Science Fiction

I just finished reading the third book, so I thought I'd put my notes on the three of them together.

Rosewater

• No few sentences of summary are going to do this book justice. It takes place in near future Nigeria. Some decades prior, complex alien life has landed (impacted) on earth; now there’s an alien dome in Nigeria, and a town has grown around it. The main character, Kaaro, is one of the “sensitives" that have become more prevalent - people who can access and interact with the thoughts of others. He’s not a great guy, initially using his abilities to steal, later getting pulled into a secret government organization. The story is told through three different timelines, which are creatively woven together. I really enjoyed the new ideas and interesting storytelling of this book. Will read the sequel.

The Rosewater Insurrection

• Book two of the Wormwood trilogy. Kaaro from the first book is an instrumental character, but Aminat is now central. The first woman who has become more alien plant than human has been identified, and Aminat is tasked with finding and studying her. Mayor Jack Jacques declares independence of the city, and there is war between humans, but Wormwood is also at war. As with the first book, there’s a lot going on, but this one is a little more linear. Very good and enjoyable.

The Rosewater Redemption

• This one has a grander scope and scale, with most of the characters from the prior books engaged in one thing or another. In the aftermath of the war of the prior book, the town is healing, but things may be much worse than they seem. I really enjoyed the whole series, and this final book creates a pretty satisfying conclusion. The new ideas and interesting storytelling that I commented on regarding the first book continue through the trilogy.