character voice" and the taut narrative centered on her internal conflicts over self-worth and connection.^[27] Some reviews identified shortcomings in execution, particularly pacing and relational dynamics. Grimdark Magazine noted that while generally even, pacing "dips hard" during certain character interactions, which could confuse readers, especially toward the conclusion, and wished for slower progression in Maggie's trust-based relationships.^[28] Others critiqued perceived derivativeness despite the cultural overlay. An SFF Book Review, rating it 7.5/10, found the setting and monsters "truly fresh and original" but the plot and character arcs reliant on familiar urban fantasy tropes, likening it to "Buffy in a cool new setting" without broader innovation.^[22] Balanced assessments weighed the novel's accessibility—via action sequences and relatable anti-hero elements—against occasional superficiality in mythological application, enabling entry for non-Native audiences while prompting questions on trope adaptation versus deeper cultural synthesis.^[28]^[22]

Commercial Performance

Trail of Lightning, Rebecca Roanhorse's debut novel published by Saga Press on June 26, 2018, achieved notable commercial success within the speculative fiction market, particularly as a crossover between adult and young adult audiences.^[1] The book reached bestseller status on Amazon, reflecting strong initial sales driven by promotional efforts from its publisher, an imprint of Simon & Schuster focused on science fiction and fantasy titles.^[52] This performance underpinned the continuation of the Sixth World series, with the sequel Storm of Locusts released in April 2019, indicating sustained market interest and viability for further installments. Selections for prominent annual best books lists by retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble further boosted visibility and sales among readers seeking diverse speculative narratives.^[23] Publisher recognition of Roanhorse as a New York Times bestselling author, tied to the debut's impact, highlights its role in establishing her career trajectory in genre publishing.^[8]

Awards and Nominations

Trail of Lightning won the 2019 Locus Award for Best First Novel, as announced by Locus Magazine on June 29, 2019.^[53] The novel received a nomination for the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Novel from the World Science Fiction Society.^[54] It was also nominated for the 2019 Nebula Award for Best Novel by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.^[2] Additionally, the book earned a nomination for the 2019 Compton Crook Stephen Tall Memorial Award for best first novel in the science fiction, fantasy, or horror genres, administered by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society.^[55] These accolades, determined by voter ballots from professional and fan communities, underscore the novel's impact as an early exemplar of Indigenous speculative fiction, garnering recognition for its fusion of Navajo mythology with post-apocalyptic elements despite ongoing debates in literary circles.^[56]

Controversies

Accusations of Cultural Appropriation

In November 2018, the Diné Writers' Collective, operating under the name Saad Bee Hózhǫ́, issued an open letter published in Indian Country Today accusing Trail of Lightning of appropriating Diné cultural beliefs. The letter, signed by 14 Diné authors, contended that Rebecca Roanhorse's non-Diné background disqualified her from authentically representing Navajo spiritual tenets, asserting that such external usage erodes internal cultural gatekeeping mechanisms essential for protecting sacred narratives from commodification.^[57] ^[58] Critics within Diné communities extended these claims to Roanhorse's personal history, noting her Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo descent but absence of Diné enrollment or traditional upbringing, which they argued positioned her as an outsider profiting from Navajo lore without the lived experiential authority to interpret it responsibly.^[6] ^[59] Roanhorse, born to an Ohkay Owingeh mother and African American father and adopted into a non-Indigenous family, reconnected with her heritage later in life through marriage into a Navajo family and residence on the Navajo Nation, yet lacks formal Diné tribal membership, a status requiring matrilineal descent under Navajo law.^[6] ^[60] This biographical distance, detractors maintained, facilitated the novel's commercial success—evidenced by its Nebula Award win and sales through Saga Press—while bypassing Diné protocols for sharing cosmologies, thereby risking dilution or distortion for non-community audiences.^[61] These accusations align with heightened literary demands for "own voices" representation, a paradigm increasingly normalized in publishing circles favoring intra-community authorship for marginalized narratives to ensure fidelity and mitigate exploitation.^[62] Diné critics framed Roanhorse's work as emblematic of inter-tribal overreach, where Pueblo-affiliated creators draw on Navajo-specific elements like chʼįʼįʼdii (monster slayer) archetypes without equivalent reciprocity or oversight, potentially incentivizing profit-driven storytelling over cultural preservation.^[58] This perspective underscores ongoing debates in Indigenous literature about authenticity thresholds, contrasting strict ethnic gatekeeping with allowances for pan-Indigenous exchange, though detractors prioritized the former to safeguard against perceived erosion of tribal sovereignty in creative domains.^[61]

Specific Claims of Misrepresentation

Critics within the Diné community have identified distortions in the novel's handling of traditional mythology, particularly in the fictional endowment of supernatural "clan powers" to characters based on their clan affiliations, such as enhanced tracking or combat abilities. These powers lack precedent in Diné tradition, where the clan system functions as a matrilineal kinship framework for determining social relations, marriage prohibitions, and cultural identity, without any element of inherited magic or superhuman traits.^[63] The author acknowledged this invention as wholly fictional, yet its presentation alongside authentic elements has been cited as misleading readers about lore's structure.^[63] The portrayal of deities like Neizghání also diverges from ethnographic records of Diné narratives. Traditionally documented in sources such as Washington Matthews' accounts, Neizghání is a primordial hero born of Changing Woman to eradicate monsters in a foundational era, enabling the world's habitability, after which his active role concludes as part of mythic history rather than ongoing presence. In the novel, Neizghání reappears as a living mentor training modern protagonists in monster-slaying, extending his agency into a contemporary, post-apocalyptic context that conflates ancient cosmology with speculative fiction, absent from ceremonial or oral traditions. Diné scholars, including historian Jennifer Nez Denetdale, have contended that such adaptations twist core teachings by commodifying sacred cosmology—encompassing emergence stories and holy people's roles—as interchangeable fantasy tropes, stripping ceremonial protocols that govern their transmission and invocation in traditional practice.^[57] The Saad Bee Hózhǫ́ collective similarly noted inaccuracies in spiritual practices and clan significance, arguing these alterations breach the causal integrity of Diné worldview, where myths underpin ethical and existential realism rather than serving narrative expediency.^[64] These claims contrast the novel's elements against documented ethnographies, emphasizing how fictional liberties disrupt the non-fantastical, relational dynamics of lore preserved through generations of oral and ritual knowledge.^[58]

Responses from Author and Defenders

Rebecca Roanhorse has characterized her approach in Trail of Lightning as leveraging speculative fiction's capacity for imaginative reinterpretation rather than literal documentation of Diné culture, drawing on publicly accessible stories encountered during her law school studies and consulting a Diné graduate student to verify linguistic accuracy.^[6] She emphasized intent to craft affirming narratives for Indigenous readers, stating that such works featuring native pantheons in action-adventure contexts hold power beyond traditional mythological retellings, fostering forward-looking cultural engagement without claiming authoritative representation.^[6] Defenders contend that appropriation critiques risk stifling genre innovation by demanding documentary fidelity from speculative fiction, which inherently speculates on cultural futures through transformative elements like post-apocalyptic violence—norms inherent to the form rather than cultural insensitivity.^[61] Adrian L. Jawort, a Northern Cheyenne writer, highlighted Roanhorse's immersion via residence on the Navajo Reservation, familial ties, and frequent visits as evidence of substantive engagement, likening her to Tony Hillerman, whose non-Native authorship of Navajo-themed mysteries earned tribal honors without similar backlash.^[61] While acknowledging potential risks of cultural dilution through outsider adaptations, proponents prioritize artistic liberty and broad dissemination of Diné motifs, arguing that exclusivity in storytelling hampers wider appreciation and innovation, as evidenced by the novel's role in elevating Indigenous futurisms to mainstream speculative audiences.^[61] This perspective underscores free expression's value in countering prescriptive gatekeeping, even amid tribal sensitivities, over rigid claims to narrative ownership.^[6]

References

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Trail of Lightning | Book by Rebecca Roanhorse - Simon & Schuster
One of the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time 2019 LOCUS AWARD WINNER, BEST FIRST NOVEL 2019 HUGO AWARD FINALIST, BEST NOVEL Nebula Award Finalist for ...
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Trail of Lightning. by Rebecca Roanhorse (Published by Saga Press). Nominated for Best Novel in 2018. While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden ...
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Born. Rebecca Parish. (1971-09-23) September 23, 1971 (age 54). Conway, Arkansas ; Nationality, American ; Occupation, novelist · lawyer science fiction writer.Missing: heritage | Show results with:heritage
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Rebecca Roanhorse: From Legend to Fantasy - Locus Magazine
Sep 17, 2018 · REBECCA ROANHORSE was born in 1971 in Conway AR and grew up in Fort Worth TX. She received a B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale University ...Missing: heritage | Show results with:heritage
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Navajo legends come to life in fantasy novel 'Trail of Lightning'
Jun 22, 2018 · Born of Ohkay Owingeh (Pueblo) and African-American heritage, Roanhorse was adopted by an Anglo family and grew up in Texas. As an adult ...
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Rebecca Roanhorse, 'Black Sun,' Profile - Vulture
Oct 20, 2020 · It wasn't until Roanhorse was in law school that she met a great aunt and uncle who told her that they'd grown up on the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo.Missing: African | Show results with:African
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WINNER – Apex Magazine's Favorite Story of the Year! · WINNER – Nebula Award for Best Short Story of 2017! · WINNER – Hugo Award for Best Short Story of 2017!Missing: early career
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Rebecca Roanhorse | Official Publisher Page - Simon & Schuster
She has won the Nebula, Hugo, Alex, and Locus Awards for her fiction, and was the recipient of the 2018 Astounding Award for Best New Writer.Missing: heritage education career
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Episode 40: Rebecca Roanhorse - The Worldshapers
Dec 8, 2019 · Her novel Trail of Lightning, book one in the Sixth World series, won the Locus Award for best first novel, and is a Nebula, Hugo, and World ...
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Hey Reddit - I'm Rebecca Roanhorse, Nebula Award winning writer ...
Jul 11, 2018 · My name is Rebecca Roanhorse and I'm the Nebula Award winning writer of the short story, “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience(TM).”I'm Rebecca Roanhorse, Nebula and Hugo Award winning ... - RedditCharlotte Reads: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse : r/FantasyMore results from www.reddit.comMissing: early career
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[12]
When Lived Experience is the Best Research: Learning Navajo and ...
Aug 3, 2018 · SFF writer Rebecca Roanhorse on learning the Navajo language and incorporating it into her post-apocalyptic novel TRAIL OF LIGHTNING.Missing: methods mythology
[13]
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse, Paperback
In stock Free deliveryJun 26, 2018 · Navajo mythology drives the intense post-apocalyptic fantasy thriller Trail of Lightning, one of the best debut novels of 2018. Mags Hoskie ...
[14]
Trail of Lightning - Publication
ISBN: 978-1-5293-4667-1 [1-5293-4667-3] ; Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton ; Price: £8.99 ?£: UK pound. ISO code: GBP ; Format:.
[15]
Trail of Lightning Audiobook | Free with trial - Audible
In stock Rating 4.4 (118) Trail of Lightning follows our heroine as she walks the land alongside gods, heroes of legend, and monsters alike.
[16]
The Sixth World - By Rebecca Roanhorse - Simon & Schuster
This ushers in The Sixth World and the return of magic in this post-apocalytpic series set against the backdrop of the Navajo nation.
[17]
Rebecca Roanhorse Talks Mythology, Alternate Endings, and the ...
Oct 10, 2018 · Navajo mythology drives the intense post-apocalyptic fantasy thriller Trail of Lightning, one of the best debut novels of 2018.Missing: research | Show results with:research<|separator|>
[18]
Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World): Roanhorse, Rebecca
A thrilling post-apocalyptic adventure in a world where Navajo legends and monsters collide, as supernaturally gifted killer Maggie Hoskie teams up with ...
[19]
Review | Trail of Lightning - Roots & Reads - WordPress.com
Mar 25, 2019 · Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse In the near future, a climate apocalypse known as the Big Water has flooded most of the world.Missing: Fifth | Show results with:Fifth
[20]
Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World, #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse
While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn.
[21]
“Trail of Lightning” author Rebecca Roanhorse explores Indigenous ...
Nov 9, 2022 · “Trail of Lightning” is a thrilling, fast-paced read that is full of action, introspection and lots of traveling.
[22]
Overhyped but a lot of fun: Rebecca Roanhorse – Trail of Lightning
Mar 1, 2019 · Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their ...
[23]
Interview: Rebecca Roanhorse - Lightspeed Magazine
Rebecca Roanhorse is a Nebula and Hugo Award-winning speculative fiction writer and the recipient of the 2018 Campbell Award for Best New Writer.Missing: heritage career<|separator|>
[24]
Gods and Monsters on the Rez: Rebecca Roanhorse Puts Navajo ...
Sep 21, 2018 · In Trail of Lightning, the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Rebecca Roanhorse draws on Navajo culture and history to tell a gripping ...
[25]
[PDF] Renegotiating Heroism in Rebecca Roanhorse's Trail of Lightning
ABSTRACT: This paper discusses how Maggie Hoskie, the Indigenous “hero” of Rebecca Roanhorse's The. Sixth World series, renegotiates what it means to be a ...
[26]
TRAIL OF LIGHTNING by Rebecca Roanhorse (Book Review)
Nov 21, 2019 · Trail of Lightning is the story of a Navajo monster-hunter, Maggie Hoskie, set in the Southwestern US after an apocalyptic event submerges much of the world.<|separator|>
[27]
Review: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Rating 5.0 · Review by Jane FunkAug 23, 2019 · With a strong character voice and a taut narrative, TRAIL OF LIGHTNING is a strong debut with engaging characters and a fascinating near-future setting.
[28]
REVIEW: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
May 12, 2020 · Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse follows protagonist Maggie Hoskie as she lives and battles in the “sixth world.”
[29]
Trail of Lightning, Rebecca Roanhorse - Necromancy Never Pays
Jul 21, 2020 · The protagonist, Maggie Hoskie, lives in a postapocalyptic version of a former Navajo reservation, now the Dinetah, protected by walls.Missing: free | Show results with:free
[30]
Trail Of Lightning Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary
He reveals that he was behind all of Maggie's monster attacks, going back as far as the death of her grandmother, all in an attempt to have her trained by ...Missing: spoiler- free
[31]
Trail of Lightning Summary & Study Guide - BookRags.com
Maggie Hoskie, the novel's first person narrator, begins by describing her trip to Lukachukai to hunt a monster that had kidnapped a young girl. She kills the ...Missing: structure | Show results with:structure
[32]
Reimagining Time and Narrative: Indigenous Temporalities and ...
Dec 3, 2024 · This paper explores how Rebecca Roanhorse's Trail of Lightning reimagines time from an Indigenous perspective, offering a counter-narrative to the linear, ...Missing: Diné | Show results with:Diné
[33]
Trail of Lightning Characters - BookRags.com
Maggie is a 20 year old woman of Navajo heritage. At 16 her grandmother was killed and eaten by cannibalistic witches. With her life threatened, her clan powers ...<|separator|>
[34]
Trail of Lightning Character Analysis | SuperSummary
Maggie Hoskie, a 20-year-old Dinétah (Navajo) monster hunter with supernatural powers, is the protagonist of Trail of Lightning. She is a serious, hard-headed, ...
[35]
Book Review - TRAIL OF LIGHTNING - Geek Girl Authority
May 17, 2024 · Yes, most of the world was destroyed by the event referred to as the Big Water and of course this effects Maggie's surroundings and basically ...
[36]
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse – Book Review!
May 6, 2024 · Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse – Book Review! ... While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate ...Missing: novel | Show results with:novel<|control11|><|separator|>
[37]
Post-climate change dystopia as indigenous rebirth - Blair Views
Oct 3, 2021 · Third, she is the survivor of the Big Water, the hybrid climate change/seismic catastrophe that drowned two-thirds of the North American ...
[38]
Trail of Lightning Summary of Key Ideas and Review - Blinkist
Trail of Lightning is a captivating novel that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where Navajo legends come to life. Written by Rebecca Roanhorse, it ...
[39]
Review of Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse - Lela E. Buis
Aug 25, 2018 · Maggie Hoskie is a monster hunter, especially outfitted for combat by her clan powers and taken as apprentice by the immortal Neizghání, son of ...Missing: roles | Show results with:roles
[40]
TRAIL OF LIGHTNING by Rebecca Roanhorse – Review
Rating 4.5 · Review by TammyJul 16, 2018 · Full of delectable characters and unique world-building based on Native American culture and mythology, this is an exciting debut you absolutely must read.Missing: inspiration | Show results with:inspiration<|separator|>
[41]
Gods, Monsters, and Wicked Men: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca ...
Jun 26, 2018 · Kai is a healer and medicine man, but something else, something Maggie can't quite put her finger on. Soon, enemies, mortal and immortal ...Missing: roles | Show results with:roles
[42]
Interview with Rebecca Roanhorse, author of Trail of Lightning
Jul 16, 2018 · The book follows Maggie Hoskie in Dinétah, the post-global-warming former Navajo reservation, as she fights monsters arisen from myth.Missing: climate | Show results with:climate
[43]
Trail of Lightning: Rebecca Roanhorse Brings Indigenous Futurism ...
Jun 29, 2018 · Den of Geek: Trail of Lightning follows monster hunter Maggie Hoskie through a post-apocalyptic world steeped in Navajo legend. What does it ...Missing: Diné | Show results with:Diné
[44]
Trail of Lightning: The Importance of Indigenous Representation in ...
Oct 15, 2018 · Rebecca Roanhorse makes it clear that Maggie Hoskie, the kick-ass Diné heroine of Trail of Lightning, will not put up with anyone else trying to speak for her.Missing: development | Show results with:development
[45]
https://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/non-fiction/articles/decolonizing-science-fiction-and-imagining-futures-an-indigenous-futurisms-roundtable/
[46]
Trail of Lightning is a breathtaking Native American urban fantasy ...
Jun 26, 2018 · In Trail of Lightning, civilization has faced drastic changes. Climate change has wrecked North America, creating a sea that covers most of the ...Missing: idealized futurism<|separator|>
[47]
Decolonial Speculative Fiction: : Indigenous Resistance in The ...
Jun 4, 2021 · Indigenous Resistance in The Marrow Thieves, Trail of Lightning and Storm of Locusts ... ” Roanhorse and Demaline's thematic speculation ...
[48]
The Navajo Twins: Monster Slayer & Born-For-Water - Ancient Origins
Aug 10, 2024 · As they grew older, Monster Slayer and Born-For-Water became aware of the many monsters that plagued their people. These monsters were the ...
[49]
Book Review: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Jul 16, 2018 · In terms of characters, the supporting cast could have been given more attention, though Maggie and Kai themselves were very well written.<|separator|>
[50]
Trail of Lightning - Publishers Weekly
Apr 30, 2018 · Roanhorse vividly depicts Navajo land, legends, and culture in her marvelous fantasy debut, which launches the Sixth World series.
[51]
TRAIL OF LIGHTNING | Kirkus Reviews
7-day returnsTRAIL OF LIGHTNING. From the The Sixth ... We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).
[52]
Rebecca Roanhorse's Trail of Lightning review - Facebook
May 7, 2019 · If you like a little fantasy in your life, I recommend Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. Anyone else read this? What's your thoughts ...Rebecca Roanhorse's Fantasy Book Series Discussion - FacebookHugo and Nebula award winning Fantasy author Rebecca ...More results from www.facebook.com
[53]
2019 Locus Awards Winners
Jun 29, 2019 · FIRST NOVEL. WINNER: Trail of Lightning, Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga). NOVELLA. WINNER: Artificial Condition, Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing).
[54]
2019 Hugo Awards
Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga); Revenant Gun, by Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris); Space Opera, by Catherynne M. Valente (Saga/Corsair). Best Novella.
[55]
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category_year.cgi?136+2019
[56]
sfadb : Rebecca Roanhorse Awards
nomination. 2018: “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian ExperienceTM” (Apex Aug 2017) short story — winner.
[57]
Concerns about Roanhorse's TRAIL OF LIGHTNING
Aug 9, 2018 · American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL): Concerns about Roanhorse's TRAIL OF LIGHTNING.
[58]
“Trail of Lightning” and the Impact of Misrepresentation, Diné Writers ...
Roanhorse, hailing from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, is not Navajo, but an in-law. Her decision to attempt representation is inauthentic, resulting in a portrayal of ...
[59]
'The Elizabeth Warren of the sci-fi set': Author faces criticism for ...
Jun 24, 2020 · In her latest work, Rebecca Roanhorse describes herself as a being Native American from Ohkay Owingeh, one of the 19 Pueblo communities in New ...
[60]
Reckoning With Anti-Blackness in Indian Country | The New Republic
Jul 3, 2020 · Roanhorse is an award-winning fantasy writer whose father is Black and whose mother descends from the Ohkay Owingeh. She was adopted and only ...Missing: upbringing | Show results with:upbringing<|control11|><|separator|>
[61]
The Dangers of the Appropriation Critique
Oct 5, 2019 · Adrian L. Jawort considers Rebecca Roanhorse's "Trail of Lightning" and "Storm of Locusts" and what their reception can tell us.
[62]
Culture Wars and Native American Literature in Los Angeles Review ...
Oct 7, 2019 · The problem came in the form of a 2018 letter, signed by 14 Navajo writers, that accused Roanhorse of appropriating another tribe: “Trail of ...
[63]
Rebecca Roanhorse on Which Aspects of Diné Culture ... - Reactor
Jul 20, 2018 · Books Rebecca Roanhorse. Rebecca Roanhorse on Which Aspects of Diné Culture Are Featured in Trail of Lightning. By Stubby the Rocket.Missing: identity | Show results with:identity
[64]
https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/opinion/trail-of-lightning-is-an-appropriation-of-din%C3%A9-cultural-beliefs-4tvSMvEfNE-i7AE10W7nQg