The Rosewater Redemption
Final novel of the Wormwood trilogy, exploring colonization and personhood.
The Rosewater Redemption, a 2019 science fiction novel by Tade Thompson, concludes the Wormwood trilogy, following *Rosewater* (2016) and *The Rosewater Insurrection* (2019). It was a finalist for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.
Eighteen months after the previous book, the Nigerian government and the city of Rosewater remain in conflict. Femi Alaagomeji is freed in a hostage exchange. Along with Eric and Oyin Da, she works to eliminate the alien Homians from Earth. Femi persuades Kaaro to join their efforts. Oyin Da once operated a machine built with alien technology; an explosion killed her original body, leaving her as a non-physical pattern of thought within the xenosphere. In Rosewater, the Homians and humans coexist uneasily. The alien avatar Koriko protects the city and transfers Homian consciousnesses into human bodies. Homians begin murdering humans to seize their corpses, a tactic Koriko opposes, seeking more ethical solutions. Hannah Jacques sues the Rosewater government, arguing the body takeovers violate civil rights; the outcome is ambiguous, but the case sparks anti-Homian sentiment. Nigeria uses criminal groups to destabilize Rosewater’s government, and Kaaro is killed by one such group, his ghost remaining in the xenosphere. Femi and Oyin Da create a virus to destroy the Homians on their data servers, an act of genocide to save humanity. Kaaro’s consciousness is uploaded to the Homian homeworld, where he destroys all Homians and then self-destructs. Wormwood abandons Rosewater, which falls into chaos. Jack Jacques is presumed dead, Aminat escapes to Nigeria, and Femi is arrested but promised a pardon by the incoming president. The novel ends with Femi and Oyin Da discussing art in her prison cell.
The novel explores personhood through characters like Oyin Da, who exists without a body, and Lora Asiko, a robot with control over her own programming. It examines coexistence and colonization from the perspective of a formerly colonized nation, with the United States absent from the main plot. Jack believes the aliens’ benefits outweigh the risk of takeover, while characters like Femi look to their nation’s colonial past as a warning.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Tade Thompson
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- The Wormwood Trilogy
- Genre
- Science fiction; Africanfuturism
- Set In
- Nigeria, 2060s
- Publisher
- Orbit Books
- Published
- 15 October 2019
- Pages
- 419 (hardcover)
- Isbn
- 978-0-316-44909-0
- Preceded By
- The Rosewater Insurrection
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The novel is set eighteen months after the events of The Rosewater Insurrection, with the Nigerian government and Rosewater still opposed. Femi Alaagomeji is released in a hostage exchange and works with Eric and Oyin Da to end the Homian presence on Earth. Oyin Da, a non-physical being existing as a pattern of thought in the xenosphere after a machine explosion, helps create a virus to destroy the Homians on their data servers. Kaaro, killed by a criminal faction, has his consciousness uploaded to Home, where he destroys all Homians and self-destructs. Wormwood abandons Rosewater, leading to chaos; Jack Jacques is presumed dead, Aminat escapes to Nigeria, and Femi is arrested but promised a pardon. Notably, Koriko opposes the Homian practice of murdering humans for their bodies, and Hannah Jacques' lawsuit against the government ends ambiguously, not as a clear loss.
Reader's Guide
The Rosewater Redemption is significant for its exploration of personhood, colonization, and coexistence. Through characters like Oyin Da (a non-physical being) and Lora Asiko (a robot with self-control), the novel questions what it means to be a person. The story is told from the perspective of a formerly colonized country, with the United States absent from the main plot. The Los Angeles Review of Books notes that Thompson's portrayal of Homian colonization forces readers to consider uncomfortable questions about environmentalism and colonization, such as whether a species deserves a second chance after polluting its own planet. The novel also draws boundaries between asylum seekers and colonizers, with Rosewater serving as a safe haven for LGBTQIA individuals, contrasting with Nigeria's persecution of minority groups. The rotating narration among multiple point-of-view characters increases the speed of delivery, according to the Los Angeles Review of Books.
Did You Know?
- Oyin Da exists as a non-physical being, a pattern of thought remaining in the xenosphere after a machine explosion.
- Kaaro's ghost remains in the xenosphere after he is killed by a criminal faction.
- The novel features a Pride March in Rosewater, which is a safe haven for LGBTQIA individuals.
- Femi and Oyin Da create a virus designed to destroy the Homians on their data servers, committing genocide to save humanity.
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