Rosewater, a novel by Nigerian-born British writer Tade Thompson saw off competition from 124 other eligible contenders to win the Arthur C Clarke Award regarded as United Kingdom’s most prestigious prize for science fiction novels, the novel set in 2066 is about the aftermath of an alien invasion that has left much of humanity powerless through airborne microscopic fungal spores, Rosewater is the name of a new town that forms on the outskirts of an alien bio-dome dropped in rural Nigeria.
The dome opens once a year healing all nearby sick people and gives new life to the dead and begins to influence people in unusual ways, the alien presence has also awakened telepathic skills among select humans, dubbed ‘sensitives’ and the novel follows one kaaro who investigates when other sensitives begin to die. The chair of the prize judges commended Tade Thompson on expertly exploring the nature of the alien, global power structures and pervasive technologies with a winning combination of science-fictional invention, gritty plotting, and sly wit.
The award came with a trophy and the £2,019 prize.
Tade Thompson was born in London to Yoruba parents and grew up in Nigeria. He studied medicine and social anthropology and went on to specialize in Psychiatry
