Author photo by Carla Roadnight

Rosewater by Tade Thompson (Orbit) has been announced as the 33rd winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the UK’s most prestigious prize for science fiction literature.

Rosewater—Thompson’s second novel—follows Kaaro, a government agent and a “sensitive,” meaning he can read the thoughts and emotions of other people. He lives in Rosewater, Nigeria—a community at the edge of an alien biodome rumored to have healing powers. When Kaaro learns that others like him are being killed off, he must search for an answer, facing his own dark past and coming to a realization about a horrifying future.

Dr. Andrew M Butler, Chair of Judges, said of winning book:

“Alien invasion is always a political subject, and Tade Thompson’s debut novel Rosewater expertly explores 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 Clarke Award winner was announced on the evening of Wednesday 17th July at a special ceremony held at the Foyles flagship bookshop on Charing Cross Road, London, and presented in front of an audience of science fiction writers, publishers and fans.

Rosewater is the first book in Thompson’s Wormwood trilogy. The Rosewater Insurrection is available now, with the concluding volume, The Rosewater Redemption, forthcoming from Orbit in October 2019.