Set in Nigeria some time after the year 2060, this slightly dystopian science fiction book describes a future in which an alien entity (code named Wormwood) has landed on Earth and established itself in Nigeria, forming an impenetrable dome. It neither communicates nor makes any aggressive moves, but once a year the dome opens, and those in the immediate area are healed of injuries and disease, so an encampment forms around the perimeter which eventually turns into the city called Rosewater (ironically named because of the stink of the makeshift sewage).

One of the side effects of the alien's arrival is the development of Ascomycetes xenosphericus, a fungal organism that infects the environment and allows certain "sensitives" to use the omnipresence of the fungus to pick up thoughts from other people (it is blocked by antifungal compounds). Effectively this has created a group of specialized empaths of various sorts, and one of these is our protagonist Kaaro. We see the story unfold through his eyes, learning both the history of Rosewater and Wormwood, and a glimpse into what will be its future.

This is a book that uses mycology as a base element of worldbuilding and a very masculine narrator, so this would be a really interesting companion book to read along side Raising the Stones by Sherri Tepper, which also uses a mycological world infection, but is told from a very female perspective.

I liked the creativity in this world and the imaginative setting; however, I found Kaaro rather unlikeable and very hard to sympathize with, which is always a problem for me. I was also annoyed by the way the author jumps backwards and forwards in time with each chapter, so it's very disorienting and takes most of the book to piece together where each part of the story is happening and how they tie together - I don't mind a little bit of this, but back and forth every single chapter seemed excessive and became just annoying after a while. So this book is definitely not for everybody, but if you're into afro-futurism, mycology, or weird alien futures in general you may enjoy it.

It's the first of a trilogy, but comes to a reasonably satisfying conclusion although it's clear the door is open for a continuation of the story.