Rosewater

(Audiobook Review) I thought this was a good story and perhaps I would have enjoyed it if I had just read it on my own. The narrator has a strong Nigerian accent which made it a bit tricky on 2x speed and the inflection on some parts felt a little off. It was quite an odd story about being human and alien all at the same time. it was enjoyable and I will probably be reading the next in the series.

My first taste of African sci-fi, this was an intriguing, brilliant and almost uncomfortable read. Rosewater dumps you straight into some future version of the Earth where alien contact has been made, the US has withdrawn into self isolation and the UK has made a mess of its initial interaction with the alien life. The echoes of the current isolationist tendencies of those countries give the story a real poignancy. The story gives very little initial context for what is going on and lets you build your impression over the course of the novel - an impressive exercise in letting the readers imagination do a lot of the work.

The narrator, Kaaro, is Nigerian living in a city called Rosewater, surrounding the dome, an alien thing, also known as Wormwood. These aliens have seeded the world with fungus like things, which have let some people (including Kaaro) become psychic. The central plot of the story is revolving around the relationship between these psychics, the alien being and the government, and the idea of what it is to be human.

My one gripe is with the very confusing timeline. The story jumps backwards and forwards in time a slightly jarring amount of times which can make it difficult to follow. Fortunately each chapter does specify which date the chapter is referring to, but keeping track of the order of things can be a little challenging.

Overall, an impressively deep work, with interesting cultural references and a timely sense of place. Highly recommended

4.0 out of 5 stars

This is a really inventive novel that concerns an alien biodome that sets up shop in near-future Nigeria. Our protagonist Kaaro is a “sensitive” who (basically) gains the power of mind-reading through his reaction to alien spores in the air. Kaaro is a complex and flawed character who did not always use his powers for good, which is refreshing in a lead character that you can still root for and identify with.

The story itself is told in a series of cross-cutting chapters that jump between Kaaro's past and present. As these stories intercut, gaps are filled in and two converging narratives begin to emerge. As someone with a bad “book memory,” I had to repeatedly reorient myself to the separate threads while attempting to remember which characters were from which timeline and what information is available to characters at what time. It required some mental gymnastics, but I think it created a richer reading experience, nonetheless.

I enjoyed this novel on a conceptual level, but didn't find the story to be compelling until it all comes together at the end. I'm interested to see where author Tade Thompson takes future installments in this trilogy because he's set up a good foundation with this excellent first book.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

I read speculative fiction in the undying hope that something will come along and surprise and make me find a new perspective on the world. It doesn't happen often, but it's electric every time. Rosewater is that book - I loved everything about this new take on alien encounters, psychics and oppressive governments. It's clear that Dr. Thompson has a firm grounding in science (he's a psychiatrist), with decently well-thought out explanations for how alien physiology works and impacts human cognition in this world. The sociology of the aliens and their motivations are...alien – distinct from other first encounter books I've read, and I enjoyed the futuristic Nigerian setting. If I had a complaint (and I always do), I would say many of the sex scenes are gratuitous and a little uncomfortable, but that was a minor annoyance. I liked the time-skipping back and forth as each time jump revealed a little bit more of the global setting and Kaaro's backstory and motivations (the perspective shifting is also something I've encountered from a number of Nigerian writers