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A review by sydsnot71
Rosewater by Tade Thompson
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.