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tedpikul's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
quaerentia's review against another edition
4.0
Utterly extraordinary and sure to be a genre-busting trendsetter (if it isn't already--I'm afraid I'm not that well-versed in the expanses of Nigerian/Sub-Saharan Biological Sci-fi). I was gripped from the opening pages to the end. Loved the authentically W African setting which felt utterly familiar and which thus made the alienness feel all the more ... well ... alien. The twists and turns are great - though some of the creative biology lost me (Tade is a practising Psychiatrist on the UK south coast) because I'm a scientific ignoramus (I'm impressed by somebody simply being able to spell phylum right). I found the constant flitting between flashbacks etc a little irksome but the mysteries and questions did keep one's nose in the pages. I just wonder if that could have been achieved with a little more stability in the story. But small quibbles really. It's a fascinating book
avesmaria's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Adventurous and imaginative, genre-bending mix of drama and speculative sci-fi. I have to give the author a lot of credit for the characterization of the narrator - I didn’t like him as a person but was really rooting for him by the end. The way the author wrote about “sensitives” and psychic ability was well-crafted and original.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, and Violence
raymond_murphy's review against another edition
3.0
Once I got past the first ten pages, I was enthralled. It was a rough entry tho.
Love the idea of both post-US global politics AND the exploration of what first contact might really be like.
Also the viral/bacterial aspect was very smart.
Not sure I need to read the rest of the trilogy tho.
Love the idea of both post-US global politics AND the exploration of what first contact might really be like.
Also the viral/bacterial aspect was very smart.
Not sure I need to read the rest of the trilogy tho.
themarkword's review against another edition
5.0
I read this novel without knowing anything about it. The author creates a believable but not wholly likable main character, Kaaro, to act as a guide through a futuristic Nigeria. The amount one enjoys this book will be directly correlated with the ability to see and understand Kaaro's thoughts without having to agree with them. Kaaro has nuance and growth throughout the story and his head-space feels lived in and authentic. His interplay with Aminat I feel is key to his character development: toward the end of the book an event happens and Kaaro begins to think it was because of him, but is chastised that Aminat is not a side character in his story but is living her own story in parallel to his.
I strongly recommend this for those that like character-driven sci-fi and those that like non-linear storytelling.
I strongly recommend this for those that like character-driven sci-fi and those that like non-linear storytelling.
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
sydsnot71's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fine book. It is the first part of a trilogy. I'll be reading the rest.
I like the setting, the ideas, the characters, and the writing.
I found myself reading it in big chunks and then felt that weirdly satisfying disappointment that comes with finishing a fine book.
Set in Nigeria, 2066 Rosewater is a town with an alien biodome. Here people gather to be healed. I don't really want to say too much about the setting because I enjoyed stumbling into each new discovery as the story went on. I liked reading another SF novel with an African setting and cultural background, partly because it adds an extra level of interest and partly because it allows for political parallels to be made when required.
It's also interesting to have aliens that actually feel like aliens. That isn't just the literary equivalent of a bloke in costume.
I also liked the lead, Kaaro. Oddly I was reminded of Slippery Jim DiGriz aka the Stainless Steel Rat, even though everything about these two books is entirely different. And a little of Vila from Blake's 7. It's the slightly unheroic hero I think. Tade Thompson probably didn't have either of these figures in mind and this is just my personal mental baggage bought to the reading.
Recommended.
I like the setting, the ideas, the characters, and the writing.
I found myself reading it in big chunks and then felt that weirdly satisfying disappointment that comes with finishing a fine book.
Set in Nigeria, 2066 Rosewater is a town with an alien biodome. Here people gather to be healed. I don't really want to say too much about the setting because I enjoyed stumbling into each new discovery as the story went on. I liked reading another SF novel with an African setting and cultural background, partly because it adds an extra level of interest and partly because it allows for political parallels to be made when required.
It's also interesting to have aliens that actually feel like aliens. That isn't just the literary equivalent of a bloke in costume.
I also liked the lead, Kaaro. Oddly I was reminded of Slippery Jim DiGriz aka the Stainless Steel Rat, even though everything about these two books is entirely different. And a little of Vila from Blake's 7. It's the slightly unheroic hero I think. Tade Thompson probably didn't have either of these figures in mind and this is just my personal mental baggage bought to the reading.
Recommended.
pupcake's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0