Please note The Rosewater Insurrection is a direct sequel to Rosewater. With that in mind it is likely, if you are not familiar with the first book in the Wormwood trilogy, then what follows may contain some minor spoilers. Consider yourself warned! All is quiet in the city of Rosewater as it expands on the back of the gargantuan alien Wormwood. Those who know the truth of the invasion keep the secret. The government agent Aminat, the lover of the retired sensitive Kaaro, is at the forefront of the cold, silent conflict. She must capture a woman who is the key to the survival of the human race. But Aminat is stymied by the machinations of the Mayor of Rosewater and the emergence of an old enemy of Wormwood… Last September I read the first book in The Wormwood Trilogy, Rosewater by Tade Thompson. It was one of my highlights of 2018. The sequel, The Rosewater Insurrection, has recently been released and picks up where events left off. The city of Rosewater has become a focal point, not just for Nigeria, but for the entire planet. A vast city-sized entity, known as Wormwood, is slowly changing the world we inhabit….

Rosewater is a town on the edge. A community formed around the edges of a mysterious alien biodome, its residents comprise the hopeful, the hungry and the helpless—people eager for a glimpse inside the dome or a taste of its rumored healing powers. Kaaro is a government agent with a criminal past. He has seen inside the biodome, and doesn’t care to again—but when something begins killing off others like himself, Kaaro must defy his masters to search for an answer, facing his dark history and coming to a realization about a horrifying future. A strange alien presence has arrived on Earth and set up residence in the middle of Nigeria. In this special location, a town has grown up over a handful of years. Rosewater is a melting pot of different people and different attitudes. It doesn’t matter if you are seeking religious enlightenment, dabbling in some corporate greed, or a vicious drug dealing thug, Rosewater offers opportunity for all. Kaaro makes for a compelling protagonist. He is not what you would call a traditional hero, quite the reverse in fact. He is a coward, a thief and is disinterested in just about everything except himself. The problem is…