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livelywormy32's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
cojack's review
5.0
4.5 stars. All the world and character building in the first book pays off in this second installment. Lots of action & twists, with plenty left to explore in the final book. I love the way the author blends aliens, political history, intrigue, action, human foibles, and humor.
emnii's review
3.0
Reviewer's Note: This is a review of the second novel in the Wormwood trilogy, so spoilers for the first novel should be expected. If you haven't read Rosewater, you should do that first because it's excellent, but The Rosewater Insurrection does an admirable job of bringing a new reader up to speed. While I never recommend jumping into the middle of a trilogy, it could work in this case. Either way, the spoiler-free review of The Rosewater Insurrection is that it's action-packed and slightly weird, but doesn't quite live up to the previous novel. 7/10. Last warning, spoilers for Rosewater will follow.
Following the events of Rosewater, The Rosewater Insurrection follows a handful of different perspectives as the city of Rosewater continues to act as host to an invading but seemingly benevolent alien. What the residents of Rosewater don't know is that the alien is just a "footholder" for a subtle but complete invasion as aliens essentially download themselves into human bodies. While this starts to take shape, the government of Rosewater declares its independence from their host county of Nigeria, which turns all eyes inward at a time when the alien is going through some changes.
Where Rosewater largely followed Kaaro, The Rosewater Insurrection makes Kaaro a secondary character to several others, such as Aminat, the alien avatar Anthony, and other characters more central to the plot. The multiple perspective changes serve to give a more complete picture of what's going on within the city of Rosewater than the singular perspective from Kaaro, but the non-linearity of perspective and the expanded cast is a lot to keep track of sometimes. The point, however, is that Rosewater is the focus of the story moreso than any one character.
While this hopping around might make a novel feel jittery or uneven, The Rosewater Insurrection progressively and competently builds to a crescendo that mostly pays off. Like the previous novel, this one suitably combines the near-future with weirdness and it's still fun the second time around. It does pull some stuff out of its pocket that feels like rewriting continuity a bit, but I'm excited to see where the next novel goes.
Following the events of Rosewater, The Rosewater Insurrection follows a handful of different perspectives as the city of Rosewater continues to act as host to an invading but seemingly benevolent alien. What the residents of Rosewater don't know is that the alien is just a "footholder" for a subtle but complete invasion as aliens essentially download themselves into human bodies. While this starts to take shape, the government of Rosewater declares its independence from their host county of Nigeria, which turns all eyes inward at a time when the alien is going through some changes.
Where Rosewater largely followed Kaaro, The Rosewater Insurrection makes Kaaro a secondary character to several others, such as Aminat, the alien avatar Anthony, and other characters more central to the plot. The multiple perspective changes serve to give a more complete picture of what's going on within the city of Rosewater than the singular perspective from Kaaro, but the non-linearity of perspective and the expanded cast is a lot to keep track of sometimes. The point, however, is that Rosewater is the focus of the story moreso than any one character.
While this hopping around might make a novel feel jittery or uneven, The Rosewater Insurrection progressively and competently builds to a crescendo that mostly pays off. Like the previous novel, this one suitably combines the near-future with weirdness and it's still fun the second time around. It does pull some stuff out of its pocket that feels like rewriting continuity a bit, but I'm excited to see where the next novel goes.
readingwithstardust's review
3.0
Bit of a slog, not gonna lie. Hoping for a strong finish with book 3!
taylor_hohulin's review
5.0
HO. LEE. CRAP.
Book Two of the Wormwood Trilogy amps up everything that made Rosewater such an imaginative, exciting sci fi gem. The pacing is absolutely relentless. It reads like 400 straight pages of climax. As creative as Rosewater was, The Rosewater Insurrection goes absolutely bananas in the best way possible. The things it sets up for book three are fascinating, and promise to make things even crazier.
So, yeah. Highly recommended.
Book Two of the Wormwood Trilogy amps up everything that made Rosewater such an imaginative, exciting sci fi gem. The pacing is absolutely relentless. It reads like 400 straight pages of climax. As creative as Rosewater was, The Rosewater Insurrection goes absolutely bananas in the best way possible. The things it sets up for book three are fascinating, and promise to make things even crazier.
So, yeah. Highly recommended.
gloating_elixir's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mikime's review
4.0
In this second part of the Wormwood series a new character is introduced, a woman who wakes up with no memories of her life. Readers soon find out that she is a part of the aliens' long plan to invade earth. Familiar characters have to fight to protect themselves, her and their loved ones among power struggles and actual warfare. Indeed the government is at war with the insurrecting city of Rosewater, as the dome's regenerative powers are fading and an alien plant seems to be taking over people. Finally, the person in charge decides to find a compromise with the aliens to save the city from the worst. Lots of events involving new as well as recurring characters, while deeper insights into the situation and into characters' lives are revealed. Looking forward to the third part!
rach_scifibookclub's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
micksland's review
4.0
4 stars
Nominee: 2020 Locus Award for Best SF Novel
___
Tade Thompson’s “Wormwood Trilogy” continues with a fast-paced second installment. I will always be in awe of Dr. Thompson’s work, since he is both a physician and an award-winning science fiction novelist. I actually enjoyed this one more than the first entry; it has a much more cohesive, action-driven storyline.
I liked the multiple narrators; each chapter jumps between the experiences of a few key characters as they live through political upheaval. The jumping viewpoints reflect the chaos and ever-evolving nature of the insurrection, while constantly propelling the story forward. I loved the backstory about the nature of Wormwood and the true goals of the aliens; it made me retroactively appreciate the first novel more.
There were some characters whose POV I really didn’t enjoy, which is unfortunately often the case with novels that have multiple narrators. Aminat, Alyssa, Jacques, and Kaaro all had much more interesting things to say than Eric and Walter. This was especially frustrating given the fact that Walter’s main chapter was five times the length of most other chapters in the book. Because of this, I ended up giving the novel four stars, but I am very excited to see how the trilogy ends. If Thompson keeps the focus on my favorite protagonists rather than side characters, I’m sure it will be a blast!
Nominee: 2020 Locus Award for Best SF Novel
___
Tade Thompson’s “Wormwood Trilogy” continues with a fast-paced second installment. I will always be in awe of Dr. Thompson’s work, since he is both a physician and an award-winning science fiction novelist. I actually enjoyed this one more than the first entry; it has a much more cohesive, action-driven storyline.
I liked the multiple narrators; each chapter jumps between the experiences of a few key characters as they live through political upheaval. The jumping viewpoints reflect the chaos and ever-evolving nature of the insurrection, while constantly propelling the story forward. I loved the backstory about the nature of Wormwood and the true goals of the aliens; it made me retroactively appreciate the first novel more.
There were some characters whose POV I really didn’t enjoy, which is unfortunately often the case with novels that have multiple narrators. Aminat, Alyssa, Jacques, and Kaaro all had much more interesting things to say than Eric and Walter. This was especially frustrating given the fact that Walter’s main chapter was five times the length of most other chapters in the book. Because of this, I ended up giving the novel four stars, but I am very excited to see how the trilogy ends. If Thompson keeps the focus on my favorite protagonists rather than side characters, I’m sure it will be a blast!
julius15's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0