The Wormwood Trilogy - The Rosewater Redemption by Tade Thompson
A reminder this section of the blog is where I look at series and how they evolve and finish. Here I’m covering the end of a fantastic science fiction series that has rightly been lauded the last few years. The Wormwood trilogy by Tade Thomson is now complete. I have already reviewed the Clarke Award winning Rosewater and its sequel The Rosewater Insurrection (reviews at the links) so let’s see how this saga ends…
I would like to thank Nazia from Orbit Books for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher – Orbit Books
Published – Out Now
Price - £8.99
NB - there will be some spoilers for the previous books
What is this series about?
This trilogy has been a brilliantly creative tale of an alien invasion we just don’t see very often. In 2012 a giant alien lifeform known as Wormwood invaded London and after attempts to remove it resurfaced in Rosewater a small settlement in Nigeria. The initial global impacts of Wormwood’s arrival were huge - the US shut themselves off from the rest of the world; the UK becomes powerless and telepaths suddenly arose in the global population becoming a valuable resource. In Rosewater the immediate impacts were also huge – the dead could become reanimated; strange alien jellyfish-like monsters float in the jungles devouring the unwary and yet miraculously Wormwood’s biodome form can also cure the sick and injured drawing people to it like moths to a flame.
One of the biggest mysteries of the trilogy has been what exactly is Wormwood and what is its intentions. Over the course of the previous books it was revealed that Wormwood was created by an ancient alien race known as Homians billions of years ago. Their world was dying and to survive the apocalypse their consciousnesses were downloaded to a strange mind space dimension known as the xenosphere and they’ve been searching for a new home. Over the course of the last two novels the inhabitants of Rosewater and the Homians have been trying to work out what their relationship is. Initially the Homians were just taking bodies of the dead subtly; then they’ve learnt to trade their amazing technology in exchange for the bodies of the dead but what is the next step in their relationship? And why is there a time traveller appearing throughout the narrative? Where did the US hide? This time everything gets explained and Rosewater will once again be hugely changed for the last time.
So, is this a happy ending?
We arrive at Rosewater at its zenith. when it is living the dream of being a new high-powered state in its own right. With the alliance with the Homians they are now finally independent of Nigeria; able to defend themselves; have access to alien power sources and now easily have the ability to heal the sick and injured across the land. But you know that feeling that everything looks too good to be last? This is both the kind of book you will scream Nooooo and one then stay up late to finish to see what happens next. It’s also the kind of book where you get to re-appraise the whole series and it’s a fitting end to a stunning and often surprising series.
The key to this instalment is the partnership between the Homians and the humans that started in the Rosewater Insurrection. This is administrated by the wily politician Jacques Jack who has finally achieved his dream of major power in the region and the aliens who appear ruled by the entity known as Koriko. But immediately tensions between the two communities resume and we now have aliens that want to pretend to be human and the scarier synners – aliens that take over the body of a deceased and decide to act as inhumanly as possible – often resulting in more deaths. Inevitably tensions arise – can humanity really trust these aliens bearing gifts and for the Homians do they really need to listen to these primitives when all these bodies could be taken at last?
What really helps pay this off if Thompson has created these various factions over two books and the course of decades. We know what each type of groups within Rosewater really well now; but the ultimate question is when this conflict finally looms on the horizon what will they do? The central characters in the trilogy have always been the powerful yet rather selfish telepath Kaaro and the ultra-professional Aminat both of whom have worked in some way for the strategic minded and often duplicitous Femi. One of the great aspects of this tale has been how people evolve over time. Kaaro I loved as in the first book we see him as appallingly selfish arrogant young man and yet later on while still a tad self-indulgent but more prone to trying to do the right thing and he’s clearly in love with Aminat. Aminat herself initially sees the desire to do all by the book but she sometimes has moved to do the right thing outside the rule book. But now back in the mix is their former boss - the dangerous machiavellian Ms Femi Alaagomeji freed from prison after the events of the second book and she has a plan that may tear the couple apart. When you have invested time getting to know these characters and seeing them love each other you care how they survive a final conflict and that’s the emotional force powering the book. It helps though that the entire large cast even the aliens are so engaging – I trust Jacques as far as I can throw him but still admire that level of swivelling to win; I love her joyful gay brother with fire starting abilities Layi who is about to go on his first Pride March in the town and the amazingly enigmatic but powerful hacker Bad Fish has returned. Prepare to be emotionally compromised.
What’s been impressing me over the course of this series has been the constant surprises. It’s been a thriller; an alien invasion tale; a war story and throughout excellent science fiction. All these factions have been skilfully set up for this volume with characters about to cross paths one last time and It got a beautiful ‘oh s***’ moment when someone reveals their agenda that you know things will hit the fan now. And while the final battle for Rosewater gets underway, we also get a debate on what is consciousness; a final tour through the xenosphere plus an explanation for time travel that was deliciously unexpected. So much going on, yet all is serving the key plot making this a wonderful conclusion so it never feels overcooked.
But reading the end of the tale and seeing that final evolution in how Homians and Humans see each other was a huge ‘wow’ moment and the trilogy has explored the concept of and the stages of colonialism. In some ways I’m always tended to be someone who sympathises with the alien versus the humans - we tend to be seen as the more selfish. Over the course of the story I’ve been wanting to see peace – look at the cool knowledge and technology the aliens have you’d want to be friends with them, wouldn’t you? But sometimes gifts can be really bribes and perhaps an ultra-powerful force will want something more from you than peace? At that moment you’re not partners you’re the conquered. With my privilege of being a white guy from the UK did that mean I didn’t want to see how this would end? I must admit I suspect it did blind me but when you realise that these three stories have been building to such a brilliant point then I have to applaud.
This is a series that like the Homian intelligences that evolved and infiltrated my thoughts and I suspect will do so for many years to come The series is creative; packs emotional punches and it’s fantastic SF. Tade Thompson is one of the most interesting science fiction writers out there and the whole Wormwood trilogy is one you should be devouring.Go get this into your brains!
