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Rosewater: Book 1 of the Wormwood Trilogy, Winner of the Nommo Award for Best Novel Paperback – 20 Sept. 2018
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***Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award***
Winner of the inaugural Nommo Award for Best Novel, Africa's first award for speculative fiction
Shortlisted for the Kitschie Award for Best Novel
John W. Campbell Award finalist for Best Science Fiction Novel
'A magnificent tour de force' Adrian Tchaikovsky
'Mind-expanding and utterly addictive' Mark Haddon
'Smart. Gripping. Fabulous!' Ann Leckie
'Mesmerising' M. R. Carey
'An astonishing book. I wish I'd written it' Lauren Beukes
Rosewater is a town on the edge. A community formed around the edges of a mysterious alien biodome, its residents comprise the hopeful, the hungry and the helpless - people eager for a glimpse inside the dome or a taste of its rumoured healing powers.
Kaaro is a government agent with a criminal past. He has seen inside the biodome, and doesn't care to again - but when something begins killing off others like himself, Kaaro must defy his masters to search for an answer, facing his dark history and coming to a realisation about a horrifying future.
Rosewater is the start of a vibrant and compellingly told trilogy by one of science fiction's most engaging new voices - perfect for fans of N. K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season, Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice and Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach trilogy.
- Print length416 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherOrbit
- Publication date20 Sept. 2018
- Dimensions12.8 x 3 x 19.8 cm
- ISBN-100356511367
- ISBN-13978-0356511368
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the female characters well developed. They also describe the narrative flow as curiosity mixed with fear and hope. Readers find the book enjoyable and cleverly written. However, some find the time complexity frustrating and confusing. Opinions are mixed on the writing style, with some finding it thoughtful and captivating, while others say it's confusing at times. Reader opinions also differ on the storyline, with others finding it innovative and visceral, while still others say the end is slightly underwhelming.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the narrative flow rich and curious, with masterful descriptions and geopolitical intrigue. They also describe the book as ambitious, complex, and engrossing. Readers also say it's thoughtful, action-packed, and keeps them wondering until the end. They mention the evocation of Nigerian culture is casual and effortlessly done.
"...Rosewater is a brilliant read. It offers an honest and slightly cynical view of how our world would be should things take a turn to the fantastical...." Read more
"...evokes Nigerian culture and society and Rosewater is a really inventive, gritty, vivid and original slice of modern science fiction peopled by..." Read more
"...But it’s an excellent, thoughtful, action- and culture-packed novel with enough science fiction to make us question exactly what humanity is made of." Read more
"...Curiosity mixed with fear and hope...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the storyline. Some find it innovative, excellent, and disturbing, while others say it jumps around a lot and is depressing.
"...The story has a non-linear structure, meaning that there is a central storyline set in the present (the year 2066) with snippets from the past..." Read more
"...But it’s an excellent, thoughtful, action- and culture-packed novel with enough science fiction to make us question exactly what humanity is made of." Read more
"...The story is unresolved at the end but I shall read it again before I decide whether to buy the follow up books...." Read more
"...of different timelines for the same character - the story is not told sequentially - unnecessary and distracting...." Read more
Customers find the book enjoyable, brilliant, and well worth the effort. They also say the book is engaging and helps them fly through it.
"...Highly original, yet somehow familiar; Rosewater is a fresh and fascinating novel set in an exuberant, futuristic Nigeria...." Read more
"...Rosewater is a brilliant read. It offers an honest and slightly cynical view of how our world would be should things take a turn to the fantastical...." Read more
"...But it’s an excellent, thoughtful, action- and culture-packed novel with enough science fiction to make us question exactly what humanity is made of." Read more
"...And he is engaging, making Rosewater good to read...." Read more
Customers find the female characters in the book well developed and complex. They also say the bulk of the cast are well drawn individuals.
"...There are also many interesting side characters- from Kaaro's S45 boss Femi to his girlfriend Aminat to the initially mysterious 'bicycle girl'...." Read more
"...Kaaro is an interesting, flawed character...." Read more
"Enjoyed the characters, environment, action and thoughts...." Read more
"...bulk of the cast, all well drawn individuals, with the protagonist especially convincing as a man with dubious morals and a history which emerges..." Read more
Customers find the book original, unique, and different. They also say it's well-written, has a unique theme, and is an inventive, gritty, vivid slice of modern science fiction. Customers also mention that the character is interesting and flawed.
"...Highly original, yet somehow familiar; Rosewater is a fresh and fascinating novel set in an exuberant, futuristic Nigeria...." Read more
"...Kaaro is an interesting, flawed character...." Read more
"...and society and Rosewater is a really inventive, gritty, vivid and original slice of modern science fiction peopled by characters who are..." Read more
"Well I guess it's imaginative and different but it's also full of obscenities which are unnecessary and demean both the author and the book...." Read more
Customers find the structure of the book vivid and well constructed.
"...The world of Rosewater is strange, vivid and often violent but well-constructed and with a depth that doesn’t compromise the pace of the story...." Read more
"...Nigerian culture and society and Rosewater is a really inventive, gritty, vivid and original slice of modern science fiction peopled by characters..." Read more
"...It's well thought out and cleverly constructed though, fleshing out the story slowly, layer by layer and if Kaaro is too much of a rogue to be..." Read more
"...misogynistic attitudes I don't think the writer has - his women are strong and smart...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the writing style. Some find the book clever, thoughtfully written, vivid, fluid, and brilliant. They also say the world feels real and the characters are great. However, some customers find the literary techniques confusing at times and difficult to follow on a Kindle. They say the dialogue style makes it difficult to know who is speaking.
"...The world of Rosewater is strange, vivid and often violent but well-constructed and with a depth that doesn’t compromise the pace of the story...." Read more
"...culture and society and Rosewater is a really inventive, gritty, vivid and original slice of modern science fiction peopled by characters who are..." Read more
"...of events and their significance and at times I found this very confusing. Also, Kaaro himself is not written to be a pleasant character...." Read more
"...But it is an interesting and unusual story and easy to read...." Read more
Customers find the time complexity of the book frustrating and confusing. They also say the interleaving of different timelines for the same character is confusing.
"...I found the interleaving of different timelines for the same character - the story is not told sequentially - unnecessary and distracting...." Read more
"...might be and on occasion found myself confused as I struggled to identify which time period I was now reading about, especially when the same..." Read more
"...The second problem for me was the jumping back and forth between multiple time periods...." Read more
"...However, I got quite tired of the constant jumps around in time which asked a lot for me to keep up with small snippets of multiple narrative..." Read more
Reviews with images
![I’ve never read anything quite like Rosewater.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/transparent-pixel._V192234675_.gif)
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Top reviews
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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Our main character is Kaaro, a sensitive that works for a government agency. Sensitives are able to enter the “xenosphere”, which is a mysterious alternate space where sensitives can meet each other, manipulate their appearance, and interact with our own reality in the form of reading other peoples’ thoughts (among other things).
Kaaro is an interesting, flawed character. He isn’t exactly the nicest person in the world, and he has used his gifts in the past for personal gain—despite knowing that it was to the detriment of others. He is reserved, perhaps a little bit judgmental, and has a remarkable ability to take almost anything in his stride. I didn’t exactly like him, but I was intrigued by him. Tade Thompson does an excellent job of making Kaaro’s past—and the world itself—seem fascinating.
Rosewater is a masterclass in worldbuilding. It can be tremendously difficult for authors to communicate the specifics of a high-concept world in an interesting way, and so quite a few authors will resort to long, often-tedious paragraphs of exposition. Thompson neatly sidesteps this issue by raising questions for the readers to ask… and then denying them the answers unless they read on. The desired information is then drip-fed through various flashback chapters which explore Kaaro’s enigmatic past, and complement the story unfolding in the present.
This is a novel which drives you forward with questions. Why are the sensitives dying off? What is the biodome? What is inside the biodome? What did Kaaro see inside the biodome, and why does it matter now?
This is a very well constructed story, with plot, character, and setting interlinked in the most delightful way. It’s not hard to see why this novel won the first ever Nommo Best Novel award.
Rosewater is a brilliant read. It offers an honest and slightly cynical view of how our world would be should things take a turn to the fantastical. I’ve never read a sci-fi book like this, and I doubt I will again.
Well… at least not until the sequel.
![Customer image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/transparent-pixel._V192234675_.gif)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 September 2018
Our main character is Kaaro, a sensitive that works for a government agency. Sensitives are able to enter the “xenosphere”, which is a mysterious alternate space where sensitives can meet each other, manipulate their appearance, and interact with our own reality in the form of reading other peoples’ thoughts (among other things).
Kaaro is an interesting, flawed character. He isn’t exactly the nicest person in the world, and he has used his gifts in the past for personal gain—despite knowing that it was to the detriment of others. He is reserved, perhaps a little bit judgmental, and has a remarkable ability to take almost anything in his stride. I didn’t exactly like him, but I was intrigued by him. Tade Thompson does an excellent job of making Kaaro’s past—and the world itself—seem fascinating.
Rosewater is a masterclass in worldbuilding. It can be tremendously difficult for authors to communicate the specifics of a high-concept world in an interesting way, and so quite a few authors will resort to long, often-tedious paragraphs of exposition. Thompson neatly sidesteps this issue by raising questions for the readers to ask… and then denying them the answers unless they read on. The desired information is then drip-fed through various flashback chapters which explore Kaaro’s enigmatic past, and complement the story unfolding in the present.
This is a novel which drives you forward with questions. Why are the sensitives dying off? What is the biodome? What is inside the biodome? What did Kaaro see inside the biodome, and why does it matter now?
This is a very well constructed story, with plot, character, and setting interlinked in the most delightful way. It’s not hard to see why this novel won the first ever Nommo Best Novel award.
Rosewater is a brilliant read. It offers an honest and slightly cynical view of how our world would be should things take a turn to the fantastical. I’ve never read a sci-fi book like this, and I doubt I will again.
Well… at least not until the sequel.
![Customer image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71pHGC31KsL._SY88.jpg)
The timeline of the story goes back and forth to tell the story of Karo, Wormwood, and Rosewater. We constantly shift between the present timeline of 2066 and key events in the past (2055 onward), primarily the arrival of the alien dome.
Despite his many flaws (ahem- apathetic, cold, misogynistic), I found enjoyed reading from Kaaro's perspective, finding out about his ability and complex past. There are also many interesting side characters- from Kaaro's S45 boss Femi to his girlfriend Aminat to the initially mysterious 'bicycle girl'.
The world of Rosewater is strange, vivid and often violent but well-constructed and with a depth that doesn’t compromise the pace of the story. Highly original, yet somehow familiar; Rosewater is a fresh and fascinating novel set in an exuberant, futuristic Nigeria.
I look forward to reading the other books in the Wormwood Trilogy.
The rest of the novel is excellent – a blend of strange and normal, the boredom of having to go to work sitting alongside miracles and mental projections. I loved the sheer normality of everything, woven through with the strangeness that both Rosewater and Kaaro’s talent create; even those with the power to read minds and find anything have to go to work and do the daily grind!
The protagonist, Kaaro, definitely has enough going on to fill the book. The novel alternates between Then and Now, exploring Kaaro’s life, his relationship to the strange dome that Rosewater has grown up around, his current work, his indifference and relationship with his bosses… and as the story goes, we get more and more information as secrets are teased out, and everything slowly becomes more interlinked. The tangle of the ending is excellently done; nothing is clean and simple, nothing is settled, but everything has been pushed onto a new enough path that humanity can keep on trundling along in the day job.
I’m not sure if I’ll pick up the next one, although I’ve been recommended the entire trilogy, as well as just the first one; there are hanging questions, but nothing immediately biting. But it’s an excellent, thoughtful, action- and culture-packed novel with enough science fiction to make us question exactly what humanity is made of.
Top reviews from other countries
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Highly recommended.
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The book kept my interest because it moved swiftly. I only got lost a few times. I recommend reading this book
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