I was unable to finish this book. I pressed on with the series after the first book, Rosewater, in hopes that the plot and writing would finally deliver on the really original concepts. Unfortunately, it never became that for me. This is a personal opinion, but it just really didn't work for me. I found the characters flat, the plot slow, and the pacing off. The setting and premise are, again, incredibly original, but everything else simply doesn't work for me.

Ah, Rosewater. It's not you, its me. I really wanted to like this book, which picks up the story of a weird alien incursion in mid-21st century Nigeria and its broader impacts on human society and politics. Unfortunately, although I read the book from start to finish, I've come out feeling like this story just... missed me. Still, this is a review copy and therefore a review you shall all have, and I'll try to be as objective as possible about why I think this didn't work for me and why you, dear reader, might have a different experience entirely.
The Rosewater Insurrection picks up basically where its predecessor left off, with the reveal that the mysterious alien dome around which the town of Rosewater has developed is not a new visitor to earth, but one which has been building its roots for a while. Unlike the original novel, which jumped around the life of its protagonist Kaaro, Insurrection instead follows a rotating cast of characters on various sides of the escalating tensions between "Wormwood", the alien presence in the dome, and the human world, and within Nigeria where the dome sits.
The breakneck switches between points of view - and timelines - in the Rosewater Insurrection make it a tricky book to keep track of at times, and particularly in the second half it feels like there's a tension between the escalating action and exciting plot movement, and the slow reading pace required to not accidentally lose track of who actually holds the narrative at any given time. I think, to be honest, this is where my particular reading style really struggled - I tend to breeze through books at the best of times, especially when there's a lot of action or mysterious happenings that I want to get through, but to get the most out of the Rosewater series I think takes a more deliberate reader who is investing in every twist and turn as it comes. As it was, there were several plot threads in Rosewater - such as the position of Alyssa, a woman who wakes with no memories (to the frustration of her husband and child) and is tracked down by the agents involved in securing Wormwood's future - which were objectively pretty crucial but which never managed to invest me in their developments. To me, what's interesting about Tade Thompson's worlds are the more macro political forces (especially because THE ALIENS DIDN'T EMERGE IN AMERICA, what a relief), but with the focus being on relatively few mostly behind-the-scenes actors, this is definitely more spy-type action than intractable political wrangling.
It's not helped by the fact that the characters, like in Rosewater, weren't much fun for me to be around. Alyssa's plight, especially when it comes to dealing with a family who she feels she has no ties to and who don't act in particularly helpful ways to her in the opening chapters, is sympathetic but Alyssa on her own never really engaged me, especially when she comes around more to her alien connections. There's Aminat, Kaaro's partner from the first book (and Kaaro also puts in an appearance later on), a writer coasting in the city on former successes who becomes (ultimately anti-climacticly) involved in the whole situation, and Anthony, a "Homian" (i.e. alien) consciousness who is charged with protecting the apparently dying Wormwood from threats. Perhaps my favourite character was Jack Jacques, the mayor of Rosewater who declares independence for his city-state, with predictable consequences, but even then I'm struggling to identify anything specific about him that I liked. I'm sure others will have different experiences with these characters - and my dislike for them is unsurprising given that I had similar frustrations with Kaaro in Rosewater - but it certainly made this one more difficult.
Despite the challenges I had with it, I have to admit that The Rosewater Insurrection ends in a super intriguing spot, setting up a new relationship between the alien and human forces and, with it, potential for a really interesting volume. If you're a fan of weird science fiction aliens, meditations on humanity, consciousness and connection, and an Earth-based future that doesn't take the USA as its jumping-off point, and don't mind the potential lack of connection with protagonists or regular switches in time and point of view, Rosewater is definitely a series to look out for. In the meantime, I expect to continue enjoying Tade Thompson's short work, and I'll be looking out for another opportunity to try out his novels in future, but this is probably my early jumping-off point for the Rosewater series.

There are other sympathetic characters in this book, but few of them are politicians or administrators. The powerful do not tolerate dissent. Disagreements can easily turn lethal, which means bad outcomes for the losers in the turf wars and worse outcomes for the little people caught in the crossfire.

The Earth’s long-term prospects may seem dim but … perhaps the horse will learn to sing. And there are sympathetic characters who may do well in the short term.

The Rosewater Insurrection takes us further into the mysteries of Thompson’s infinitely inventive world, supported by a bevy of narratives all providing unique perspectives on the unfolding events. Tensions are high amidst this strange city built on the outskirts of the epic alien dome, and the world begins to unravel as the alien’s plans become clear. This second book in the series feels unique from the first, shifting to a focus on the alien’s intentions with Earth and the events required to further their plan. The groups of characters include some we know and some we’ve only seen at the periphery of Kaaro narrative. This expansion deepens the story, giving us fascinating insights into a future where alien lifeforms threaten to change humanity to its very core.

I was most impressed by the range of characters the narrative inhabits. We follow Aminat, Kaaro’s mysterious girlfriend from the first novel, and the groundbreaking work she’s a part of. Section 45 is as present as ever, continuing their work to uncover the alien intentions with Earth and to combat the ill effects of these microbes that have infected every part of the planet. We follow Anthony, the alien being within Wormwood, as it continuously creates human facsimiles and attempts to complete the first phase of a sinister plan. It’s a fascinating creature that’s more robot than human. We also get a look inside the mayor’s point of view as he attempts to secure his hold on the city from the federal government.

Overall, The Rosewater Insurrection is an exciting addition to The Wormwood Trilogy, filled with excellent writing and character narratives. The world building is top notch, as always, promising an explosive ending to come for this innovative trilogy.

The nitty-gritty: Strange and addictive, Thompson’s gritty, futuristic story expands on the world he introduced in Rosewater and gives us even more mysteries surrounding the alien life form known as Wormwood.

If you’re looking for a unique take on the first contact/alien invasion story, then look no further than Tade Thompson’s Wormwood Trilogy. The Rosewater Insurrection is the second book in the series and I loved it just as much as Rosewater. This is a series you must read in order, however, so do start with Rosewater before you jump into this book.

The Rosewater Insurrection alternates among several main characters, who at first seem to have little or no connection to each other, but as the story progresses, it turns out they are all connected in very important ways. Alyssa Sutcliff wakes up one morning with no memories of who she is. It appears that she’s married to a man named Mark Sutcliff, and they have a daughter named Pat. But no matter how many family photos she looks at, or how earnestly Mark tells her that they love each other, Alyssa cannot bring any of those memories to the surface.

Aminat and her boss Femi are trying to figure out a chemical way to separate xenoforms from humans—xenoforms being the alien genetic material that has started to bond with human tissue, ever since the alien Wormwood planted itself in Nigeria twelve years earlier. When Femi tells her that a human who is 79% xenoform is walking around Rosewater, she insists that Aminat find her and bring her into the lab for testing.

Jack Jacques is the mayor of Rosewood, but he’s being threatened by another candidate in the upcoming election. His only chance at keeping his title is to make a bold and dangerous political move that could end up killing him.

Anthony is the alien avatar of Wormwood, using a human body to go outside the biodome. When the dome is breached by an outside threat, it’s up to him to find that enemy and stop it.

And Eric works for the secret government organization S45, and has been told by his superiors that in order to redeem himself for past failures, he must find and assassinate the mayor of Rosewater.At the center of all these characters is the biodome, an alien construct that opens once a year and heals whoever is nearby. But something is attacking the biodome, and the citizens of Rosewater are about to get caught in the crossfire.

Just like Rosewater, this book jumps around a lot, so it takes some time for the story threads to start coming together into a cohesive tale. And there are a lot of characters to sift through and get to know. But hang in there, because eventually all the threads begin to make sense, and about halfway through, the story took off at a fairly fast pace and I had a hard time putting it down. I had all sorts of questions in the beginning. Who is Alyssa? How is she connected to the alien? Why is Eric trying to kill Jack? And what the hell is the creepy, Seymour-like alien plant that’s killing people left and right? There are plenty of mysteries, and it was lots of fun discovering how everything is connected.

In addition to some of my favorite characters who return from the last book—Kaaro and Aminat, for example—we get to meet some new characters. I especially enjoyed Jack’s story, and even more so I loved his loyal assistant, a woman named Lora who surprised me in the best possible way. Thompson adds so many details to his characters’ lives, like the fact that Jack’s wife Hannah works tirelessly to secure rights for the reanimates, the dead who come back to life when the dome opens. This hobby of hers doesn’t sit well with Jack, who thinks it reflects poorly on his political career.

And then there’s my favorite couple, Kaaro and Aminat. Kaaro is almost a background character this time around, as the focus is more on Aminat. But there are plenty of scenes where they interact, and these were some of my favorites in the book. Kaaro is a “sensitive” and can access the xenosphere by leaving his body, where he can communicate with the alien. He is able to “bring” Aminat there as well, where they sometimes go for sexual trysts or to talk secretly. They truly love each other, and even near the end when just about every character is in terrible danger, the strength of their relationship is nearly blinding.

I found all of Thompson’s ideas fascinating and thought-provoking. The idea that an alien life form can take over a planet by simply integrating its DNA with that of humans is actually pretty terrifying! Everyone in Rosewater has at least some of the xenoforms inside them, and some people, like Kaaro, have been irrevocably changed because of this. In this book we get to see that Rosewater isn’t the only place affected by the alien invasion. We also get a wider view of where the alien comes from and ultimately what it wants, but I still had so many unanswered questions at the end of the book. Hopefully Thompson will give us more answers in the final book of the series, The Rosewater Redemption.

Tade Thompson’s series can be a bit challenging to read, but those who take the time to untangle all the delightful threads of this story will be rewarded. For serious SF fans, these books are a must read.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

Whoa! Okay. I see now why everyone is saying Rosewater was a "world set up" book that wounds up a big punch of a story because this one hit me right in the face and woke me!

Insurrection being a sequel leads to it being a perfect page turner, completely plot led, and moves at breakneck speed. Everything is engaging, absorbing and hugely entertaining (despite the occasional over-abundance of technical detail.)

It's hard to gush about a book without spoilers. It’s a beautifully written alien invasion/first contact story that isn’t afraid to break the rules of story format, and its African setting makes it perfect for those readers seeking diversity. This book is complex, and you will need to have patience while reading it. (aforementioned above)
Thompson slowly divulges important information about several ongoing mysteries, and it isn’t until nearly the end of the story that everything starts making sense and coming together. This truly is a masterfully constructed story, and I’m not sure how many writers could actually pull this off.

Stakes are raised, characters are thrown into the ringer. I'm very excited to what the author creates next.

Rating:★★★★+

Starting this review off with thanks to Orbit and the author for an advanced reading copy of The Rosewater Insurrection (The Wormwood Trilogy #2) in exchange for an open and honest review. Receiving this ARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novel.

So, unfortunately, I did not get around to reviewing Book 1 of this trilogy as I read it during the holidays where life seemed to always get in the way of being in front of a computer. Nothing wrong with that, but I did not get to share my praise for Thompson’s SF debut. Rosewater was such an astounding and visceral read, and absolutely unlike anything I have ever read.

Book 2 takes it to another level.

With Kaaro taking a backseat this time around, we get to follow along in the boots of his lover, Aminat. She is tasked with finding and apprehending a woman who may be the key to the survival of not only the people of Rosewater, but the human race as a whole. The woman she is in charge of finding is Alyssa Sutcliffe, who has just woken up with .50 cal sized gaps in her memory, even doubting who she really is.

Meanwhile, Rosewater is in complete turmoil as its mayor, Jack Jacques, has decided to piss of the Nigerian President by declaring independence, culminating in a massive amount of external resistance. Then, of course, you have the hidden conflict between the entity known as Wormwood and an evil that has stopped it dead in its tracks.

While Thompson’s narrative style stays the same, non-linear with multiple POVs, the story is a little easier to follow this time around as there aren’t as many jumps back or forward in time. I know that was a small issue for me in Book 1, which lead to some rewinds and mental preparedness whenever I sat down to read.

Much like in Book 1, the author has a knack for creating characters (whether or not you want to, or are supposed to, root for them is up for debate), but he really shines in his world-building. While The Wormwood Trilogy is built on the somewhat “small-scale”, this book feels epic in its execution. The addition of the xenosphere just adds an extra layer of originality and broadens the sandbox Thompson has to play in.

The writing is exquisite; the prose tantalizing. You’ll be hooked from page one and by the time you are finished, you’ll be foaming at the mouth for Book 3. This is the future. It is what science fiction needs to be.