Rosewater is a science fiction masterpiece, highlighting a deeply personal narrative amidst a brilliantly rendered world in the near future. It’s part supernatural, part alien invasion, part societal collapse, and part spy novel, all rolled into one. It’s easy to get pulled into Thompson’s inventive storytelling and, when you’re done, you’ll be happy to find the newly released sequel waiting in the wings.

This is masterful storytelling, made so by the connection we have with the protagonist. Nothing is hidden from the reader, we see everything floating around in his mind as he seeks to discover what’s happening to his world. We know his past and the defining moments of his journey to the highly secretive service he’s employed by. Through him, we get to know secondary characters more than we normally would. By illustrating this unfettered connection with the human mind, the narrative opens up and makes you want to know everything about this version of the future.

With these unexplained abilities at the forefront, Rosewater becomes a superhero story of sorts, though our protagonist doesn’t use those powers to save the world for most of his life. This is the journey we don’t often see in superhero narratives. In his adolescence, he uses his powers to steal and cheat, gaining wealth, cars, and a girlfriend who’s attracted to his money. It’s not until much later, when his consciousness grows, that he realizes what he could be doing with his abilities. It’s a flawed, deeply human journey that feels more realistic than anything we’d see on the big screen.

World building is Thompson’s most impressive feat. Rosewater is a fascinating place, the result of an alien incursion that was explosive for a hot minute. We see the growth of this tiny, tentative establishment, moving from tent encampment to village to full-blown city with class structures, corruption, and somewhat tame zombies. The alien structure is always nearby and the flat acceptance by the masses makes for an enticing mystery to the reader. You desperately want to know what’s inside, why this is all happening, but that just isn’t of much interest to the characters.

If you haven’t experienced Rosewater, there’s no time like the present. You’ll be entranced, excited, and eager to find out what happens next.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this early copy!

I recommend checking out this new and unique fantasy/science fiction.

Rosewater is more on the sci-fi end of the speculative fiction spectrum than what I usually read but it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. I found myself agreeing with the many other glowing reviews.

The worldbuilding is in-depth, as expected in most deep sci-fi, which slows down the pacing, and the non-linear storytelling (by way of flashbacks) at times impedes the flow. However, the writing itself is excellent! Both engaging and accessible, the unique ideas are well expressed and the underlying science nicely explained.

Clearly Tade Thompson has created something very special here. Luckily I finished Rosewater just in time for the release of the next book in the Wormwood Trilogy, The Rosewater Insurrection, which I'm sure will be just as great!

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions are my own.**

Let me start off by saying that I was SUPER excited to read this book. Futuristic sci-fi, set in Nigeria, with some people having mental abilities, an alien life-form that once a year opened the portal to it's dome and healed those around it, those who were dead and too close, coming back as re-animates, I. am. THERE!

Theeeeen I started to get into the book. I liked the tone, but the WAY it was written won't work for those with short attention spans or those who like a continuous, unbroken narrative for more than one chapter at a time.

Every other chapter is one of three/four/more? timelines. When each chapter is headed "2066-Now", "2055-Then", "2051-Lagos", "2054-..." you get the idea, it is VERY confusing and annoying. ESPECIALLY when EVERY chapter ends in a dam cliffhanger!

Example, not word for word, but close to it. "She pointed the shotgun at him telling the others, 'Get back, this is going to be messy.'" and then WHAM! next chapter is ten years after that!

And there is NO suspense, when you realize that the only POV we get is from the same character, so he obviously doesn't get his head blown off at the beginning of the next chapter that follows that timeline, since he is clearly alive in the "now" timeline. It's just really annoying and jars the reader out of the book AT EVERY CHAPTER.

It is just RUDE to toy with the reader like that. It got to the point where I just marked all of the different timelines and read a few of the story I wanted to follow in order, then went back to read the others that way. NOT a fun way to read, especially if a book-book isn't the option you have.

I think the main reason the book was written this way, because it kind of hid the gapping plot holes and the dangling plot points that just get left behind a bit better than if this had been told in a straight linear fashion, or with chunks of each timeline given in a row instead of just an anemic little chapter or two.

Oh, and not only did we have deus ex machina, we had the SAME ONE for two DIFFERENT characters in the story, the MC and his lady-love. No explanation of HOW that DEM knew the MC/lady love was in danger or how DEM got to them in time to save them, just WHAM! You are saved!

Also, I found the depiction of America to be SO FUNNY. It is funny to think that in less than 30 years, an alien danger will come to Earth, America will realize that it is literally going to cause the destruction of all humankind, and rather than tell the other countries/allies, just goes dark and under a dome, with drones protecting the airspace so no one can access the country. Not only that, but VERY few American try to leave, and that's WITH the average citizen NOT knowing what they are being protected from!!

Maybe this was an allegory about how America is becoming more and more isolationist, but I somehow doubt it is that deep. Given where we are in this day and age, I would expect some push-back that would be obvious to the rest of the world if those in control in America decided to just go dark and not allow any Americans to leave or come back after leaving the protective dome once it was in place.

And how would America survive without the products from other countries, such as food and raw materials? Heck, there is little industry in America now, how does America get finished goods?!?

So no contact with the outside world, no explanation as to why, a dome over their heads preventing normal weather and sun and sky to be experienced and NO pushback from the populous?

Ya'll, we can't even agree if Coke or Pepsi is better. Just sayin',

A great writer at one of our book signings once said, (I am paraphrasing) "A writer is allowed ONE idea/thought/concept that defies belief and everything else in the world has to agree with both it and the laws/rules of the world you create. If you violate that, you violate the reader's trust and belief in your world and nothing will stand up to that, no matter how good the characters, plot, writing, etc."

The major premise in this book is the xenospores from the alien that cause mental powers in some humans and heals those who are injured. I'm down with that, but this is supposed to be a futuristic Earth, one that has the same humans, laws, beliefs, politics, as our own. To have America both acting that way and the people just taking it meekly is not believable. Maybe if we get to see in future books how things went down to get to that point, it might be ok. But something tells me America was written that way so the author wouldn't have to deal with it. Which is fine, I like the fact that this isn't an America or European centered book. That is one of the things that drew me to it in the first place.

Also, LOTS of sex. Maybe necessary for the plot, maybe not. Not gratuitous, but there and a little out there at times.

Lots of this book just didn't make sense, or the lack of sense will be explained in the next two books. Both of which I AM going to read.

It may sound like I hated this book, but I didn't. The premise is original, the location is fresh and new, the characters all have interesting stories and feel real, feel human. The story has some issues, but it has promise and I really can't wait to see where the next books take us.

So while I started this thinking it was going to be a five star read, it ends up being a solid 3 stars. Definitely for those who are tired of the same old-same old when it comes to location and typical characters. Some violence and sex, I didn't note any bad language, but I vaguely recall some, so more for mature teens and adults.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

This story takes place in the year of 2066 and society has gone through some drastic changes after discovering a new alien lifeform has shown its presence in Nigeria where most of the plot takes place.

I'll be honest, this book was incredibly easy for me to fall into. With Thompson's addictive writing style, his snarky sense of humor, and his ability to pull me in with fascinating science. Kaaro, our main protagonist who works at the secret government facility and also becomes one of the 'infected' is an interesting perspective. His voice and personality is one of the things that make this such a unique story. Kaaro isn’t the most likable guy I’ve ever come across, but there were lots of things about him that I DID like, if that makes sense. His dialogue is full of good flow, and his path to discovering his telepathic abilities was an enjoyable story point. He often has a different perspective on problems and creative ways of solving them.

The world here is definitly a slowly developing one but for good reason. Thompson takes his time to explain the ifs, hows, and whys of this xenosphere and though it can get complicated, he finds a way to reel you back in. It allowed me to become fully immersed into this story.

All in all, Rosewater was a great read that ticked off the boxes when it comes to what I look for in a alien sci-fi. On top of that, I thought it laid out the groundwork for the sequel quite nicely, and I am beyond excited to jump into the next book Insurrection where I hope Tade Thompson will continue to develop the series’ fascinating concepts and themes.

I guess I'm late to the party on this imaginative, excellent sci-fi novel. There are so many helpful reviews, I don't think I can anything of value other than -- Recommended!

Thanks very much for the free copy for review! I look forward to the next book in the series.

I really enjoyed this, and was intrigued by the premise of aliens embedded on earth. I liked the narrator, and look forward to reading more books by Thompson in the future.

Is it War of the Worlds? Is it Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Is it Neo in the Matrix? No other alien 👽 invasion was ever like this? To start with, the alien (Wormwood) pokes his head out in Nigeria after initially surfacing in Hyde Park, London. Moreover, the alien is hidden beneath a giant bio dome that opens once a year for a healing ritual that would make all faith healers jealous. Anything and everyone is cured of warts to cancer, although some leave the dome area with extra arms, legs, kidneys, and multiple sex organs. With such magic regularly occurring, a veritable tent city of three million spreads out around the dome.

And, besides the healing, you have xenoforms scurrying-around, particularly where Sensitives are involved - people who can sense other people’s thoughts and can act as finders of lost objects, and interrogators of the worst sort. These xenoforms are microorganisms 🦠 that adhere to people and create an entire Xenosphere where minds connect through video game like avatars, some of which can be like Gryphons and others like giant erotic succubuses.

The protagonist of our story is a thief who has been recruited by the S45, a Nigerian agency tasked with searches and interrogations. His journey takes him back and forth between this world and the xenosphere, sort of like having one foot or one wing in each world.

It’s not your ordinary alien invasion story. It’s more of a cyberpunk influenced Africa-based tale that races back and forth between different timelines and the exosphere. It’s not always easy to follow and probably not everyone’s taste, but nonetheless it’s a fascinating and absorbing surge of creativity and its only volume one of a promised trilogy.

Fantastic debut novel by Thompson. Highly original and thought-provoking, though it tended to be a bit jumbled with the jumping around in timelines. It was easy to get sucked into the author's world, and even our main character was a bit of an ass, it was an amazing experience seeing everything through his eyes.

I reviewed an earlier edition, which I quite liked. To quote one passage:

":I usually discuss the author’s missteps early in the review so that I can build from the negative to the positive. Rosewater is deplorably deficient in such missteps."

But I do wish he wrote faster.