"Non-linear, challenging, and beautifully told, this novel represents the chilling, gorgeous future of 21st-century sci-fi."—B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog
"I found myself close to tears, the human cost of insurrection laid bare. Thompson's willingness to push himself as a writer, to not just rely on his strengths — the zippy dialogue, the sharp storytelling — is the reason I will continue to follow his career, why I will read whatever he writes."—Locus
"Terrific... raises the bar, introducing a number of fascinating new elements into an already intriguing storyline. If you haven't go started on it already this is a series you'll want to get on board with now."—Toronto Star
"Mind-bending.... Alternately epic and almost claustrophobically intimate.... The exciting second half and intriguing ending set the stage for what promises to be a fascinating conclusion."—Publishers Weekly
"Mesmerising. There are echoes of Neuromancer and Arrival in here, but this astonishing debut is beholden to no one."—M. R. Carey on Rosewater
"Smart. Gripping. Fabulous!"—Ann Leckie on Rosewater
"Nothing short of brilliant.... A captivating, cerebral work of science fiction that may very well signal a new definitive voice in the genre."—Kirkus on Rosewater
"A magnificent tour de force, skillfully written and full of original and disturbing ideas."—Adrian Tchaikovsky on Rosewater
"Thompson's genius in displacing his tale of successive xenobiological attacks from the West onto the developing world is matched by his breathtakingly smart prose.... Deeply engrossing."—The Seattle Review of Books on Rosewater
"A sharply satirical, ingenious thriller about an alien invasion that's disturbing familiar. Tade Thompson has built a fascinating world that will suck you in and keep you guessing. This book will eat you alive, and you'll like it."—Annalee Newitz on Rosewater
"One of the most thoughtful and inventive alien contact tales of recent decades."—Locus on Rosewater
"Compellingly strange yet accessible... a character-driven, morally grey tale of hope and potential redemption."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Rosewater
"Intriguing Afrofuturistic tale [that] features an incredible mashup of alien contact and human-centered power, delivering a stark and gritty story that will keep readers engaged."—Library Journal
"Deeply imagined characters and vibrant, startling imagery... An author to watch."—B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog on Rosewater
"A strange and unsettling story of psychics, conspiracy, and alien invasion unlike anything I've read before. Masterfully constructed, brimming with ideas and slowly unfolding mystery, Rosewater hurt my brain in the best of ways."—Fonda Lee on Rosewater
"Perfect for fans of William Gibson's Neuromancer, this twisty, captivating page-turner explores the fragility of the mind and how memory constructs identity."—BookPage on Rosewater
"Inventive aliens and realistic-feeling invasion... keen observations of how easily people ignore and accept what should be terrifying... intriguing characters (many of them women) who have lives of their own beyond the pages... fascinating."—Strange Horizons on Rosewater
"This thrilling, ambitious novel offers a deftly woven and incisive blend of science fiction, psychology, action, and mystery. Highly recommended."—Kate Elliott on Rosewater
"One of the most imaginative alien invasion scenarios I have come across."—Aliette de Bodard, Nebula and BSFA award-winning author, on Rosewater
"A fiercely weird, breathtaking biopunk tale of alien invasion, Rosewater is ambitious and smart and very, very cool."—Tasha Suri on Rosewater
"Quite simply one of best books I have read for quite some time."—SFCrowsnest on Rosewater
"As strange, vivid and intricate as the alien biosphere at its heart, Rosewater is a fabulous book and Tade Thompson is a writer of enormous heart and talent. Just brilliant."—Dave Hutchinson on Rosewater
"Inventive and creepy... revolutionary."—Ozy on Rosewater
"Original, entertaining, and food for thought. Tade Thompson is an exciting new voice in our field and I can't wait to read more of his work."—Pat Cadigan on Rosewater
"Part thriller, part mystery and part phantasmagoric journey across a strange yet not-too-distant future, and reminiscent at times of both Roger Zelazny and Nnedi Okorafor, Rosewater is the hardboiled, Nigerian alien invasion story you always wanted."—Lavie Tidhar on Rosewater
2019-09-02
In the second part of The Wormwood Trilogy (following Rosewater, 2018), a Nigerian city in an alternate near future experiences civil war among humans and alien creatures.
The Homians, aliens from a distant planet who have despoiled their own world, have uploaded digital copies of themselves onto vast servers and are planning a mass download…into us. They have seeded the Earth with xenoforms, alien microorganisms that have penetrated the environment and its flora and fauna. Over the years, the Nigerian city of Rosewater has grown up around Wormwood, a huge alien organism whose emanations have immense healing powers. Femi Alaagomeji of Nigerian intelligence agency S45 is concerned about the degree to which xenoforms have integrated with most people. And she's right to be concerned; that integration opens the way for Homian download. But something goes awry with the first attempt to take over a human body; the being in the body of Alyssa Sutcliffe knows that she isn't Alyssa, but she's not quite sure who—or what—she is instead. S45 agent Aminat Arigbede attempts to bring "Alyssa" in for testing, even as Rosewood erupts on multiple fronts: Wormwood is under attack by another alien organism, a plantlike creature intended to act as a regulatory mechanism but instead gone wild; and Rosewood's mayor, Jack Jacques, tries to consolidate power by announcing the city's secession from Nigeria, which incites armed conflict in the streets. The key to settling both matters may lie with Kaaro, one of the only surviving psychic sensitives, who is both Aminat's boyfriend and a friend to Anthony, Wormwood's human avatar. However, Kaaro has no intention of allowing himself to become a pawn in Rosewater's power games, in which loyalties shift so rapidly that even the reader races to figure out what side everyone's on, if sides can even be defined.
A complexly layered and action-packed middle volume that sets the stage for the conclusion.
