Both on my Charlotte dentist website and here, I’ve written a few book reviews over the years. I’m usually selective about the books I read, and I rarely blog about, or review, books that don’t wow me. You’ll have to forgive me now though, as I wax rhapsodic about The Wormwood Trilogy, written by Tade Thompson. Tolkien’s LOTR has been my all-time favorite series ever since around 1984, when my godparents gave me a boxed set. Thompson’s trilogy is now tied for that honor!
Riveting Characters, Plot Twists Galore, Oh My!
Having just finished the conclusion to the trilogy, The Rosewater Redemption, this very morning, I am still trying to absorb it. It will probably take a few times reading it, to tell the truth. The plot is highly complex, takes more twists than Lombardo Street in San Francisco, CA. It experiments with characters in ways I’ve never imagined and then develops them in more new ways from there. The complexity of the world (and universe) that he builds, while keeping focused tightly on Rosewater, in Nigeria, is remarkable.
As I wrote on my Goodreads review today:
I just finished the concluding book of the trilogy this morning, so I don’t want to say too much, as I might give something away. There’s no way I’d want to take anything away from the pure satisfaction of the ending.
One of the reasons I compare it to LOTR though, is that, to my mind, Thompson does a similarly amazing job of making his world come to life in your head in remarkable detail, but without actually writing endless paragraphs of description. So many other recent, and very popular, series go on for book after book after book, because it takes the author that many words to create the world. Not Thompson. His writing is clear, his imagery highly evocative, such that the characters and places come vividly to life. That is truly the sign of a great writer. At least in my opinion. 🙂
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. And if at all possible…..buy all 3 books together, block off the whole weekend, make sure you won’t be disturbed, and don’t stop until you’re done. You won’t be able to anyway.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy have Changed a Lot
For the last 20 years, I haven’t read much Sci-Fi, to be honest. I’ve read primarily science and non-fiction, along with theology, some philosophy, etc. If you like, you can see a fair amount of what I’ve read on my Goodreads profile. But in the summer of 2018, I wanted a break, so I went back to my love of Sci-Fi. Some time around then, I started following Tade Thompson on Twitter (wish I could remember how I found him), and he provided some terrific recommendations, including N.K. Jemisin’s amazing books.
The diversity of characters and authors has grown so much, it’s pretty amazing, and awesome, for this middle-aged white guy. Reading books that embrace LGBTQ+ people and themes, people of color, with women as the dominant characters and heroes, it’s kind of overwhelming, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.