Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Rosewater by Tade Thompson

20 reviews

goosegrimm's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.5

Rosewater is an interesting book. I'm not quite sure its my cup of tea however. I very much enjoyed Thompson's voice and his attention to detail in the setting. His prose is beautiful and really draws you in. However, the narrative is very disjointed and while that serves the overall story quite well, I had difficulty following even with the chapter headings. My suspension of disbelief was also occasionally broken both by the timeline changes and some of the plot points. Overall if you would like a genuinely fascinating sci-fi world to explore, this is a great fit. Just be warned that it can occasionally be difficult to follow despite how beautifully written it is. I am excited to read further works both in the Wormwood trilogy and by Thompson. 
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lizhmil's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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skudiklier's review

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.5

This book was super interesting! I had a weird experience reading it because I did so very slowly and deliberately, which is unusual for me. It was somewhat dark and not entirely what I expected. But I hope to read the rest of the trilogy eventually!
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sarah984's review

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This is a really unique alien invasion story set in Nigeria in the 2060s, in a city that has built up around an alien biodome that mysteriously heals the sick once per year. The alien has also released a sort of spore into the atmosphere that allows some people to access special abilities like mind reading. The main character is a psychic who (mostly unwillingly) works for the government. His perspective is awful because he's an immature misogynist, but the story itself and the nature of colonization that it exposes are interesting.
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bookreviewsgr's review

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Αν είστε λάτρεις των ταινιών δράσης με εξωγήινους, cyberpunk αισθητική, τηλεπάθεια, κατασκοπεία, μυστικές υπηρεσίες και πολύ σεξ που δεν προσφέρει τίποτα στην υπόθεση, τότε αυτό είναι το βιβλίο που θέλετε να διαβάσετε. Πιστεύω ότι αν οι χαρακτήρες ήταν λευκοί αντί για Μαύροι και η υπόθεση διαδραματιζόταν στην Αμερική αντί για τη Νιγηρία, θα είχε γίνει ήδη blockbuster ταινία με 2-3 sequel. Όπως όλα τα blockbuster βέβαια, έχει αρκετά θεματάκια που μπορεί να σας αποτρέψουν από το να το απολαύσετε. 

Ο Kaaro είναι grey character, δεν ξέρω αν θα τον έλεγα αντί-ήρωα, αλλά αντιπαθητικός είναι σίγουρα. Είναι σεξιστής στα όρια του μισογυνισμού, αλλά ευτυχώς το ξέρει και αυτός και ο συγγραφέας. Είναι επίσης ομοφοβικός. Αυτό μάλλον δεν το ξέρει, αλλά το ξέρει ο συγγραφέας και φαίνεται ότι ο Kaaro κάνει μια μικρή προσπάθεια να μάθει. Έχει εγκληματικό παρελθόν, παρόν και ίσως και μέλλον, αλλά αυτά θα τα μάθετε διαβάζοντας την ιστορία. Έχει επίσης και τη δυνατότητα να διαβάζει τη σκέψη και να επικοινωνεί μόνο με αυτή με άλλους που έχουν την ίδια δυνατότητα. Τέλος, 95% του βιβλίου σκέφτεται με το πέος του και κάπου κούρασε να διαβάζουμε για τη στύση του. 

Η αφήγηση δεν είναι γραμμική, εναλλάσσεται με την αφήγηση του παρελθόντος όπως μαθαίνουμε για τη ζωή του Kaaro πριν ξεκινήσει να δουλεύει για το section fourty - five και για τα πρώτα του χρόνια στην υπηρεσία. Επίσης, κάποια πράγματα δε συμβαίνουν στο γνωστό τρισδιάστατο κόσμο, αλλά κάπου αλλού. Οπότε, καλό θα είναι να εστιάσετε την προσοχή σας καθώς το διαβάζετε γιατί είναι εύκολο να μπερδευτήτε. 

Αν το βιβλίο είχε πρωταγωνήστριες την Aminat (σύντροφο του Kaaro που χρειάζεται άμεσα να μάθει τη είναι φεμινισμός και να παρατήσει τον Kaaro) και τη Femi (αφεντικό του Kaaro που ξέρει να κόβει το χέρι που απλώνεται χωρίς άδεια) θα ήταν ακόμα καλύτερο. 

Στα θετικά τώρα.Το worldbuilding είναι εξαιρετικό. Φουτουριστικό και ταυτόχρονα ρεαλιστικό. Η cyberpunk αισθητική του με κέρδισε από τις πρώτες σελίδες. Οι εξωγήινοι του Thompson δεν είναι από αυτούς που έρχονται με 100 διαστημόπλοια και εισβάλλουν στη Γη. Έρχονται ήσυχα - ήσυχα και εισβάλλουν με την άδειά μας... ή μάλλον με την άγνοιά μας. Αυτό είναι ένα στοιχείο που μου άρεσε πολύ γιατί είναι διαφορετικές οι δυναμικές μεταξύ γήινων και εξωγήινων. Είναι δύσκολο να γράψει κανείς για την πρώτη επαφή με τους εξωγήινους χωρίς να πέσει σε κλισέ, όμως θεωρώ ότι ο Thompson έχει κάνει πολύ καλή δουλειά γιατί οι εξωγήινοί του είναι αρκετά ξένοι και διαφορετικοί. 

Η διαρκής και συχνή εναλλαγή χρονικών περιόδων προσφέρει ακατάπαυστη κινηματογραφική δράση. Για εμένα αυτό έπαιξε σημαντικό ρόλο στην απόλαυση του βιβλίου. Δεν ήταν ένα βιβλίο που διάβασα για να με προβληματίσει. Αυτό που μου είχε λείψει είναι αυτή η ελαφρότητα των ταινιών και βιβλίων δράσης. Σίγουρα θα διαβάσω και τα άλλα δύο βιβλία της σειράς. Ελπίζω μόνο να αλλάζει ο πρωταγωνιστής. 
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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

I'm waffling between a 3.5 and a 4 ⭐s on this one. It is a fascinating and wholly original start to a sci-fi series set in Nigeria and following a biological alien lifeform that changes the makeup of Earth itself???? And then there's like people with telepathic powers???? And spy stuff???? And government conspiracies???? And I loved it???? The writing style was definitely different, it took a bit for me to get used to it. Also our MC is not the most likeable of bros. But overall, I enjoyed this immensely and will be continuing the series and reading more from Tade Thompson.
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perditorian's review

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adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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luckykosmos's review

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mysterious tense slow-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

4.25

The action here felt a little slow, but by the end, wholly necessary - there's a lot of pieces being played with, and they have to be introduced carefully to keep a balance. In that regard, the story is DELICIOUS, figuring out what this world is shaped like and how these people fit together. 

Some notes:
  • Kaaro is a misogynist. This is commented on in the plot, something the author is fully aware of and makes sure the audience knows. I like reading books from points of view of 'bad' people, but it's worth keeping this in mind.
  • Plus, it leads into note #2 - while people are rarely sexualized, there is a lot of sex, particularly when Molara shows up. It isn't frequently said in detail, but sometimes feels out of place, except for the personality Kaaro has built up. I never want to read the phrase 'fleshy baton' again. 
  • Because of the nature of the xenosphere, sections that take place between the real world and the xenosphere can be a little hard to follow, if it switches between the two quickly. Nonetheless, it's fascinating, and given the final act of the book, I want to know more about how all of this works. 
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v171's review

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

This was an incredibly engaging, interesting read from start to finish. I have been on a New Weird kick recently, and I think Rosewater has set the standard. Everything about this book's construction was spot on. The writing was accessible, but not bland. The characters all felt distinctly human. The aliens felt "appropriately" alien. The setting across real world African locations and fictional areas was interesting to follow. If I had only one critique, it was that the story was a bit touch and go, but with how engaging it was, I didn't mind at all. 
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ohlhauc's review

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challenging mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This was just an okay read for me. The concept was interesting and some of the plot points and ideas were interesting. While a small thing, it was also refreshing to see aliens not portrayed as a monolith race but as different groups of the same race (like we have people from different countries, etc.).

I didn't care much about any of the characters and felt most of them were underdeveloped, and the main character who was well-developed was sleazy, sexist, and moody.

What really didn't work for me, however, was the execution of the multiple timelines. The story jumps between different years in the main character's past, progressively moving towards understanding the alien technology. However, the chapters were very short and they often ended during an emotional moment or cliffhanger in a scene. As such, I never got the emotional payoff and by the time the story returned to that moment, much of the investment had dulled. Because the chapters were so short and there were quite a few timelines, it was also hard to keep track of each storyline, so I often felt in a daze, trying to remember what was happening, and having to flip through past pages to trigger. It was a frustrating readable experience and it meant that I was never able to fully connect with any of the side characters or scenes.
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