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A review by micksland
The Rosewater Insurrection by Tade Thompson
4.0
4 stars
Nominee: 2020 Locus Award for Best SF Novel
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Tade Thompson’s “Wormwood Trilogy” continues with a fast-paced second installment. I will always be in awe of Dr. Thompson’s work, since he is both a physician and an award-winning science fiction novelist. I actually enjoyed this one more than the first entry; it has a much more cohesive, action-driven storyline.
I liked the multiple narrators; each chapter jumps between the experiences of a few key characters as they live through political upheaval. The jumping viewpoints reflect the chaos and ever-evolving nature of the insurrection, while constantly propelling the story forward. I loved the backstory about the nature of Wormwood and the true goals of the aliens; it made me retroactively appreciate the first novel more.
There were some characters whose POV I really didn’t enjoy, which is unfortunately often the case with novels that have multiple narrators. Aminat, Alyssa, Jacques, and Kaaro all had much more interesting things to say than Eric and Walter. This was especially frustrating given the fact that Walter’s main chapter was five times the length of most other chapters in the book. Because of this, I ended up giving the novel four stars, but I am very excited to see how the trilogy ends. If Thompson keeps the focus on my favorite protagonists rather than side characters, I’m sure it will be a blast!
Nominee: 2020 Locus Award for Best SF Novel
___
Tade Thompson’s “Wormwood Trilogy” continues with a fast-paced second installment. I will always be in awe of Dr. Thompson’s work, since he is both a physician and an award-winning science fiction novelist. I actually enjoyed this one more than the first entry; it has a much more cohesive, action-driven storyline.
I liked the multiple narrators; each chapter jumps between the experiences of a few key characters as they live through political upheaval. The jumping viewpoints reflect the chaos and ever-evolving nature of the insurrection, while constantly propelling the story forward. I loved the backstory about the nature of Wormwood and the true goals of the aliens; it made me retroactively appreciate the first novel more.
There were some characters whose POV I really didn’t enjoy, which is unfortunately often the case with novels that have multiple narrators. Aminat, Alyssa, Jacques, and Kaaro all had much more interesting things to say than Eric and Walter. This was especially frustrating given the fact that Walter’s main chapter was five times the length of most other chapters in the book. Because of this, I ended up giving the novel four stars, but I am very excited to see how the trilogy ends. If Thompson keeps the focus on my favorite protagonists rather than side characters, I’m sure it will be a blast!