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Tade Thompson
Tade Thompson
from Wikipedia

Tade Thompson Listen FRSL is a British psychiatrist and writer of Yoruba descent.[1] He is best known for his 2016 science fiction novel Rosewater, which won a Nommo Award and an Arthur C. Clarke Award.[2]

Key Information

Life and career

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Thompson was born in London, England, to Yoruba parents. His family left the United Kingdom for Nigeria in 1976, when Thompson was seven. He grew up in Nigeria, where he studied medicine and social anthropology. He went on to specialise in psychiatry. He returned to the UK in 1998, where he has remained, except for a year spent working in Samoa.[3]

As well as being an author, Thompson also works full-time at St James' Hospital, Portsmouth, where he specializes in mental illnesses in people with physical problems. In July 2020, he told The Guardian that he could not imagine leaving medicine, saying: “The hospital work is a calling. I help people.”[4]

Thompson is also an illustrator and artist.[5][6]

Reception and awards

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Thompson's novels and short stories have been critically well received, with critics commenting on their originality and breadth of vision.[7] Thompson was a John W. Campbell Award finalist and has been shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Award, the BSFA Award, and the Nommo Award. His novel Rosewater won the 2019 Arthur C. Clarke Award, making Thompson the second writer of black African heritage to win the prize.[8]

In 2023, Thompson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.[9]

Awards and honors
Year Work Award Category Result Ref.
2016 "The Apologists" BSFA Award Short Fiction Shortlisted [10]
2017 The Last Pantheon[a] Nommo Award Novella Shortlisted [11]
The Murders of Molly Southbourne BSFA Award Shorter Fiction Shortlisted [12]
Shirley Jackson Award Novella Nominated [13]
Rosewater Campbell Memorial Award Finalist [14]
Nommo Award Novel Won [11]
2018 The Murders of Molly Southbourne British Fantasy Award Novella Shortlisted [15]
Nommo Award Novella Won [16]
Rosewater BSFA Award Novel Shortlisted [17]
2019 Rosewater Arthur C. Clarke Award Won [2]
The Rosewater Insurrection BSFA Award Novel Shortlisted [18]
The Survival of Molly Southbourne BSFA Award Shorter Fiction Shortlisted [18]
"Yard Dog" Theodore Sturgeon Award Finalist [19]
2020 The Murders of Molly Southbourne Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire Foreign Short Fiction Won [20]
The Rosewater Insurrection Locus Award[b] Science Fiction Novel Finalist [21]
Nommo Award Novel Shortlisted [22]
The Rosewater Redemption Dragon Award Science Fiction Novel Nominated [23]
Locus Award[b] Science Fiction Novel Finalist [21]
Philip K. Dick Award Nominated [24]
The Survival of Molly Southbourne British Fantasy Award Novella Shortlisted [25]
Ignyte Award Novella Finalist [26]
The Wormwood Trilogy Hugo Award Series Finalist [27]
2022 Far from the Light of Heaven Nommo Award Novel Shortlisted [28]
Philip K. Dick Award Finalist [29]
2023 The Legacy of Molly Southbourne Philip K. Dick Award Special Citation [30]

Bibliography

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Other work

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Notes

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Tade Thompson is a British of Yoruba descent, best known as an acclaimed author and practicing whose works blend with themes of identity, , and human . Born in in the 1970s to Yoruba parents, he spent much of his childhood in before returning to the in 1998, where he studied and . Thompson resides in and works full-time as a specializing in issues among patients with physical illnesses, while maintaining a rigorous writing schedule that has produced multiple award-winning novels and short stories. Thompson's literary career began with his , Making Wolf (2015), an alternate-history crime thriller set in a futuristic that explores violence and redemption through the story of a bioengineered soldier. The book won the Golden Tentacle Award for best at the 2016 Kitschies, recognizing its innovative prose and thematic depth. His breakthrough came with the Wormwood Trilogy, beginning with Rosewater (2016), a near-future tale of alien invasion and Nigerian society that reimagines through a in a walled city. The novel secured the inaugural Award for Best Novel in 2017, Africa's premier prize for , and the in 2019, the UK's highest honor for . The trilogy continued with The Rosewater Insurrection (2019) and The Rosewater Redemption (2019), earning further acclaim for their intricate world-building and psychological insight. In addition to his novels, Thompson has authored the Molly Southbourne series of horror novellas, starting with The Murders of Molly Southbourne (2017), which follows a girl compelled to kill bloody doppelgangers of herself and has been optioned for a adaptation. Other notable works include the Far From the Light of Heaven (2021), a murder mystery aboard a , and short fiction such as "The Apologists," as well as the 2025 novella One Night Only. Thompson's writing often draws from his medical and anthropological background, emphasizing emotional authenticity and cultural hybridity, and he has been shortlisted for prestigious awards including the Hugo, Locus, , and Memorial. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has contributed to Afrofuturism's global rise as the spokesperson for the Awards.

Early life and education

Childhood and upbringing

Tade Thompson was born in the 1970s in to Yoruba parents originally from . His early years in , particularly in Wimbledon, exposed him to British culture amid a family environment rich in literature, as his father, a , maintained a home library that fostered a love of reading from a young age. The family's frequent travels, influenced by his father's professional commitments—including work behind the —stemmed from his parents' separation and added layers to his formative experiences. Around the age of seven in 1976, Thompson relocated with his family to , marking a profound shift in his upbringing. This move immersed him deeply in and language, which he began learning formally in alongside mythology lessons, though he initially struggled with the transition more than his sister, who adapted more readily to languages. The abrupt relocation brought challenges, including profound and limited in his early years there, as he navigated the contrasts between his British childhood and Nigerian daily life. This period of cultural duality profoundly shaped Thompson's sense of identity, blending British influences from his birthplace with the vibrant Yoruba traditions of his heritage, while his family's emphasis on —evident in the value placed on and learning—laid the groundwork for his intellectual development. The challenges of amid relocation highlighted the tensions of straddling two worlds, experiences that echoed through his later reflections on belonging.

Academic background

Thompson began his formal education in medicine while living in Nigeria, where he pursued medical studies, including attending university in eastern Nigeria for seven years. He also earned a postgraduate degree in , with studies spanning both Nigeria and the , providing him with a foundational understanding of cultural and . In 1998, Thompson returned to the to advance his professional development in the medical field. He specialized in , completing residency training and achieving certification as a consultant psychiatrist. This included becoming a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2007, marking his formal recognition within the British psychiatric community. His expertise in further honed during this phase of advanced training.

Professional career

Medical practice

Tade Thompson has worked as a at St James' Hospital in , , since returning to the country in 1998. In this role, he serves as a consultant in , focusing on the intersection of and physical illnesses among adult patients. His clinical responsibilities include assessing and treating psychiatric conditions in hospital settings, often involving complex cases where somatic disorders complicate care. Thompson's practice emphasizes work with diverse patient populations, including ethnic minorities and immigrant communities in the UK. He has co-authored research on cross-cultural issues in measuring behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) among these groups, highlighting challenges in diagnosis and symptom interpretation across cultural contexts. These contributions reflect his engagement with multicultural healthcare demands in Portsmouth's diverse urban environment. Leveraging his postgraduate qualifications in , Thompson incorporates into his psychiatric approaches, particularly to better serve immigrant patients by considering ethnocultural factors in and treatment. This integration aids in bridging gaps in services for non-Western backgrounds, informed by his own Yoruba heritage and experiences across and the . Balancing his full-time medical role with presents ongoing challenges, including amid the high-stress demands of hospital psychiatry. Thompson maintains a rigorous schedule, rising at 5 a.m. for 1.5 hours of writing before shifts, and continuing late into evenings despite deadlines for novels and media projects. He has described this dual career as interconnected rather than conflicting, viewing his psychiatric and anthropological insights as enhancing his narrative work without compromising patient care.

Writing and creative pursuits

Thompson's writing career gained momentum with the publication of his debut novel, Making Wolf, in 2015, a gritty alternate-history thriller blending crime and speculative elements set in a fictional West African nation. The novel's success, including its win for the Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award for best debut, propelled him into the speculative fiction scene, where he continued to produce novels, novellas, and short stories while balancing his medical practice. Expanding beyond prose, Thompson has pursued , crafting scripts for television and that draw on his narrative expertise. In 2025, he contributed to the universe with One Night Only, a novella featuring the encountering the musician during a pivotal 1970s performance in . This project highlights his growing involvement in multimedia storytelling, informed in part by his psychiatric background, which subtly shapes the psychological depth in his characters across mediums. As a multifaceted creator, Thompson also works as an and visual , describing himself as a dedicated amateur who integrates into his creative process. He has provided self-illustrations for select projects, including visual elements in collaborative works, and produces independent artwork that complements his literary themes. Early in his career, Thompson contributed to the landmark anthology AfroSF: by African Writers in 2012, with his story "Notes from ," which explores and in a near-future setting. This involvement connected him to a burgeoning community of African speculative writers. In 2024, he collaborated with Nick Wood on the novella The Last Pantheon, a of African superhero tropes through the lens of post-colonial history and fraternal conflict. By 2025, Thompson's output remained prolific, with the publication of Liberation, a Tor Original novelette depicting the high-stakes drama of Nigeria's inaugural mission amid technical and political turmoil. That same year, he featured in Uncanny Magazine Issue 62 with new short fiction, further solidifying his presence in contemporary speculative outlets.

Literary works

Novels

Tade Thompson's , Making Wolf, was published in 2015 by Cassava Republic Press. The story follows Weston Kogi, a in who returns to the fictional West African nation of Alcacia for his aunt's , only to become entangled in a conspiracy involving mercenaries, local politics, and his own family's secrets. Blending elements of noir thriller and , the narrative explores themes of identity, corruption, and the clash between diaspora life and realities. Thompson's most prominent series, the Wormwood Trilogy, is set in a near-future where an alien entity known as Wormwood crash-lands and establishes a called Rosewater, which heals the sick but induces psychic abilities and dependency among locals. The first book, Rosewater (2018, ), centers on Kaaro, a former bank robber and government agent with sensitivity to the alien presence, as he navigates , romance, and the dome's enigmatic influence amid cultural tensions in a post-colonial society. Themes include reimagined through an African lens, mental colonization, and the fusion of Yoruba mythology with , often described as . The sequel, The Rosewater Insurrection (2019, ), escalates the conflict as Rosewater's inhabitants rebel against the alien overlords, with Kaaro grappling with betrayal, emerging superhumans, and Wormwood's manipulative agenda. It delves deeper into themes of resistance, identity fragmentation, and the ethical costs of between humans and extraterrestrials in a Nigerian context. The trilogy concludes with The Rosewater Redemption (2019, ), where global powers converge on Rosewater for a climactic battle, revealing Wormwood's true intentions to humanity; Kaaro's journey culminates in themes of redemption, cultural sovereignty, and the blurred lines between invasion and evolution. Initial reception praised the series for its innovative world-building and critique of , with Rosewater earning acclaim for its vivid portrayal of Nigerian futurism. In 2021, Thompson published the standalone Far from the Light of Heaven (), a aboard the colony ship en route to Bloodroot. Captain Michelle "Shell" Campion awakens to discover thirty-one colonists murdered, unraveling a conspiracy involving corporate intrigue, AI ethics, and interstellar ; the plot incorporates hard sci-fi elements like cryosleep and travel. Themes address exploitation in space expansion, human augmentation, and trust in a multi-species future, receiving positive notes for its tense pacing and diverse cast. Jackdaw (2022, Cheerio Publishing), a literary horror , follows an unnamed —modeled after Thompson himself—hired to write about artist , leading to an obsessive descent into Bacon's chaotic life, relationships, and artistic obsessions. The narrative weaves biographical fiction with elements, exploring themes of creativity's destructive potential, , and the artist's inner turmoil. It was initially lauded for its intimate, introspective style and bold genre fusion.

Novellas and short fiction

Thompson's novella series, the Molly Southbourne Trilogy, exemplifies his engagement with and themes of identity fragmentation. The first installment, The Murders of Molly Southbourne (2017), introduces protagonist Molly, who must ritually kill blood-spawned doppelgangers of herself that emerge whenever she bleeds, blending psychological tension with visceral self-destruction. The sequel, The Survival of Molly Southbourne (2019), follows an amnesiac Molly navigating a post-apocalyptic world while evading her relentless clones, amplifying the horror through survival instincts clashing with fragmented self-awareness. Concluding the trilogy, The Legacy of Molly Southbourne (2022) shifts to Molly's daughter inheriting the curse, exploring intergenerational trauma and the inescapable cycle of bodily betrayal in a laced with gore and existential dread. These works draw on body horror traditions, where physical replication underscores , echoing broader motifs of identity in Thompson's oeuvre. Among standalone novellas, Gnaw (2016) presents a haunted house tale set in rural , where the Newton family's relocation to Irongrove Lodge unleashes supernatural infestations and auditory hauntings driven by the property's insatiable spiritual appetite, heightening domestic horror through escalating family peril. Co-authored with Nick Wood, The Last Pantheon (2024) reimagines dynamics in a steampunk-infused , pitting superpowered brothers against each other in a conflict that probes colonial legacies and moral ambiguity in African history. Also in 2025, Thompson contributed to the Icons series with One Night Only: A Fela Kuti Story ( Children's ), a 112-page novella-length tale featuring the , , and musician combating mind-harvesting aliens in 1970s London; it incorporates culture and themes of cultural resistance against exploitation. Thompson's short fiction spans , horror, and fantasy, often appearing in prestigious anthologies and magazines. In "Elegba's Valley" (2021, reprinted in The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 7, 2023), a set in a utopian African enclave, the story examines the societal impacts of universal abundance and , blending speculative with cultural introspection. "The Luck Thief" (2023, in The Book of Witches), unfolds in a magical underbelly of modern , where a cursed man shape-shifts through , leading to twists involving accusations and lost love, evoking with witchy curses and unreliable perspectives. His most recent story, "The Flaming Embusen" (2025, in Uncanny Magazine Issue 62), follows Earth investigator Jero probing a spaceship collision between AI-differing civilizations, complicated by personal hauntings from relativistic travel, merging mystery with emotional sci-fi depth. Earlier contributions, such as "Notes from " (2012, in AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers), showcase his early explorations of speculative African futures, establishing patterns in his concise prose. Thompson's Liberation (2025, ), a Tor Original , depicts Nigeria's inaugural space mission, where a young recruit faces catastrophe as technical failures and interpersonal conflicts jeopardize the launch and crew's survival. The story highlights themes of national ambition, technological hubris, and resilience in emerging space powers.

Essays and edited works

The anthology AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers (2012), edited by Ivor W. Hartmann, featured original stories from contributors including , Chinelo Onwualu, S.A. Partridge, Nick Wood, Uko Bendi Udo, and Thompson himself with "Notes from ," highlighting diverse voices in African and fostering the genre's growth on the continent. This editorial effort helped establish platforms for African speculative writers, contributing to the formation of the African Speculative Fiction Society in 2015. In his non-fiction writing, Thompson has addressed topics in African and the challenges of creative production. In a 2018 essay for Literary Hub, "Please Stop Talking About the 'Rise' of African ," he critiqued media portrayals of the genre as newly emerging, instead tracing its roots to early 20th-century works like Jean-Louis Njemba Medu's Nnanga Kon (1932) and Muhammadu Bello Kagara's Gandoki (1934), while noting modern milestones such as Ben Okri's (1991 winner) and Nnedi Okorafor's (2010 winner). He argued that such narratives undermine the established history and ongoing contributions of African authors in science fiction and fantasy. Thompson's 2020 Guardian article explored time management strategies for writers, informed by his psychiatric practice, where he described a rigorous daily routine—rising at 5 a.m. for 1.5 hours of writing, followed by shifts and evening sessions—to balance and creative output. He emphasized prioritizing human emotions in speculative narratives over technical elements like spaceships, stating, "What really interests me are human emotions." This piece reflects how his medical expertise shapes reflections on the psychological demands of sustained writing. In discussions on and , Thompson has linked his psychiatric background to speculative themes, viewing as a tool for reshaping personal and collective myths, such as reinterpreting mental illness narratives like depression as stories of inherent worthlessness that can be edited for . He has explored motifs as metaphors for , drawing parallels to historical cultural erasure in African contexts, as elaborated in a 2020 Narrative Futures podcast episode.

Reception and recognition

Critical reception

Tade Thompson's works have been widely praised for their innovative contributions to , particularly in the Rosewater trilogy, where he masterfully blends Yoruba mythology with elements to create a vividly realized future . Critics have highlighted the trilogy's depiction of an alien biodome called Wormwood, which integrates indigenous spiritual concepts like ancestral connections and reanimation with speculative technologies, offering a fresh perspective on extraterrestrial contact that centers African agency and resilience. For instance, the narrative's fusion of magical realism and hard SF has been lauded for its "unapologetic world-building" and sensory depth, transforming traditional invasion tropes into a story of cultural hybridity and environmental adaptation. Across his oeuvre, Thompson's writing consistently engages profound themes such as , identity, and , often through the lens of networked and postcolonial legacies. In the Rosewater series, the xenosphere—a psychic realm infiltrated by alien intelligence—serves as a for colonial , echoing historical exploitation while exploring how individuals like Kaaro resist mental by constructing protective inner worlds. Reviewers have noted the trilogy's examination of blurred identities and psychological , where characters grapple with and the erosion of autonomy amid alien-human symbiosis, underscoring mental health's fragility in interconnected societies. These elements extend to broader critiques of power dynamics, portraying not as abstract history but as an ongoing psychic and bodily assault, with Thompson drawing parallels to Nigeria's past under British rule and events like the Biafran War. Thompson's critical reception has evolved from his 2016 debut novel Making Wolf, a gritty noir thriller set in a fictional West African nation that was commended for its atmospheric tension and unflinching portrayal of and , to greater international acclaim with the Rosewater and subsequent works. Early reviews appreciated the novel's "cold and forensic" voice in depicting violence and displacement, marking Thompson as a distinctive voice in genre-blending fiction. By the late , his SF output garnered broader recognition for expanding African speculative narratives, with critics positioning him alongside authors like in advancing Afrofuturism's global dialogue on decolonized futures. This trajectory continued into his more recent novels, such as Liberation (2025), which builds on these foundations by intertwining with political upheaval, reflecting sustained praise for Thompson's evolving exploration of identity and resistance in speculative contexts.

Awards and nominations

Tade Thompson's novel Rosewater won the 2017 Nommo Award for Best Speculative Novel for Works Written by Africans, recognizing its innovative blend of science fiction and Africanfuturism. His novella The Murders of Molly Southbourne received the 2018 Nommo Award for Best Speculative Novella for Works Written by Africans. In 2018, Rosewater was shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Award for Best Novel. The following year, Rosewater won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the United Kingdom's premier prize for science fiction literature. Thompson's The Murders of Molly Southbourne earned the 2020 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign Short Fiction, highlighting its translation and reception in French-speaking markets. The Wormwood Trilogy, comprising Rosewater, The Rosewater Insurrection, and The Rosewater Redemption, was nominated for the 2020 . Additionally, The Rosewater Insurrection and The Rosewater Redemption were finalists for the 2020 for Best Novel. In 2023, The Legacy of Molly Southbourne received a special citation from the judges for distinguished original science fiction paperback. That same year, Thompson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in recognition of his contributions to . No major awards or nominations for Thompson's 2025 novel Liberation or his 2025 Doctor Who novella One Night Only have been announced as of November 2025.

References

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