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Bradley's Reviews > Rosewater

Rosewater by Tade Thompson
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it was amazing
bookshelves: 2018-shelf, sci-fi, fantasy, transhumanism, biopunk

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of novels either set in Africa or Nigeria in specific, ranging from complicated crime tales or wild fantasies or hardcore SF.

This one is more hardcore than most. The SF branches into the Zenosphere, alien-headspaces, biopunk nightmares and symbioses and regular everyday Lagos and Nigerian, in general, misbehavior. :)

This novel is packed to the gills with great ideas, interesting storytelling structure set in two times, and a very interesting re-take on the old trope of telepathy and noir/spy fiction. To speak of the little parts as if they are the best part is to miss the point, however. As a whole, the novel flies through wild magic-realm-like excursions, flesh-eating biomorphs, bank-fraud prevention, and very real alien invasion stories.

Am I impressed? Intimidated? Thrilled?
Yes. All of the above.

But one thing should be made very clear: in some ways, the alien is not so much the SF elements, but Rosewater, itself. Culture is STRANGE. Be prepared for a weird ride. :)
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Reading Progress

September 22, 2018 – Shelved
September 22, 2018 – Shelved as: to-read
October 3, 2018 – Started Reading
October 6, 2018 – Shelved as: 2018-shelf
October 6, 2018 – Shelved as: sci-fi
October 6, 2018 – Shelved as: fantasy
October 6, 2018 – Shelved as: transhumanism
October 6, 2018 – Shelved as: biopunk
October 6, 2018 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-5 of 5 (5 new)

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Gerhard Great review, looking forward to reading this. Do you think the 'Africanness' enhances the weirdness?


Bradley For me it does, but that's just because it's close enough to what I know that it just goes... sideways. It's not always an easy read but it is utterly fascinating. :)


message 3: by Kammera (new)

Kammera Puts me in mind of Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor a SF story set in Lagos. Utterly different and entertaining, Although the colloquialisms for that book were ridiculed as being wrong by those that actually live there. I will put this on my to read list


Bradley I enjoyed Lagoon, too. I can't speak for the errors, but the story was fun. :)


Erik How are you going misspell Xenosphere? Come on.


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