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cecile87's review against another edition
5.0
I’m still savoring this book and trying to figure out my thoughts about it.
I’m glad to have read some other reviews which mention other sci-fi books set in non-traditional places, such as China, Japan and India.
There was a unique mood in this story—sort of like Haruki Murakami—sort of like my first exposure to Toni Morrison with her book Sula. Culture can be imposing, suffocating, dangerous, sadistic, destructive. Look at the trumpian culture. This story displayed the worst of human nature. But it looks as though the alien culture might not be any better, with its factions and agendas.
The women, I’m happy to say, were all honorable if flawed.
This story makes me think of extreme colonialism. It is ironic that London is one of the places the alien sets down on. And the USA. These colonialist cultures, a white people tendency noted in the movie Black Panther with some humor, try to fight being colonized by aliens. Good luck with that considering the viral level of it all. The aliens see us as all human, even if some humans do not.
I’m African American and I was enthralled with this Nigerian tale. I’ve not read Octavia Butler, another black extrapolatory author, so this is my first encounter with a black sci-fi writer. I’ve learned of others recently.
I found the time shifting between chapters challenging, but I understand that the story would not have had as much tension and wonderment if it had followed a strict chronological path.
I know I missed a lot of whatever the author was pointing out, but I did enjoy the book in spite of the not-so-noble protagonist, the violence and the casual descriptions of the wretched aspects of Nigerian culture.
I hesitate to read the rest of the trilogy given the violence and the promise of ugly political machinations. I can only hope that strong women, as depicted in the first book, prevail. I wonder which stories from this first part will insinuate into the second and third books.
I’m glad to have read some other reviews which mention other sci-fi books set in non-traditional places, such as China, Japan and India.
There was a unique mood in this story—sort of like Haruki Murakami—sort of like my first exposure to Toni Morrison with her book Sula. Culture can be imposing, suffocating, dangerous, sadistic, destructive. Look at the trumpian culture. This story displayed the worst of human nature. But it looks as though the alien culture might not be any better, with its factions and agendas.
The women, I’m happy to say, were all honorable if flawed.
This story makes me think of extreme colonialism. It is ironic that London is one of the places the alien sets down on. And the USA. These colonialist cultures, a white people tendency noted in the movie Black Panther with some humor, try to fight being colonized by aliens. Good luck with that considering the viral level of it all. The aliens see us as all human, even if some humans do not.
I’m African American and I was enthralled with this Nigerian tale. I’ve not read Octavia Butler, another black extrapolatory author, so this is my first encounter with a black sci-fi writer. I’ve learned of others recently.
I found the time shifting between chapters challenging, but I understand that the story would not have had as much tension and wonderment if it had followed a strict chronological path.
I know I missed a lot of whatever the author was pointing out, but I did enjoy the book in spite of the not-so-noble protagonist, the violence and the casual descriptions of the wretched aspects of Nigerian culture.
I hesitate to read the rest of the trilogy given the violence and the promise of ugly political machinations. I can only hope that strong women, as depicted in the first book, prevail. I wonder which stories from this first part will insinuate into the second and third books.
dunne_reading's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cjblandford's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this one. The somewhat clinical, almost simplistic narration style of the main character Kaaro, almost belies the reader into thinking it is a simple story, but it is not. It is a rich, layered story, with much symbolism that will take another reading to unpack. This story is not told linearly, and there are multiple storylines being told concurrently, and I usually hate that, but the reason I hate it is that it feels lazy or like a cheap trick to pad a story, but here it is done masterfully. I think one problem readers may have with this book is that the main character and narrator, Kaaro, is not all that likable, he's a but unreliable, and he can be sexist. I found it interesting that the author chose to present the first part of this story from Kaaro's perspective, with all of his faults. But it works for the story, as an introduction to the main conflict, from a source who is a bit detached from it. He wants to take an outsider's approach, and isn't motivated by higher ideals. In his youth, Kaaro was a thief, and as he develops abilities, his thievery transforms from the physical, to the mental, where he can steal a person's privacy by reading their minds and inner thoughts. He finds missing things, but doesn't fully understand how his abilities work, or know what he's capable of if he applied himself. The near-future Nigerian setting is very interesting and worked very well for the story. The overarching story took a bit of time to reveal itself, but all of the tidbits and details in the lead-up were enough to keep me interested. I would read this again and I will continue the series because despite Kaaro not being a "save-the-world" type of person, I want to see how this conflict is going to play out.
youngthespian42's review against another edition
3.0
My first impression of this novel was not a good one. It took a long time to win me over but by the end it truly did. I respect that Tade Thompson does not hold your hand as he walks you through is deep near future world.
The xenosphere that a lot of this novel takes place in is interesting and rich. The pandemic also informs the role the alien lifeform brings when they come to Nigeria. Africa's history with TB, HIV, and Ebola informs this view of an alien pandemic and makes the novel feel prescient to the current Covid Crisis.
There are three separate timelines this book bounces between and since the whole novel is one POV I found myself getting lost in the audiobook. I would recommend reading the book instead of listening although the narrator's performance is truly excellent.
Rosewater didn't stick with me enough to dive into the rest of the Wormwood Trilogy but I definitely think I will return to this word in the future.
The xenosphere that a lot of this novel takes place in is interesting and rich. The pandemic also informs the role the alien lifeform brings when they come to Nigeria. Africa's history with TB, HIV, and Ebola informs this view of an alien pandemic and makes the novel feel prescient to the current Covid Crisis.
There are three separate timelines this book bounces between and since the whole novel is one POV I found myself getting lost in the audiobook. I would recommend reading the book instead of listening although the narrator's performance is truly excellent.
Rosewater didn't stick with me enough to dive into the rest of the Wormwood Trilogy but I definitely think I will return to this word in the future.
gatonolivro's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
qwends's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
0verrun's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
geraldineleyendo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The futuristic yet credible world built for this is truly interesting, and the author pours so much creativity in approaching the sci-fi themes. It creates really strong visuals (some of them hugely unpleasant or straight violent and tough to read!!!). Its moments of tension are a bit much in the erotica/gory side, but can still make an enjoyable read if you are open to them.
Characters have many interesting elements but they feel too random - it was hard to see how they fit in the story . The experience is that of reading a collage made from different short stories, not super cohesive.
Although I understand this is a trilogy, and maybe all the satisfaction comes in the following books, the story of Rosewater feels SO incomplete/unfinished it's a bit frustrating.
Characters have many interesting elements but they feel too random - it was hard to see how they fit in the story . The experience is that of reading a collage made from different short stories, not super cohesive.
Although I understand this is a trilogy, and maybe all the satisfaction comes in the following books, the story of Rosewater feels SO incomplete/unfinished it's a bit frustrating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body horror and Violence
mdegge's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Aliens, psychics, mystery, broken timeline! Tough to rate... Definitely dark. The plot and world building are good. I am excited to see where the series goes with these dynamics. I wish there were a more likeable character in the story, but the main character is kind of neutral.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality, Violence, Death, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
vermilionred's review against another edition
4.0
Got kind of bogged down in the middle, but I do think it was worth it. It delivered what I wanted.