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Manhattan in Reverse
This is a collection of short stories from the master of space opera. Peter Hamilton takes us on a journey from a murder mystery in an alternative Oxford in the 1800s to a story featuring Paula Myo, Deputy Director of the Intersolar Commonwealth's Serious Crimes Directorate.
260 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2011
139 people are currently reading
2188 people want to read
About the author
Peter F. Hamilton
200 books10.1k followersPeter F. Hamilton is a British science fiction author. He is best known for writing space opera. As of the publication of his tenth novel in 2004, his works had sold over two million copies worldwide, making him Britain's biggest-selling science fiction author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
February 11, 2024
“His reaction was a sign of civilization. Nobody reaches for a gun anymore, just for his lawyer.”
My first foray in Hamilton is a collection of short stories. Admittedly and easy way in as Hamilton is best known for his space opera type novels. These tend to be very, very long, eight to twelve hundred pages. I have a couple on my shelves and they have been there for years. This is just a try out before I read one of the lengthier ones.
This consists of seven stories, one of which is pretty much a novella. There are some stories set in Hamilton’s Commonwealth universe, which would probably reverberate more with those who have read the series.
The novella, Watching Trees Grow is set in an alternative world where the Roman Empire didn’t fall. It starts in Oxford in the 1820s where there are already telephones and electric cars and are on the verge of atomic power. It is a detective story and spans over two hundred years. The problem of longevity has been cracked and so we see the same characters over the years.
Footvote looks at modern Britain, with a twist. Someone has opened a wormhole to another planet and is allowing it to stay open for two years. Who goes and who stays and what are the criteria. It’s an exploration of family life and modern Britain.
If at First … is a time travelling story with a twist
The Forever Kitten is very short and explores a form of immortality with a very nasty twist.
Blessed by an Angel is a spin off from his Void series.
The last two stories: The Demon Trap and Manhattan in Reverse are linked to the Commonwealth series and feature Paula Myo, a detective of sorts and a vat grown human.
Hamilton throws lots of ideas around, but the basic theme is about what makes us human. The ideas are interesting and I will read some of his longer stuff if I have a rainy month or two!
My first foray in Hamilton is a collection of short stories. Admittedly and easy way in as Hamilton is best known for his space opera type novels. These tend to be very, very long, eight to twelve hundred pages. I have a couple on my shelves and they have been there for years. This is just a try out before I read one of the lengthier ones.
This consists of seven stories, one of which is pretty much a novella. There are some stories set in Hamilton’s Commonwealth universe, which would probably reverberate more with those who have read the series.
The novella, Watching Trees Grow is set in an alternative world where the Roman Empire didn’t fall. It starts in Oxford in the 1820s where there are already telephones and electric cars and are on the verge of atomic power. It is a detective story and spans over two hundred years. The problem of longevity has been cracked and so we see the same characters over the years.
Footvote looks at modern Britain, with a twist. Someone has opened a wormhole to another planet and is allowing it to stay open for two years. Who goes and who stays and what are the criteria. It’s an exploration of family life and modern Britain.
If at First … is a time travelling story with a twist
The Forever Kitten is very short and explores a form of immortality with a very nasty twist.
Blessed by an Angel is a spin off from his Void series.
The last two stories: The Demon Trap and Manhattan in Reverse are linked to the Commonwealth series and feature Paula Myo, a detective of sorts and a vat grown human.
Hamilton throws lots of ideas around, but the basic theme is about what makes us human. The ideas are interesting and I will read some of his longer stuff if I have a rainy month or two!
June 5, 2017
Another great collection of stories from one of my favorites sci-fi writers.
Watching Trees Grow - 1832: the beginning of industrial revolution. Fuel has been banned due to pollution and limited resources, car batteries are emerging, genetics begin to develop, human longevity strives infinity, all these in a society led by families descending from the Roman Empire, in which murder has been completely eradicated. Except this one murder...
Footvote - set in Commonwealth, it’s the story of an ex-wife, which gives up her values and convictions to be with her children
If at First. . . - it's a detective/time travel mix story. Detective Lanson takes in custody a stalker of one of the most riches men in universe. But when the stalker' story begins to unfold, he finds himself on his side and starts to investigate the so-called victim. What he discovers will change his life forever.
The Forever Kitten – written for Nature magazine, it has less than 1000 words and it’s a creepy/sweet story about innocence and long-lasting childhood.
Blessed by an Angel – story of Inigo’s conception, whom we are familiar with from the Void series.
The Demon Trap & Manhattan in Reverse – both have Paulo Myo in the spotlight and are extremely good.
So, if you’d like to recall some of the Commonwealth wonders and discover new ones, pick it up. PFH never disappoints.
Watching Trees Grow - 1832: the beginning of industrial revolution. Fuel has been banned due to pollution and limited resources, car batteries are emerging, genetics begin to develop, human longevity strives infinity, all these in a society led by families descending from the Roman Empire, in which murder has been completely eradicated. Except this one murder...
Footvote - set in Commonwealth, it’s the story of an ex-wife, which gives up her values and convictions to be with her children
If at First. . . - it's a detective/time travel mix story. Detective Lanson takes in custody a stalker of one of the most riches men in universe. But when the stalker' story begins to unfold, he finds himself on his side and starts to investigate the so-called victim. What he discovers will change his life forever.
The Forever Kitten – written for Nature magazine, it has less than 1000 words and it’s a creepy/sweet story about innocence and long-lasting childhood.
Blessed by an Angel – story of Inigo’s conception, whom we are familiar with from the Void series.
The Demon Trap & Manhattan in Reverse – both have Paulo Myo in the spotlight and are extremely good.
So, if you’d like to recall some of the Commonwealth wonders and discover new ones, pick it up. PFH never disappoints.
June 25, 2014
I am a massive fan of Hamilton's work, and this was the last of his book I hadn't read - I'm now at 100%, huzzah!
My favourite series was the Night's Dawn trilogy - epic space opera meets demonic possession (including living spaceships and Al Capone) - it's awesome! That series is sort of early-era Hamilton, and he released his first short-story collection (A Second Chance at Eden) dipping into that world, or written around that time (with similar inspirations).
This is the second short story collection, and follows a similar theme of dipping into his Commonwealth Universe works, and exploring similar ideas. I didn't love the Commonwealth books quite as much as I loved Night's Dawn (4 stars, vs 5 stars), and likewise I didn't like Manhatten In Reverse as much as A Second Chance at Eden (but the gap was closer, sort 3.2 stars vs 3.4 stars).
The man thinks BIG. A Hamilton idea needs at least a hundred characters and a dozen worlds! Most of these vignettes are fun... but they don't have the immersive WOWzerness that makes me a gushing Hamilton fanboy. His best work in this collection are the further adventures of Paula Myo (his best sci-fi detective character).
And I LIKE big! I love massive stories spanning several books. Heck, the best short stories ever written, may not get more than a four star rating from me - I'm always a tough audience for this form.
BUT - It's definitely worth a read if you like Hamilton, space opera, OR sci-fi short stories.
My favourite series was the Night's Dawn trilogy - epic space opera meets demonic possession (including living spaceships and Al Capone) - it's awesome! That series is sort of early-era Hamilton, and he released his first short-story collection (A Second Chance at Eden) dipping into that world, or written around that time (with similar inspirations).
This is the second short story collection, and follows a similar theme of dipping into his Commonwealth Universe works, and exploring similar ideas. I didn't love the Commonwealth books quite as much as I loved Night's Dawn (4 stars, vs 5 stars), and likewise I didn't like Manhatten In Reverse as much as A Second Chance at Eden (but the gap was closer, sort 3.2 stars vs 3.4 stars).
The man thinks BIG. A Hamilton idea needs at least a hundred characters and a dozen worlds! Most of these vignettes are fun... but they don't have the immersive WOWzerness that makes me a gushing Hamilton fanboy. His best work in this collection are the further adventures of Paula Myo (his best sci-fi detective character).
And I LIKE big! I love massive stories spanning several books. Heck, the best short stories ever written, may not get more than a four star rating from me - I'm always a tough audience for this form.
BUT - It's definitely worth a read if you like Hamilton, space opera, OR sci-fi short stories.
1) Watching Trees Grow
Hamilton's spin on the immortal tale. Similar structure to Stross' Accelerando, catching-up with one immortal character across the years as humanity's progress accelerates to give individuals god-like powers.
2) Footvote
Wormholes (from his Confed series) meets Norfolk (from his Night's Dawn series) with some wishy-washy political angle... didn't think much of it at all (sorry, Peter).
3) If at First...
A fairly simple time-travel story - but the twist is fun :-)
4) The Forever Kitten
Very short (flash fiction?) and more creepy than normal for Hamilton
5) Blessed by an Angel
Set in the Confederations universe - shapeshifting 'Higher' human has sexy fun-times helping regular human boy seduce hot twin girls. Until the Feds foil their scheme!
6) The Demon Trap
Paula Myo short story - easily the best in the book so far :-)
7) Manhatten in ReverseAfter this I read: Q Pootle 5 In Space
Another Paula Myo story - about on a par with The Demon Trap :-)
May 19, 2013
The best material Hamilton has written has all been less than 400p long and some of the very best less than 100p. This volume continues to show this "quality is inversely proportional to length" phenomenon in his writing to be true, with a couple of his best ever tales showing up here.
It's unfortunate for me that both of my favourites in this volume were stories I had come across elsewhere. One is the kind of SF-detective genre mash-up that is both Hamilton's most uniquely distinctive writing trait and what generally plays up his strengths, the other is a very conventional time-travel story in one sense and also a long way from what most people would first think of when asked to describe typical Hamilton.
The other stories are variable in quality but none is bad. Two feature Paula Myo, who is, I would guess, Hamilton's most popular character.
I'd love to see many more of these short story collections.
It's unfortunate for me that both of my favourites in this volume were stories I had come across elsewhere. One is the kind of SF-detective genre mash-up that is both Hamilton's most uniquely distinctive writing trait and what generally plays up his strengths, the other is a very conventional time-travel story in one sense and also a long way from what most people would first think of when asked to describe typical Hamilton.
The other stories are variable in quality but none is bad. Two feature Paula Myo, who is, I would guess, Hamilton's most popular character.
I'd love to see many more of these short story collections.
November 10, 2018
A nice collection of short stories
October 20, 2011
I've been a Peter F Hamilton fan for a long time, in fact the reason I read sci-fi nowadays is because of Pandora's Star. The last collection of short stories by Peter F Hamilton was A Second Chance at Eden released way back in the late 90's, but it was a collection of Confederation exclusive stories based on his Night's Dawn universe. On hearing about this new collection I was rather excited, hoping to see all of the stories that he's written since then. Aside from one glaring omission this is a pretty decent collection and worthy of a place on the shelf of any Hamilton fan.
Watching Trees Grow
Starting off with the longest offering in the collection, Watching Trees Grow was initially published back in 2000 by PS Publishing as a limited edition, though it was later re-published in the Futures anthology from Gollancz.
As an alternate history tale, this story looks at a world where the Roman Empire never fell and the grand families continued to prosper. With the planet in a golden age of sorts it has allowed technology to advance quicker than in our world, with the starting point of the story in the early 1800's comparable to the mid to late 19th century. By selective breeding in the 'Sport of Emperors', life spans of the grand families are now measured in centuries rather than decades of the Shorts.
At its heart Watching Trees Grow is the story of Edward Bucahanan Raleigh's continued investigation into the death of one of his family members at university. Told through his eyes from the night of the murder in 1832 through to the transcendence of the human race to pure energy, Watching Trees Grow is an interesting look at big events during that world's future, all wrapped around the one question: who killed Justin Ascham Raleigh?
Footvote
Footvote is another story originally published by PS Publishing, this one in their first issue of Postscripts, a long-running magazine/anthology. Pan Macmillan are also releasing this one separately as an electronic short story.
Anyway, Footvote is a simple story based on the premise that one man has opened a wormhole to a new planet, New Suffolk, and nobody knows how he's done it. He's set specific conditions on who can travel through the wormhole and settle this new world (these are amusing little tidbits throughout the story), but has given a strict time-frame of two years before he will close the wormhole forever. Footvote focuses on one family, Janette and her two children on the one hand and her ex-husband Colin and his new girlfriend on the other, each with opposing views to the wormhole and its creator.
It's a nice little story, perhaps one of my favourites in the collection due to its subject matter, and its nice to see something set in the near-future. The world Peter has created here could be the basis for an expansion into a full novel, or maybe another short story - I for one would like to see more of New Suffolk and how it's progressed...
If At First...
Here's a story that first saw the light of day in one of the anthologies from Solaris a few years back. It's a short one about a detective that finds himself chasing a suspect into a time machine that then sends his consciousness back to his 1968 body. It's an interesting tale, amusing in parts and easy to read with an ending nicely suited to the tale.
The Forever Kitten
Perhaps unbelievably, this tale is a mere thousand words that once again uses the subject matter of immortality/extended lifespans. Peter seems to have a thing for this and Forever Kitten is an interesting, though short, take that I think is rather successful given its limited word count.
Blessed by an Angel
This is the first of the three Commonwealth stories in this collection, and while the other two are Paula Myo stories, this one is a prequel of sorts to the Void trilogy. Looking at the events surrounding the conception of Inigo, one of the more central characters in the Void series, this introduces the 'angel' of the title, a higher human that can use biononics to change gender from female to male while using this technology to allow the conception of a biononic child.
There's a good bit of detail here and anyone that has read the Void books will fully grasp all the details, though I'm not sure the same can be said if you're new to the universe. I like it as it adds depth to the character and essentially gives a more detailed account of what is only hinted at in the early Void books.
The Demon Trap
The Demon Trap was previously published in the Galactic Empires anthology, but that had limited release and not many would have read it before now. It's nice that it's finally got a wider readership as it is one of the best shorts Peter has written.
The Demon Trap sits nicely between Misspent Youth and Pandora's Star and features Paula Myo, the genetically engineered detective we've all come to know (if you've read the Commonwealth books that is!). With her birth planet the much-hated Huxley's Haven, a planet in the Commonwealth where each person is genetically designed prior to birth to do the job they are allocated, she is an investigator that cannot leave a case until it has finally been solved and justice delivered.
The story itself follows the events of one of the Commonwealth planets, Merioneth, wanting independence and all connections to the Commonwealth closed. This starts off with a terrorist group targeting and killing young dynasty family members in order to pressure CST into closing the wormhole connection. Suffice to say, they are successful in getting the Commonwealth to agree a date that does exactly this. The story goes from there, Paula determined to unravel the mystery behind the attacker and terrorist group.
There is not a lot to dislike in The Demon Trap. Paula is an excellent character and carries the story with ease. There are, however, plenty of references to Peter's previous works (particularly Misspent Youth) and knowing these little details will certainly add to the enjoyment. I can't see any problems for those that haven't read the Commonwealth novels as The Demon Trap is a nice little murder-mystery with added political dealings. One of the best in the collection for sure.
Manhattan in Reverse
The reason I was looking forward to this collection so much: a new story! Manhattan in Reverse is another Paula Myo story that takes place shortly after the end of the Starflyer War depicted in Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained. You don't need to have read those books to enjoy this story as it is completely stand alone with only a few references to the novels.
After convicting a war hero for crimes committed in his youth, Paula Myo needs something that will take her away from the attention she's getting, and Wilson Kime has just the ticket. On a relatively new colony world one of the non-sentient species is kicking up some trouble for the human inhabitants, trouble that could lead to genocide if something isn't done soon. Problem solving is what Paula is good at, and with the help of xeno-biologist Bernadino Paganuzzi that's exactly what she has to do.
I liked this story quite a bit, it was interesting and had a nice finish, but I wasn't really sure why Paula was the main character. Still, I did like the exploration of the Onid, why they were attacking the colonists and just how they could see what they really shouldn't be able to. It's a quick read that finishes nicely - not much more you can ask for!
Conclusion
Manhattan in Reverse does exactly what it says on the tin: it collects Hamilton's short stories in one book for those that have not tracked them down by other means. A new story is there for the fans who need a reason to buy it, and it is worth it.
The glaring omission I mentioned earlier is The Suspect Genome, the BSFA award-winning short story the features Greg Mandel, the psychic detective from Peter's early novels. To me it's one of the best short stories Peter has written and should have been included regardless of how it's aged since publication, and especially because it's very hard to track down. It was a poor decision to leave it out.
However, with stories like Watching Trees Grow, The Demon Trap and Manhattan in Reverse, Peter once again shows why he is regarded as one of the best science fiction writers of the past decade and how, when he puts his mind to it, he can write some excellent short fiction.
Watching Trees Grow
Starting off with the longest offering in the collection, Watching Trees Grow was initially published back in 2000 by PS Publishing as a limited edition, though it was later re-published in the Futures anthology from Gollancz.
As an alternate history tale, this story looks at a world where the Roman Empire never fell and the grand families continued to prosper. With the planet in a golden age of sorts it has allowed technology to advance quicker than in our world, with the starting point of the story in the early 1800's comparable to the mid to late 19th century. By selective breeding in the 'Sport of Emperors', life spans of the grand families are now measured in centuries rather than decades of the Shorts.
At its heart Watching Trees Grow is the story of Edward Bucahanan Raleigh's continued investigation into the death of one of his family members at university. Told through his eyes from the night of the murder in 1832 through to the transcendence of the human race to pure energy, Watching Trees Grow is an interesting look at big events during that world's future, all wrapped around the one question: who killed Justin Ascham Raleigh?
Footvote
Footvote is another story originally published by PS Publishing, this one in their first issue of Postscripts, a long-running magazine/anthology. Pan Macmillan are also releasing this one separately as an electronic short story.
Anyway, Footvote is a simple story based on the premise that one man has opened a wormhole to a new planet, New Suffolk, and nobody knows how he's done it. He's set specific conditions on who can travel through the wormhole and settle this new world (these are amusing little tidbits throughout the story), but has given a strict time-frame of two years before he will close the wormhole forever. Footvote focuses on one family, Janette and her two children on the one hand and her ex-husband Colin and his new girlfriend on the other, each with opposing views to the wormhole and its creator.
It's a nice little story, perhaps one of my favourites in the collection due to its subject matter, and its nice to see something set in the near-future. The world Peter has created here could be the basis for an expansion into a full novel, or maybe another short story - I for one would like to see more of New Suffolk and how it's progressed...
If At First...
Here's a story that first saw the light of day in one of the anthologies from Solaris a few years back. It's a short one about a detective that finds himself chasing a suspect into a time machine that then sends his consciousness back to his 1968 body. It's an interesting tale, amusing in parts and easy to read with an ending nicely suited to the tale.
The Forever Kitten
Perhaps unbelievably, this tale is a mere thousand words that once again uses the subject matter of immortality/extended lifespans. Peter seems to have a thing for this and Forever Kitten is an interesting, though short, take that I think is rather successful given its limited word count.
Blessed by an Angel
This is the first of the three Commonwealth stories in this collection, and while the other two are Paula Myo stories, this one is a prequel of sorts to the Void trilogy. Looking at the events surrounding the conception of Inigo, one of the more central characters in the Void series, this introduces the 'angel' of the title, a higher human that can use biononics to change gender from female to male while using this technology to allow the conception of a biononic child.
There's a good bit of detail here and anyone that has read the Void books will fully grasp all the details, though I'm not sure the same can be said if you're new to the universe. I like it as it adds depth to the character and essentially gives a more detailed account of what is only hinted at in the early Void books.
The Demon Trap
The Demon Trap was previously published in the Galactic Empires anthology, but that had limited release and not many would have read it before now. It's nice that it's finally got a wider readership as it is one of the best shorts Peter has written.
The Demon Trap sits nicely between Misspent Youth and Pandora's Star and features Paula Myo, the genetically engineered detective we've all come to know (if you've read the Commonwealth books that is!). With her birth planet the much-hated Huxley's Haven, a planet in the Commonwealth where each person is genetically designed prior to birth to do the job they are allocated, she is an investigator that cannot leave a case until it has finally been solved and justice delivered.
The story itself follows the events of one of the Commonwealth planets, Merioneth, wanting independence and all connections to the Commonwealth closed. This starts off with a terrorist group targeting and killing young dynasty family members in order to pressure CST into closing the wormhole connection. Suffice to say, they are successful in getting the Commonwealth to agree a date that does exactly this. The story goes from there, Paula determined to unravel the mystery behind the attacker and terrorist group.
There is not a lot to dislike in The Demon Trap. Paula is an excellent character and carries the story with ease. There are, however, plenty of references to Peter's previous works (particularly Misspent Youth) and knowing these little details will certainly add to the enjoyment. I can't see any problems for those that haven't read the Commonwealth novels as The Demon Trap is a nice little murder-mystery with added political dealings. One of the best in the collection for sure.
Manhattan in Reverse
The reason I was looking forward to this collection so much: a new story! Manhattan in Reverse is another Paula Myo story that takes place shortly after the end of the Starflyer War depicted in Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained. You don't need to have read those books to enjoy this story as it is completely stand alone with only a few references to the novels.
After convicting a war hero for crimes committed in his youth, Paula Myo needs something that will take her away from the attention she's getting, and Wilson Kime has just the ticket. On a relatively new colony world one of the non-sentient species is kicking up some trouble for the human inhabitants, trouble that could lead to genocide if something isn't done soon. Problem solving is what Paula is good at, and with the help of xeno-biologist Bernadino Paganuzzi that's exactly what she has to do.
I liked this story quite a bit, it was interesting and had a nice finish, but I wasn't really sure why Paula was the main character. Still, I did like the exploration of the Onid, why they were attacking the colonists and just how they could see what they really shouldn't be able to. It's a quick read that finishes nicely - not much more you can ask for!
Conclusion
Manhattan in Reverse does exactly what it says on the tin: it collects Hamilton's short stories in one book for those that have not tracked them down by other means. A new story is there for the fans who need a reason to buy it, and it is worth it.
The glaring omission I mentioned earlier is The Suspect Genome, the BSFA award-winning short story the features Greg Mandel, the psychic detective from Peter's early novels. To me it's one of the best short stories Peter has written and should have been included regardless of how it's aged since publication, and especially because it's very hard to track down. It was a poor decision to leave it out.
However, with stories like Watching Trees Grow, The Demon Trap and Manhattan in Reverse, Peter once again shows why he is regarded as one of the best science fiction writers of the past decade and how, when he puts his mind to it, he can write some excellent short fiction.
August 9, 2012
I’ve been meaning to read Peter F. Hamilton for years. I own a few of his books, but I haven’t read them yet. If you’re familiar with Hamilton, I’ll bet you know why. His books are HUGE, and most of them are part of a series. Every time I look at them on my shelf, they scream “MAJOR TIME COMMITMENT,” so there they stay. Thus, I was pleased to come across Manhattan in Reverse, a slim and inviting collection of seven stories by Peter F. Hamilton:
“Watching Trees Grow” — This novella was originally published by PS publishing in 2000. It’s a murder mystery that’s set in an alternate England which progressed, technologically, much more rapidly than our real world has. There are only a handful of serious suspects, but the investigation takes more than 200 years while Edward Buchanan Raleigh doggedly pursues the culprit as technology advances to the point where he can finally solve the crime.
“Footvote” — It’s 2010 and a man named Murphy has opened a wormhole to allow disgruntled British citizens to flee England and start a new colony on another planet. He only wants particular kinds of people (e.g., no lobbyists, no tabloid journalists, and no corporate lawyers) and they have to agree to his constitution (e.g., no weapons, no welfare, and socialized medicine for all). Colin wants to go with his two kids and his new girlfriend, but Colin’s ex-wife is one of the wormhole protesters. “Footvote” was published in Postscripts magazine in 2004, but this version has been slightly updated.
“If at First” — A police detective is questioning a stalker who insists that he only wants to see his victim’s time-travel machine. This clever story, originally published in The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction in 2007, was my favorite story in the collection.
“The Forever Kitten” — Published as an editorial piece in 2005 in Nature, the worlds’ most prestigious scientific journal, this is a chilling short story about sweet little girls growing up. As someone who was once a teenage hellion and is now the mother of two sweet little girls (and a regular reader of Nature), I can totally relate.
“Blessed by an Angel” — This is a disturbing story about an “angel” from a “Higher” culture who makes an illegal visit to some teenagers on a slower developing planet. The angel is caught and dispatched, but s/he has left something behind. “Blessed by an Angel” was originally published in 2007 in The New Space Opera.
“The Demon Trap” — First published in Galactic Empires in 2008, this novella features one of Hamilton’s well-known protagonists. Investigator Paula Myo, a human who was genetically engineered to be a great cop, has been called in to find the person responsible for blowing up several sons of Dynasty families. As expected, Paula is smart and efficient, but the unusual culprit brings up some interesting ethical and legal issues that, for now, can only be addressed in a science fiction story.
“Manhattan in Reverse” — This titular story, which also features Paula Myo, is original to the anthology. This time Paula is sent to a frontier planet where humans have been gradually invading the habitat of a species they’ve classified as non-sentient. When the natives begin to fight back, the xenobiologists wonder if they may have been wrong. This story brings to mind H. Beam Piper’s Little Fuzzy.
Hamilton doesn’t write many short stories — in fact, these seven stories are the only ones he’s written since 1998. Manhattan in Reverse is diverse, entertaining, thought-provoking and, at only 272 pages, a great way to get acquainted with Peter F. Hamilton.
“Watching Trees Grow” — This novella was originally published by PS publishing in 2000. It’s a murder mystery that’s set in an alternate England which progressed, technologically, much more rapidly than our real world has. There are only a handful of serious suspects, but the investigation takes more than 200 years while Edward Buchanan Raleigh doggedly pursues the culprit as technology advances to the point where he can finally solve the crime.
“Footvote” — It’s 2010 and a man named Murphy has opened a wormhole to allow disgruntled British citizens to flee England and start a new colony on another planet. He only wants particular kinds of people (e.g., no lobbyists, no tabloid journalists, and no corporate lawyers) and they have to agree to his constitution (e.g., no weapons, no welfare, and socialized medicine for all). Colin wants to go with his two kids and his new girlfriend, but Colin’s ex-wife is one of the wormhole protesters. “Footvote” was published in Postscripts magazine in 2004, but this version has been slightly updated.
“If at First” — A police detective is questioning a stalker who insists that he only wants to see his victim’s time-travel machine. This clever story, originally published in The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction in 2007, was my favorite story in the collection.
“The Forever Kitten” — Published as an editorial piece in 2005 in Nature, the worlds’ most prestigious scientific journal, this is a chilling short story about sweet little girls growing up. As someone who was once a teenage hellion and is now the mother of two sweet little girls (and a regular reader of Nature), I can totally relate.
“Blessed by an Angel” — This is a disturbing story about an “angel” from a “Higher” culture who makes an illegal visit to some teenagers on a slower developing planet. The angel is caught and dispatched, but s/he has left something behind. “Blessed by an Angel” was originally published in 2007 in The New Space Opera.
“The Demon Trap” — First published in Galactic Empires in 2008, this novella features one of Hamilton’s well-known protagonists. Investigator Paula Myo, a human who was genetically engineered to be a great cop, has been called in to find the person responsible for blowing up several sons of Dynasty families. As expected, Paula is smart and efficient, but the unusual culprit brings up some interesting ethical and legal issues that, for now, can only be addressed in a science fiction story.
“Manhattan in Reverse” — This titular story, which also features Paula Myo, is original to the anthology. This time Paula is sent to a frontier planet where humans have been gradually invading the habitat of a species they’ve classified as non-sentient. When the natives begin to fight back, the xenobiologists wonder if they may have been wrong. This story brings to mind H. Beam Piper’s Little Fuzzy.
Hamilton doesn’t write many short stories — in fact, these seven stories are the only ones he’s written since 1998. Manhattan in Reverse is diverse, entertaining, thought-provoking and, at only 272 pages, a great way to get acquainted with Peter F. Hamilton.
July 23, 2012
Peter F. Hamilton is not an author known for writing small stories. Most of his novels are big enough to make young maidens blush and old women cackle inappropriately. In fact, what are the dimensions of an average Hamilton book, Eddie?
Thanks, Eddie. Here are some interesting facts, interesting-fact fans. In 2009 Peter F. Hamilton's writing made up 10% of the books I read but almost 30% of the pages. For every ten books I read that year, one of them was written by Hamilton, but for every ten pages I read, three were his. In 2010 the he wrote 5% of the books I read but 17% of the pages. (By comparison 2011 was a Hamilton-light year: 6% of the books I read were his and a relatively paltry 10% of the pages. But then I did read some real whoppers last year.)
Suffice it to say, then, that the words “Peter F. Hamilton” and “short story” aren't ones seen together regularly. Indeed, Manhattan in Reverse is only his second short story collection and contains all the ones he's written since the last collection was published in 1998. All seven of them. Stephen King might write a thousand page novel while you're reading the part of this sentence before the semi-colon; and a half-dozen short stories while you're reading the part after the semi-colon. But Peter F. Hamilton hates semi-colons. By which I mean he seems to prefer writing enormous tomes. Obviously.
All this raises the question: can a writer who specialises in three thousand page trilogies pull off seven decent stories in less than three hundred pages? Why yes, yes he can.
If future scholars of literature were trying to date the stories contained in Manhattan in Reverse and Wikipedia was down then they would not be hard-pressed to place them in Hamilton's “Commonwealth era”. The six novels in the Commonwealth Universe ( Misspent Youth , the Commonwealth Saga , and the Void trilogy) have formed the brunt of Hamilton's writing during the past decade, with another two novels due in the coming years. Three of the stories in this collection consider the impact on humanity of technological advancements also considered in the Commonwealth books, namely wormhole travel to other worlds invented and controlled by private individuals, and medical advancements granting humans longer life, or even immortality. Another three of the stories are set in the Commonwealth Universe itself, neatly plugging some of the gaps in the 300 years betwixt Misspent Youth and the Commonwealth Saga and the 1200 years between the Commonwealth Saga and the Void trilogy. The remaining tale is a time travel story pondering what would happen if one was able to travel back in time to one's youth yet retain all the memories of adulthood, a notion also given some not inconsiderable consideration in The Evolutionary Void .
The stories not set in the Commonwealth Universe all take a slightly darker view of these issues than their Commonwealth counterparts. In Footvote, wormhole travel is invented by a Daily Mail reading Briton who uses it to set up a new Britain on a distant planet that seems to use editorials from right-leaning tabloids as its legal code. The contrast to the hippy-esque Nigel and Ozzie who brought wormholes to the Commonwealth is intense, as is the tightly personal nature of the story, in stark contrast to Hamilton's usual sweeping fare. How humanity deals with immortality coupled with technology that can provide us with anything whenever we want it is given some treatment in the murder mystery novella Watching Trees Grow, while the possibilities of eternal youth are given a more chilling twist in the flash fiction The Forever Kitten. The ability to reset one's life but retain one's memories, a major desideratum for many characters in the Void trilogy wishing to remedy past mistakes is again given a more nefarious twist in If at First… where the more immediate material possibilities of such an ability are looked at.
Two of the three Commonwealth stories herein are straight up interquels, providing origin stories for characters and groups appearing in the Void books. The third, the eponymous tale, is a short, sweet mystery story which could be subtitled Where Paula Myo went on holiday after Judas Unchained, and what she found there. Although “Manhattan in Reverse” is probably snappier, which is why I'm not a professional subtitle writer.
All seven of the tales are interesting to read and suit their length—these aren't Hamilton-sized stories crudely cut down to fit in a short story collection. The writing itself is sometimes a little clumsy, the most jarring example to my eyes being an adverb-laden patch of The Demon Trap which includes the line “‘There he is,’ Paula exclaimed contentedly”. I tried to replicate the effect of a content exclamation to no avail. But for the most part the work is snappy and readable, Hamilton doing his usual good job at establishing enough about the technology and social structures in his settings through casual dialogue, without having Captain Exposition walk out and give long incongruous speeches about this, that, or indeed the other. He's also avoided the major fault I found in the Commonwealth Saga: that of dropping the plot every few pages so his characters could drop their trousers. Trousers in this collection were pretty much like my opinions of it: riding high for most of the time.
Thanks, Eddie. Here are some interesting facts, interesting-fact fans. In 2009 Peter F. Hamilton's writing made up 10% of the books I read but almost 30% of the pages. For every ten books I read that year, one of them was written by Hamilton, but for every ten pages I read, three were his. In 2010 the he wrote 5% of the books I read but 17% of the pages. (By comparison 2011 was a Hamilton-light year: 6% of the books I read were his and a relatively paltry 10% of the pages. But then I did read some real whoppers last year.)
Suffice it to say, then, that the words “Peter F. Hamilton” and “short story” aren't ones seen together regularly. Indeed, Manhattan in Reverse is only his second short story collection and contains all the ones he's written since the last collection was published in 1998. All seven of them. Stephen King might write a thousand page novel while you're reading the part of this sentence before the semi-colon; and a half-dozen short stories while you're reading the part after the semi-colon. But Peter F. Hamilton hates semi-colons. By which I mean he seems to prefer writing enormous tomes. Obviously.
All this raises the question: can a writer who specialises in three thousand page trilogies pull off seven decent stories in less than three hundred pages? Why yes, yes he can.
If future scholars of literature were trying to date the stories contained in Manhattan in Reverse and Wikipedia was down then they would not be hard-pressed to place them in Hamilton's “Commonwealth era”. The six novels in the Commonwealth Universe ( Misspent Youth , the Commonwealth Saga , and the Void trilogy) have formed the brunt of Hamilton's writing during the past decade, with another two novels due in the coming years. Three of the stories in this collection consider the impact on humanity of technological advancements also considered in the Commonwealth books, namely wormhole travel to other worlds invented and controlled by private individuals, and medical advancements granting humans longer life, or even immortality. Another three of the stories are set in the Commonwealth Universe itself, neatly plugging some of the gaps in the 300 years betwixt Misspent Youth and the Commonwealth Saga and the 1200 years between the Commonwealth Saga and the Void trilogy. The remaining tale is a time travel story pondering what would happen if one was able to travel back in time to one's youth yet retain all the memories of adulthood, a notion also given some not inconsiderable consideration in The Evolutionary Void .
The stories not set in the Commonwealth Universe all take a slightly darker view of these issues than their Commonwealth counterparts. In Footvote, wormhole travel is invented by a Daily Mail reading Briton who uses it to set up a new Britain on a distant planet that seems to use editorials from right-leaning tabloids as its legal code. The contrast to the hippy-esque Nigel and Ozzie who brought wormholes to the Commonwealth is intense, as is the tightly personal nature of the story, in stark contrast to Hamilton's usual sweeping fare. How humanity deals with immortality coupled with technology that can provide us with anything whenever we want it is given some treatment in the murder mystery novella Watching Trees Grow, while the possibilities of eternal youth are given a more chilling twist in the flash fiction The Forever Kitten. The ability to reset one's life but retain one's memories, a major desideratum for many characters in the Void trilogy wishing to remedy past mistakes is again given a more nefarious twist in If at First… where the more immediate material possibilities of such an ability are looked at.
Two of the three Commonwealth stories herein are straight up interquels, providing origin stories for characters and groups appearing in the Void books. The third, the eponymous tale, is a short, sweet mystery story which could be subtitled Where Paula Myo went on holiday after Judas Unchained, and what she found there. Although “Manhattan in Reverse” is probably snappier, which is why I'm not a professional subtitle writer.
All seven of the tales are interesting to read and suit their length—these aren't Hamilton-sized stories crudely cut down to fit in a short story collection. The writing itself is sometimes a little clumsy, the most jarring example to my eyes being an adverb-laden patch of The Demon Trap which includes the line “‘There he is,’ Paula exclaimed contentedly”. I tried to replicate the effect of a content exclamation to no avail. But for the most part the work is snappy and readable, Hamilton doing his usual good job at establishing enough about the technology and social structures in his settings through casual dialogue, without having Captain Exposition walk out and give long incongruous speeches about this, that, or indeed the other. He's also avoided the major fault I found in the Commonwealth Saga: that of dropping the plot every few pages so his characters could drop their trousers. Trousers in this collection were pretty much like my opinions of it: riding high for most of the time.
December 24, 2011
Before we get started properly, just take a look at that page count.
No, that’s not a misprint.
Peter’s latest book is about a third to a quarter of the size of his usual blockbusting tome. This is Peter’s second short story collection, the first being A Second Chance At Eden in 1998.
As Peter says in his Introduction, ‘I’m not the most prolific of short story writers’, and this does show here, but the good news is that what we lose in length we gain in a little more variety.
There are seven stories here. The first is one of the longest, Watching Trees Grow, which was first published in 2000 by PS Publishing as a limited edition novella. The last is the titular one, written especially for this book. Inbetween, the other five tales have been published from 2004-2008. The other tales are a little more similar, with themes and ideas often developed in the longer books. The Forever Kitten, is a short tale of less than a thousand words and is about an issue already dealt with in Misspent Youth: the sacrifices needed to obtain near-eternal youth. If at First... is a contemporary police procedural tale with a time-travel twist, that reads a little like Edeard’s time with the militia in the Void series. Blessed by an Angel tells us of the origins of the Higher and Advancer cultures and particular the attempts by the Advancers to infiltrate the Commonwealth.
Footvote, about political voting, is a tale that has been slightly revised to bring it more up to date. More contemporary, it deals with the exodus of the masses to a new planet via a wormhole, though it is actually focused around divorcing parents and their children. It is one of the weaker tales in the collection that hinges on a chance coincidence and limits itself by doing so.
I liked Watching Trees Grow when I first read it in 2000: it’s a murder mystery that starts in the 1800’s but in an alternate Oxford, where extended lifespans are norm and the Roman families still rule through a selective breeding programme. Technology has developed to an amazing degree. In these 1800’s we have electric cars, telephones and (almost) the development of atomic power. In this world we have Edward Buchanan Raleigh investigating the murder of a promising student, and major Family, Justin Ascham Raleigh. It’s written in a first person, whodunit style. Think of it as a combination of Inspector Morse, Agatha Christie and Midsomer Murders, but with an expanding timeline. It impressed me just as much the second time of reading. Interestingly, it also reminded me of the Void series, in that the style is very much like that of the Inigo’s Dream sequences of the Void trilogy. Peter really should write more of this.
Manhattan in Reverse is perhaps the key attraction here, being something Hamilton fans have been wanting for a while. It is a forty-three page stand-alone tale involving super-detective Paula Myo from the Commonwealth and Void series. Rather like a ‘What Paula does on her Vacation’ story, it is more linear than the multi-strand spanning storyline of those series. Though a great tale, I did not enjoy it as much as the other Paula Myo tale in the collection.
This other tale, The Demon Trap, is set in the Commonwealth at the time of Pandora’s Star/Judas Unchained. A terrorist attempt on one of the major Families seems to be an attempt for independence from the Commonwealth by the planet of Merioneth. The protagonist thinks he is innocent and Paula gets on the case to find that the incident is not as straight-forward as it seems to be. It is exciting and fast-paced with enough detail to show intriguing glimpses of the wider Commonwealth: the relationship between the Families and society, Paula’s home planet and the reason for her need to see that justice is seen to be served.
The stories here show many of Peter’s strengths, highlighting key human themes in a variety of different settings in an entertaining way. There are those great ideas, still: super-technology, evolution, planets connected by wormholes, alien biology and habits. However, here the typical widescreen baroque of those larger epic narratives have been replaced by something a little more focused and intimate, but these are still engaging and fun.
If I had to find fault, it would be that as great as the stories here are, in the end the collection feels a little begrudging. It is ‘just’ the stories, which works as both a strength and a weakness. Whilst the stories themselves are good, there was a feeling at the end that there should’ve been something more. Perhaps some little postscripts or footnotes would have added to the book, explaining the origin of the story or what Peter was trying to achieve in the tale. Watching Trees Grow had a great introduction from Larry Niven in the PS edition, for example.
Perhaps more importantly, the biggest weakness is that many of the stories here only have significance if you’ve read Peter’s other books. Though fans of Peter’s other work will enjoy how these stories fit into his own Future History, newcomers to Peter’s work will not get as much enjoyment as those who’ve been here a while.
In summary, this is definitely a book for the fans, but not perhaps the best place to start Peter’s books. It was good to revisit previous Hamilton universes and the Watching Trees Grow novella left me feeling again that I would like to read more stories in the WTG universe.
If you want a book that has all of these tales from different publications in one place, or haven’t read any of these before, then I would recommend this one.
No, that’s not a misprint.
Peter’s latest book is about a third to a quarter of the size of his usual blockbusting tome. This is Peter’s second short story collection, the first being A Second Chance At Eden in 1998.
As Peter says in his Introduction, ‘I’m not the most prolific of short story writers’, and this does show here, but the good news is that what we lose in length we gain in a little more variety.
There are seven stories here. The first is one of the longest, Watching Trees Grow, which was first published in 2000 by PS Publishing as a limited edition novella. The last is the titular one, written especially for this book. Inbetween, the other five tales have been published from 2004-2008. The other tales are a little more similar, with themes and ideas often developed in the longer books. The Forever Kitten, is a short tale of less than a thousand words and is about an issue already dealt with in Misspent Youth: the sacrifices needed to obtain near-eternal youth. If at First... is a contemporary police procedural tale with a time-travel twist, that reads a little like Edeard’s time with the militia in the Void series. Blessed by an Angel tells us of the origins of the Higher and Advancer cultures and particular the attempts by the Advancers to infiltrate the Commonwealth.
Footvote, about political voting, is a tale that has been slightly revised to bring it more up to date. More contemporary, it deals with the exodus of the masses to a new planet via a wormhole, though it is actually focused around divorcing parents and their children. It is one of the weaker tales in the collection that hinges on a chance coincidence and limits itself by doing so.
I liked Watching Trees Grow when I first read it in 2000: it’s a murder mystery that starts in the 1800’s but in an alternate Oxford, where extended lifespans are norm and the Roman families still rule through a selective breeding programme. Technology has developed to an amazing degree. In these 1800’s we have electric cars, telephones and (almost) the development of atomic power. In this world we have Edward Buchanan Raleigh investigating the murder of a promising student, and major Family, Justin Ascham Raleigh. It’s written in a first person, whodunit style. Think of it as a combination of Inspector Morse, Agatha Christie and Midsomer Murders, but with an expanding timeline. It impressed me just as much the second time of reading. Interestingly, it also reminded me of the Void series, in that the style is very much like that of the Inigo’s Dream sequences of the Void trilogy. Peter really should write more of this.
Manhattan in Reverse is perhaps the key attraction here, being something Hamilton fans have been wanting for a while. It is a forty-three page stand-alone tale involving super-detective Paula Myo from the Commonwealth and Void series. Rather like a ‘What Paula does on her Vacation’ story, it is more linear than the multi-strand spanning storyline of those series. Though a great tale, I did not enjoy it as much as the other Paula Myo tale in the collection.
This other tale, The Demon Trap, is set in the Commonwealth at the time of Pandora’s Star/Judas Unchained. A terrorist attempt on one of the major Families seems to be an attempt for independence from the Commonwealth by the planet of Merioneth. The protagonist thinks he is innocent and Paula gets on the case to find that the incident is not as straight-forward as it seems to be. It is exciting and fast-paced with enough detail to show intriguing glimpses of the wider Commonwealth: the relationship between the Families and society, Paula’s home planet and the reason for her need to see that justice is seen to be served.
The stories here show many of Peter’s strengths, highlighting key human themes in a variety of different settings in an entertaining way. There are those great ideas, still: super-technology, evolution, planets connected by wormholes, alien biology and habits. However, here the typical widescreen baroque of those larger epic narratives have been replaced by something a little more focused and intimate, but these are still engaging and fun.
If I had to find fault, it would be that as great as the stories here are, in the end the collection feels a little begrudging. It is ‘just’ the stories, which works as both a strength and a weakness. Whilst the stories themselves are good, there was a feeling at the end that there should’ve been something more. Perhaps some little postscripts or footnotes would have added to the book, explaining the origin of the story or what Peter was trying to achieve in the tale. Watching Trees Grow had a great introduction from Larry Niven in the PS edition, for example.
Perhaps more importantly, the biggest weakness is that many of the stories here only have significance if you’ve read Peter’s other books. Though fans of Peter’s other work will enjoy how these stories fit into his own Future History, newcomers to Peter’s work will not get as much enjoyment as those who’ve been here a while.
In summary, this is definitely a book for the fans, but not perhaps the best place to start Peter’s books. It was good to revisit previous Hamilton universes and the Watching Trees Grow novella left me feeling again that I would like to read more stories in the WTG universe.
If you want a book that has all of these tales from different publications in one place, or haven’t read any of these before, then I would recommend this one.
December 24, 2013
I really liked "Manhattan in Reverse". It's all thanks to the first story, "Watching Trees Grow". I had the book recommended to me, noticed it was short stories, and really did not investigate it much more. I just started reading it. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised and entertained immediately by a story that opens in 1832, but slowly mentions things that did not exist in 1832. Cars? I remember thinking about looking that up on Wikipedia, I was so taken by the natural way it was mentioned. I thought maybe they were prototyping back then! I am so gullible. Anyway, suffice to say that I was swept up into this universe. An alternative universe, in fact. The Romans didn't fall, apparently. I immediately one other book building on a Rome that didn't fall and that was a young adult book by John Alexander, I believe, where a boy walked into some interface between worlds just near a waterfall and ended up in a Roman Britain in our same time. I digress. This is a murder mystery, and the secret to longevity has been unlocked. Therefore, the detective can pursue the murderer for quite a number of years. We watch as technology progresses during those years. I found this utterly fascinating.
The next one, "Footvote", was very modern. In fact, it felt so real because it was so current with certain politicians and the utterly crappy state of Britain. The only difference is that someone has created a wormhole. The country is divided between those who want to go through the wormhole and start a new life away from all the problems of Britain and those who feel that is ethically wrong - that people should stay and fix things. A new slant on the haves and have-nots. The story is told from the point of view of a man and a woman who are divorced and who take turns minding their kids. They are also split on the pros and cons of the wormhole. I can't say much more without spoiling things. I felt there was a great tension to this one that presented a moral dilemma in a new setting. Good one.
The next one, "If at First", was quite clever. Another mystery, a detective questions someone who insists someone else has a time-machine. I like how the detective figures out that a time-machine cannot exist because we cannot send things through time and space - but there is an alternative...!
"The Forever Kitten" is a very short story with an abrupt, and very creepy end.
"Blessed by an Angel" is one of several stories in this collection that are apparently based on other, longer works by Hamilton. Here, angels are "highers". So there is a higher and a lower culture and possibly, "never the twain shall meet"? I don't know how that is pursued in his other stories. This one, to me, echoes a lot of our surveillance society and our potential development into cyborgs (having technological implants and such in our bodies). A nice twist at the end.
There is more surveillance and cyborg-type situations in the last two stories that involve Paula Myo, an investigator who is apparently a well-known character in the Hamilton universe. First, there's "The Demon Trap". Myo has to find out who blew up a plane. She pursues her culprit with a steady determination. I definitely would not want to be on her bad side! This story also has a wormhole. I rather like Hamilton's idea of wormholes. You don't have to get to them via a spaceship necessarily. You didn't in "Footvote" and it seems to be the same way here. Rather cool. Also, the Dynasty families are similar to the families concept in "Watching Trees Grow". They remind me of a mafia family or simply the powerful families of our day who have incredible wealth and power. When someone hurts one of their own, they seek justice. Along the way, cracks in all aspects of society are revealed. Myo's background is also revealed. She was genetically engineered (not a spoiler - easy to obtain knowledge elsewhere), which makes for some interesting scenarios. As with "Footvote", some interesting dilemmas are presented that are extreme at first glance because they exist in a fantasy world, and yet, on closer glance, make you go hmmm.
The last story was quite good. "Manhattan in Reverse" is about colonies on a distant planet that run into trouble with apparently sentient beings that the xenobiologists had overlooked when classifying the planet for colonisation. This, too, has some good ethical conundrums that are perhaps more easily approached in fiction and less painful than in reality, but not necessarily less important.
All in all, some good solid science fiction the way I like it. I won't dive into any of his other books just now. They are humongous in size and I have other to-reads languishing on my shelf, including the very long "Anathem", which has been dragging out a bit for me because I only have it in .epub format, which is too inconvenient for my short, daily commute.
The next one, "Footvote", was very modern. In fact, it felt so real because it was so current with certain politicians and the utterly crappy state of Britain. The only difference is that someone has created a wormhole. The country is divided between those who want to go through the wormhole and start a new life away from all the problems of Britain and those who feel that is ethically wrong - that people should stay and fix things. A new slant on the haves and have-nots. The story is told from the point of view of a man and a woman who are divorced and who take turns minding their kids. They are also split on the pros and cons of the wormhole. I can't say much more without spoiling things. I felt there was a great tension to this one that presented a moral dilemma in a new setting. Good one.
The next one, "If at First", was quite clever. Another mystery, a detective questions someone who insists someone else has a time-machine. I like how the detective figures out that a time-machine cannot exist because we cannot send things through time and space - but there is an alternative...!
"The Forever Kitten" is a very short story with an abrupt, and very creepy end.
"Blessed by an Angel" is one of several stories in this collection that are apparently based on other, longer works by Hamilton. Here, angels are "highers". So there is a higher and a lower culture and possibly, "never the twain shall meet"? I don't know how that is pursued in his other stories. This one, to me, echoes a lot of our surveillance society and our potential development into cyborgs (having technological implants and such in our bodies). A nice twist at the end.
There is more surveillance and cyborg-type situations in the last two stories that involve Paula Myo, an investigator who is apparently a well-known character in the Hamilton universe. First, there's "The Demon Trap". Myo has to find out who blew up a plane. She pursues her culprit with a steady determination. I definitely would not want to be on her bad side! This story also has a wormhole. I rather like Hamilton's idea of wormholes. You don't have to get to them via a spaceship necessarily. You didn't in "Footvote" and it seems to be the same way here. Rather cool. Also, the Dynasty families are similar to the families concept in "Watching Trees Grow". They remind me of a mafia family or simply the powerful families of our day who have incredible wealth and power. When someone hurts one of their own, they seek justice. Along the way, cracks in all aspects of society are revealed. Myo's background is also revealed. She was genetically engineered (not a spoiler - easy to obtain knowledge elsewhere), which makes for some interesting scenarios. As with "Footvote", some interesting dilemmas are presented that are extreme at first glance because they exist in a fantasy world, and yet, on closer glance, make you go hmmm.
The last story was quite good. "Manhattan in Reverse" is about colonies on a distant planet that run into trouble with apparently sentient beings that the xenobiologists had overlooked when classifying the planet for colonisation. This, too, has some good ethical conundrums that are perhaps more easily approached in fiction and less painful than in reality, but not necessarily less important.
All in all, some good solid science fiction the way I like it. I won't dive into any of his other books just now. They are humongous in size and I have other to-reads languishing on my shelf, including the very long "Anathem", which has been dragging out a bit for me because I only have it in .epub format, which is too inconvenient for my short, daily commute.
August 11, 2018
This is a collection of shorter stories by Peter F. Hamilton, he of the 1000-pagers.
"Watching Trees Grow," the longest of the lot, is about an investigator determined to solve a murder, even if it takes two hundred years.
"Footvote" focuses on the personal lives of an ex-husband and -wife, as a select portion of the population prepares to exit the planet via wormhole for a new life.
In "If At First..." a policeman is put on the trail of a man who knows too much--impossibly too much.
"The Forever Kitten" concerns eternal youth. I can't say more because this story is only four pages long.
The last three stories take place in Hamilton's Commonwealth continuity. I'd recommend reading Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained first for full understanding.
In "Blessed by an Angel," a secret cabal hunts those suspected of being contaminated by an alien entity.
In "The Demon Trap," detective Paula Myo must find the person responsible for a terrorist act, and prove his guilt--despite his having an alibi and no memory of the crime.
And in "Manhattan in Reverse," the sole new work in the collection, Paula is assigned to investigate the reason behind the attacks by native lifeforms on a new human colony.
"Watching Trees Grow," the longest of the lot, is about an investigator determined to solve a murder, even if it takes two hundred years.
"Footvote" focuses on the personal lives of an ex-husband and -wife, as a select portion of the population prepares to exit the planet via wormhole for a new life.
In "If At First..." a policeman is put on the trail of a man who knows too much--impossibly too much.
"The Forever Kitten" concerns eternal youth. I can't say more because this story is only four pages long.
The last three stories take place in Hamilton's Commonwealth continuity. I'd recommend reading Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained first for full understanding.
In "Blessed by an Angel," a secret cabal hunts those suspected of being contaminated by an alien entity.
In "The Demon Trap," detective Paula Myo must find the person responsible for a terrorist act, and prove his guilt--despite his having an alibi and no memory of the crime.
And in "Manhattan in Reverse," the sole new work in the collection, Paula is assigned to investigate the reason behind the attacks by native lifeforms on a new human colony.
July 8, 2015
A great collection of short stories that shows again that Hamilton is just as accomplished in the shorter form as the epic, long form. Recommended.
July 30, 2021
Watching Trees Grow 5/5
I'd love to see more of this world/universe, but I know that the likelihood of that is pretty low since Hamilton is not known for his short stories- A fact he's more then willing to admit. An alternate history where longevity eugenics was practiced as far back as the time of the Romans makes for a very different world, in which moon bases and trips to Jupiter occur as early as the 1900's and the combustion engine was seen as not practical in the long run way back in the 1830's. The main character definitely gave off some Paula Mao vibes (from the Commonwealth Saga) in his inability to give up on a case even 300+ years later. Maybe a series of mysteries that take place over eons could follow this short story up!
Footvote 3/5
Is the mom the villain? Is the dad? The government or the pioneer whose opened up a new world? It seems like a "darker" version of the CW saga, which just comes off as a little bit blah. I think if we had got at least 5 more pages of story it would have brought me into it just a bit more.
If at First. . . 2.5/5
If you want a better version of this I'd go with Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence.
The Forever Kitten 4/5
visible shivers and a yuck factor to boot for a story that's less then 1000 words.
Blessed by an Angel 3/5 for the first 95% 4.75 for the last 5%
Of the entire Commonwealth saga-3 different series comprised of 7 books- I always found the Void trilogy the weakest of the three. With that said I'm almost willing to give it another read/chance after reading this. Maybe it was the wrong time for me to read it and I can look at it with a different outlook now.
The Demon Trap 4.75
not gonna lie- I love the awwwww snap Paula moments that we get in this and other stories. If there was a Paula Mao show you better believe that I'd be binging that. Plus if you have read Pandora's Star you get the full story from a throw back line mentioned in that.
Manhattan in Reverse 5/5
Paula is both told to go on a vacation and solve the mystery of why a non-sentient species has suddenly started to attack humans on the planet. It's different enough from her other cases for one simple reason- it's fun. Also while the title may sound super futuristic(at least I thought it did), it makes a interesting left turn that I wasn't expecting.
I'd love to see more of this world/universe, but I know that the likelihood of that is pretty low since Hamilton is not known for his short stories- A fact he's more then willing to admit. An alternate history where longevity eugenics was practiced as far back as the time of the Romans makes for a very different world, in which moon bases and trips to Jupiter occur as early as the 1900's and the combustion engine was seen as not practical in the long run way back in the 1830's. The main character definitely gave off some Paula Mao vibes (from the Commonwealth Saga) in his inability to give up on a case even 300+ years later. Maybe a series of mysteries that take place over eons could follow this short story up!
Footvote 3/5
Is the mom the villain? Is the dad? The government or the pioneer whose opened up a new world? It seems like a "darker" version of the CW saga, which just comes off as a little bit blah. I think if we had got at least 5 more pages of story it would have brought me into it just a bit more.
If at First. . . 2.5/5
If you want a better version of this I'd go with Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence.
The Forever Kitten 4/5
visible shivers and a yuck factor to boot for a story that's less then 1000 words.
Blessed by an Angel 3/5 for the first 95% 4.75 for the last 5%
Of the entire Commonwealth saga-3 different series comprised of 7 books- I always found the Void trilogy the weakest of the three. With that said I'm almost willing to give it another read/chance after reading this. Maybe it was the wrong time for me to read it and I can look at it with a different outlook now.
The Demon Trap 4.75
not gonna lie- I love the awwwww snap Paula moments that we get in this and other stories. If there was a Paula Mao show you better believe that I'd be binging that. Plus if you have read Pandora's Star you get the full story from a throw back line mentioned in that.
Manhattan in Reverse 5/5
Paula is both told to go on a vacation and solve the mystery of why a non-sentient species has suddenly started to attack humans on the planet. It's different enough from her other cases for one simple reason- it's fun. Also while the title may sound super futuristic(at least I thought it did), it makes a interesting left turn that I wasn't expecting.
August 31, 2024
A really great short(ish) sci-fi story collection, that straddles the line of space fantasy and near-future believability. It reads like a less annoying, more consistent season of Black Mirror with the tech serving as medium to tell stories about the human condition. There's a great throughline of people never giving up on the cause that defines them, or chasing the one that got away, even as technology advances to allow humans centuries and centuries of life.
September 26, 2018
A masterful collection of short stories, from the master of extreme long novels.
Again Hamilton shows his craftsmanship and wild imagination in this very mixed bag of stories, spanning from near novel size to extreme short stories, the shortest is less than 1000 words.
The highlights for me was:
Watching trees grow - an alternate history with a Roman Empire reaching the stars and a very persistent detective.
Footvote- a story about the exodus from the UK though a wormhole, disturbingly set in our own time (or close to at the publication time). Maybe what we need just now with brexit and all.
The demon trap & Manhattan in reverse - two brilliant Paula Mayo stories set in the time around Pandora’s Star, if you have read that you’ll love these.
Again Hamilton shows his craftsmanship and wild imagination in this very mixed bag of stories, spanning from near novel size to extreme short stories, the shortest is less than 1000 words.
The highlights for me was:
Watching trees grow - an alternate history with a Roman Empire reaching the stars and a very persistent detective.
Footvote- a story about the exodus from the UK though a wormhole, disturbingly set in our own time (or close to at the publication time). Maybe what we need just now with brexit and all.
The demon trap & Manhattan in reverse - two brilliant Paula Mayo stories set in the time around Pandora’s Star, if you have read that you’ll love these.
December 31, 2011
This collection and I got along fine for the first 80%. I picked it up because it seemed like an easier way to try Hamilton without commiting to one of his doorstops. This was a mistake, since most of the collection is tie-ins to his cifi universes, and without that knowledge they're pretty limp. I did like "Watching Trees Grow," the one about the alt universe Roman semi-immortal who uses progressive technology to solve a troubling murder over the course of several centuries. Cool, if obvious, meditation on truth and technology.
And then we hit "Manhattan in Reverse," the last story. And, oh God. You guys. It is so bad. So creepingly, gapingly bad that I didn't even notice until halfway through, and then I went wait . . . what the fuck?
See, it's supposed to be a future reimagining of an old historical racial wrong. Except Hamilton needs to never ever try something like that again, because it is so clumsy and so badly thought out that what you get is a metaphor that collapses into offensive mush if you think about it with any critical faculty, and a topcoat of White Man's Burden to boot. This is a story that, blatantly but I can only assume unintentionally, draws a direct comparison between the white settlers cheating the native inhabitants of Manhattan out of their island and then forcing them out to what happens to a pre-intelligent and unevolved species when a more intelligent species comes a long and messes with it. For serious. I read that bit four times going wait, he couldn't have . . . no. No, he really just did.
Is Hamilton prone to this sort of tragic overestimation of his ability to tackle complex issues? Translation: should I bother with one of the doorstops?
And then we hit "Manhattan in Reverse," the last story. And, oh God. You guys. It is so bad. So creepingly, gapingly bad that I didn't even notice until halfway through, and then I went wait . . . what the fuck?
See, it's supposed to be a future reimagining of an old historical racial wrong. Except Hamilton needs to never ever try something like that again, because it is so clumsy and so badly thought out that what you get is a metaphor that collapses into offensive mush if you think about it with any critical faculty, and a topcoat of White Man's Burden to boot. This is a story that, blatantly but I can only assume unintentionally, draws a direct comparison between the white settlers cheating the native inhabitants of Manhattan out of their island and then forcing them out to what happens to a pre-intelligent and unevolved species when a more intelligent species comes a long and messes with it. For serious. I read that bit four times going wait, he couldn't have . . . no. No, he really just did.
Is Hamilton prone to this sort of tragic overestimation of his ability to tackle complex issues? Translation: should I bother with one of the doorstops?
April 28, 2013
This short story collection is available on audio (not anymore??) and ebook, but doesn't seem to be in US stores in print yet (came and gone I think).
I read the title story (40 pages?), which features Paula Myo from the Commonwealth universe. (She is genetically engineered to fight crime. I'm a sucker for chicks that kick ass.) Kind of a Western mystery on another planet. Not the most thrilling in the world, but a pretty good story. The title actually has a more special meaning than I expected. I'll probably read the other Paula Myo story next.
I can't buy it on audible in America? Wtf?
Came back after Luke Burrage's podcast on the book. Just read Demon Trap, also a Paula Myo story. Excellent. Blows the Manhattan in Reverse short away.
Finished the first story, Watching Trees Grow. Had to reset the remembered last page in kindle, of course, grrr. It certainly has some mind blowing stuff towards the end, and you don't have to read 3000 pages to get to it! Demon Trap is still my favorite so far.
Footvote: Ha ha. Very political and short. Nice rules. The rest of the stories are pretty short. I should finish soon.
If At First... done. Pretty good. It's been read on bbc radio by the way, but doesn't seem to be available on iplayer right now. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hql36
The Forever Kitten was a fast one.
Just Blessed By An Angel left. About 300 kindle units (15 pages?).
All done. Angel was kind of scary and complicated, based in the Void trilogy world. All in all a good collection and easy intro to PFH.
I read the title story (40 pages?), which features Paula Myo from the Commonwealth universe. (She is genetically engineered to fight crime. I'm a sucker for chicks that kick ass.) Kind of a Western mystery on another planet. Not the most thrilling in the world, but a pretty good story. The title actually has a more special meaning than I expected. I'll probably read the other Paula Myo story next.
I can't buy it on audible in America? Wtf?
Came back after Luke Burrage's podcast on the book. Just read Demon Trap, also a Paula Myo story. Excellent. Blows the Manhattan in Reverse short away.
Finished the first story, Watching Trees Grow. Had to reset the remembered last page in kindle, of course, grrr. It certainly has some mind blowing stuff towards the end, and you don't have to read 3000 pages to get to it! Demon Trap is still my favorite so far.
Footvote: Ha ha. Very political and short. Nice rules. The rest of the stories are pretty short. I should finish soon.
If At First... done. Pretty good. It's been read on bbc radio by the way, but doesn't seem to be available on iplayer right now. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hql36
The Forever Kitten was a fast one.
Just Blessed By An Angel left. About 300 kindle units (15 pages?).
All done. Angel was kind of scary and complicated, based in the Void trilogy world. All in all a good collection and easy intro to PFH.
June 19, 2013
This is my first foray into Peter F. Hamilton's books and part of my attempted wanderings into science fiction. I enjoyed reading this and I think the stories featuring Paula Myo are my favourite, however they were all interesting. Some of the stories focus on where the technological advancements lead mankind and elements of humanity which either stubbornly persist or disappear as humans evolve their ways of thinking with time and each advance, some being totally in favour of constant progress and others wanting to hold back in some way, much like we have always been I suppose. I will look forward to reading some of his other books.
April 27, 2016
A short story collection containing 7 stories; 3 of which are set in the Commonwealth universe (The Commonwealth Saga and The Void Trilogy being the main books in it).
All 7 stories have the familiar Hamilton trademarks of extremely advanced technology mixed with the evolution of mankind and it's place in the universe.
If you've read The Commonwealth Saga and/or The Void Trilogy then the 3 short stories in this set within that same universe will make you smile. There are some good links with both sets of books and a few very curious pieces of information about certain characters within the books.
Well worth reading in my opinion (very short at 260 pages so can't go too wrong either).
All 7 stories have the familiar Hamilton trademarks of extremely advanced technology mixed with the evolution of mankind and it's place in the universe.
If you've read The Commonwealth Saga and/or The Void Trilogy then the 3 short stories in this set within that same universe will make you smile. There are some good links with both sets of books and a few very curious pieces of information about certain characters within the books.
Well worth reading in my opinion (very short at 260 pages so can't go too wrong either).
February 24, 2012
Good. The first story seemed a bit rushed by the end, but cool. I'd love to read a whole book or series written in that world, Kinda steam punk ear "what if the Roman Empire never fell" idea. The last two stories where also very good, nice brain food. Been mulling over the ideas for a few days now.
If you like Hamilton, you won't be disappointed, and because they are all short stories he doesn't really get to waffle as much as he is prone to do.
If you like Hamilton, you won't be disappointed, and because they are all short stories he doesn't really get to waffle as much as he is prone to do.
January 27, 2015
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories by Peter F. Hamilton. I especially enjoyed the last two as they were Paula Myo stories. She is one of my favorite Commonwealth characters. I recommend this book to all Peter F. Hamilton fans.
November 25, 2014
The book cover looks like something you would see in dreams, in sci-fi television shows or in movies. I give this book 5 stars.
February 3, 2023
I liked the Night's Dawn trilogy, but I've never read anything else from Hamilton. I quite liked this short story collection, so I think he's going on my list of "good sci-fi authors". I think the over-arching theme here is "sci-fi detective stories", which I usually like a lot. Per-story reviews:
Watching Trees Grow - 5 / 5
I think this was my favorite story in the collection. It's a super interesting alternate history world that I'd love to see explored more. The story itself had some echoes of The Boat of a Million Years , which I absolutely loved. Implausibility aside, the story, the world-building and the characters here were all top notch.
Footvote - 2 / 5
This was not nearly as bad as most sci-fi that seems to comment on contemporary-ish politics, but it was still a bit tedious. I felt like maybe the politician was supposed to be a stand-in for some British politician that I don't know or care about. The inter-personal drama was compelling but kinda under-explored. I think a similar theme could be explored better in a bit more detail.
If at First... - 4.5 / 5
Great story, I love the idea. It's the kind of thing I think about often, and I like that it is told from the perspective of peripheral characters.
The Forever Kitten - 1.5 / 5
This was a very short story and honestly I don't really think I understood what he was going for here.
Blessed by an Angel - 2.5 / 5
This seems like a story that rationalists and AI x-risk people would like, but other than that I don't think it was pulled off entirely elegantly. It's something of a story of contagion, I guess, but there are much better stories like that (including Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy...)
The Demon Trap - 4 / 5
This is the first story I've read that involves Paula Myo, who is apparently a popular character in Hamilton's other fiction like Pandora's Star . I can see why, the idea behind her character (a detective genetically engineered to care about justice monomaniacally) is very compelling.
This story was fairly interesting, and by the end of it was reminding me of .
Manhattan in Reverse - 3.5 / 5
This was another Paula Myo story. It's a kind of fun detective story, but less intrinsically interesting than the previous one. The dénoument () was interesting enough, I suppose, but not as good as some of the other stuff in the book.
Watching Trees Grow - 5 / 5
I think this was my favorite story in the collection. It's a super interesting alternate history world that I'd love to see explored more. The story itself had some echoes of The Boat of a Million Years , which I absolutely loved. Implausibility aside, the story, the world-building and the characters here were all top notch.
Footvote - 2 / 5
This was not nearly as bad as most sci-fi that seems to comment on contemporary-ish politics, but it was still a bit tedious. I felt like maybe the politician was supposed to be a stand-in for some British politician that I don't know or care about. The inter-personal drama was compelling but kinda under-explored. I think a similar theme could be explored better in a bit more detail.
If at First... - 4.5 / 5
Great story, I love the idea. It's the kind of thing I think about often, and I like that it is told from the perspective of peripheral characters.
The Forever Kitten - 1.5 / 5
This was a very short story and honestly I don't really think I understood what he was going for here.
Blessed by an Angel - 2.5 / 5
This seems like a story that rationalists and AI x-risk people would like, but other than that I don't think it was pulled off entirely elegantly. It's something of a story of contagion, I guess, but there are much better stories like that (including Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy...)
The Demon Trap - 4 / 5
This is the first story I've read that involves Paula Myo, who is apparently a popular character in Hamilton's other fiction like Pandora's Star . I can see why, the idea behind her character (a detective genetically engineered to care about justice monomaniacally) is very compelling.
This story was fairly interesting, and by the end of it was reminding me of .
Manhattan in Reverse - 3.5 / 5
This was another Paula Myo story. It's a kind of fun detective story, but less intrinsically interesting than the previous one. The dénoument () was interesting enough, I suppose, but not as good as some of the other stuff in the book.
January 8, 2019
Once again I am very glad of the current reading challenge I'm doing, because without the task "read a book with the name of a cocktail in the title" I would probably not have come across this gem any time soon.
I had heard of Hamilton before, in fact we even own a few of his books - hubby has read them, while I am suffering from "too many books, too little time" and hadn't gotten around to them yet.
After this, I think I will probably re-prioritise and move him closer to the top of the "to read" list.
The book contains seven stories, some of which take place within universes from his other works. For me, the first story "Watching trees grow" was the stand-out, followed closely by "If at first".
Interestingly, both of these, and several others in the collection, are about a detective of some description solving a crime. Future CSI in space? Hey, why not, there's so much new tech to play with then!
It's definitely left me wanting more!
I had heard of Hamilton before, in fact we even own a few of his books - hubby has read them, while I am suffering from "too many books, too little time" and hadn't gotten around to them yet.
After this, I think I will probably re-prioritise and move him closer to the top of the "to read" list.
The book contains seven stories, some of which take place within universes from his other works. For me, the first story "Watching trees grow" was the stand-out, followed closely by "If at first".
Interestingly, both of these, and several others in the collection, are about a detective of some description solving a crime. Future CSI in space? Hey, why not, there's so much new tech to play with then!
It's definitely left me wanting more!
May 17, 2021
Hoewel een groot deel van de aantrekkingskracht van Peter F. Hamilton is dat hij ons meestal voor minstens 1500 bladzijden weet mee te slepen in goed uitgewerkte, vlot geschreven en gigantische space-opera's waarin we onszelf helemaal verliezen, blijkt hij ook met kortverhalen overweg te kunnen.
Aangenaam leesvoer, enkele toffe ideeën en een fijn weerzien met Chief Investigator Paula Myo in de laatste twee verhalen.
Openingsverhaal 'Watching the trees grow' (over een moord die gedurende verschillende decennia verder wordt ontrafeld) en 'The demon trap' (waarin Myo volhard om de juiste dader op de juiste manier gestraft te krijgen) staken er wat ons betreft bovenuit.
Niets echt geniaal en niet de Hamilton die ons zal bijblijven, maar graag gelezen.
Aangenaam leesvoer, enkele toffe ideeën en een fijn weerzien met Chief Investigator Paula Myo in de laatste twee verhalen.
Openingsverhaal 'Watching the trees grow' (over een moord die gedurende verschillende decennia verder wordt ontrafeld) en 'The demon trap' (waarin Myo volhard om de juiste dader op de juiste manier gestraft te krijgen) staken er wat ons betreft bovenuit.
Niets echt geniaal en niet de Hamilton die ons zal bijblijven, maar graag gelezen.
March 28, 2022
Commonwealth and more!
It was great to be back in the Commonwealth universe for some of the short stories. I also enjoyed the other short stories here. Nice quick reads in true PFH style!
It was great to be back in the Commonwealth universe for some of the short stories. I also enjoyed the other short stories here. Nice quick reads in true PFH style!
January 10, 2025
3.7 stars. I’m a big fan of PFH but I found the short stories too short and abrupt. I’ll be sticking with his long novels going forward
December 19, 2023
Skilful and highly technological SF which at the same time feels curiously old-fashioned - in the first short story, I kept thinking I was reading Asimov. But readable with interesting ideas, including a very strong focus on justice, no matter how long it might take to deliver
July 28, 2017
This is a very strong collection I picked up in preparation for the Void trilogy, knowing that it contained a few stories which bridge the Judas Unchained and the Dreaming Void.
It was a pretty good idea, as one story is an 'origin' story about a very important character in the Void (see below).
The main theme throughout these stories is, surprisingly, the detective story. Whether set on Earth, or on remote planets, or in the past, 4 of the 7 stories contain one classical detective, and at least two more some kind of law-enforcement characters. If you hate murder mysteries, then maybe this collection is not for you.
Breakdown:
- Watching Trees Grow: novella - 5 stars
Murder mystery set across two centuries in modern Britain still ruled by the Roman empire. Very beautiful setting.
- Footvote: short story - 4 stars
Parent attempts to kidnap family members across a modern-day world wormhole. I loved the rules the wormhole imposed.
- If at First...: short story - 4 stars
A detective following a crime lead ends up having his consciousness travel back in time. Pretty cool.
- The Forever Kitten: short story - 3 stars
Creepy story about dangerous cats, creepier even than his Night's Dawn villains.
- Blessed by an Angel: short story - 5 stars
Origin story of an important character from the Void trilogy. Post-human setting, very cool surprise at the end.
- The Demon Trap: novella - 4 stars
This one features detective Paula Myo (which appears in all five Commonwealth books) hard at work to solve a murder. The story itself is not as good as "Watching Trees Grow", but the mystery is pretty engaging, and the Commonwealth setting is always a treat. It is set between Misspent Youth and Pandora's Star.
- Manhattan in Reverse: novella - 3 stars
Also featuring detective Paula Myo traveling to remote planet to broker peace between the colonist humans and the local indigenous life. As the title suggests, it casts the aliens as the original Amerindians in Manhattan, and the humans as the Europeans, only with a slight twist. Just like "Blessed by an Angel" it is set between "Judas Unchained" and "The Dreaming Void".
It was a pretty good idea, as one story is an 'origin' story about a very important character in the Void (see below).
The main theme throughout these stories is, surprisingly, the detective story. Whether set on Earth, or on remote planets, or in the past, 4 of the 7 stories contain one classical detective, and at least two more some kind of law-enforcement characters. If you hate murder mysteries, then maybe this collection is not for you.
Breakdown:
- Watching Trees Grow: novella - 5 stars
Murder mystery set across two centuries in modern Britain still ruled by the Roman empire. Very beautiful setting.
- Footvote: short story - 4 stars
Parent attempts to kidnap family members across a modern-day world wormhole. I loved the rules the wormhole imposed.
- If at First...: short story - 4 stars
A detective following a crime lead ends up having his consciousness travel back in time. Pretty cool.
- The Forever Kitten: short story - 3 stars
Creepy story about dangerous cats, creepier even than his Night's Dawn villains.
- Blessed by an Angel: short story - 5 stars
Origin story of an important character from the Void trilogy. Post-human setting, very cool surprise at the end.
- The Demon Trap: novella - 4 stars
This one features detective Paula Myo (which appears in all five Commonwealth books) hard at work to solve a murder. The story itself is not as good as "Watching Trees Grow", but the mystery is pretty engaging, and the Commonwealth setting is always a treat. It is set between Misspent Youth and Pandora's Star.
- Manhattan in Reverse: novella - 3 stars
Also featuring detective Paula Myo traveling to remote planet to broker peace between the colonist humans and the local indigenous life. As the title suggests, it casts the aliens as the original Amerindians in Manhattan, and the humans as the Europeans, only with a slight twist. Just like "Blessed by an Angel" it is set between "Judas Unchained" and "The Dreaming Void".
May 1, 2012
For an author with a reputation for writing very long novels it is maybe appropriate that the two longest stories in this short story collection were the best in it. Watching Trees Grow (which I'd read before many years ago) packs a lot of world-building into 80-odd pages and has an interesting premise (a murder investigation taking centuries with the investigator using newly invented technologies to go back to look at the case), although the characterisation was a bit flat and some aspects of the world-building were a bit under-explained. Another SF detective story, The Demon Trap, was probably the best story in the collection, re-using some characters from Hamilton's Commonwealth books probably helped with the characterisation compared to Watching Trees Grow and it was probably the most interesting story in terms of the SF elements (although some of the ideas later got reused in his Void trilogy). The other two Commonwealth-set stories were also reasonably good with some nice cameos for characters from the novels, although the title story did feel a bit contrived in its attempt to shoe-horn Paula Myo into a plot that shouldn't really have had anything to do with her.
The remaining stories weren't anything special, If At First in particular was both dull and silly and almost certainly the first SF story to use R.E.M.'s "Shiny Happy People" as a major plot point. Footvote was short but had an interesting premise - a man opens up a wormhole to colonise a new world but sets a long list of rules about who he'll allow to emigrate, this has some negative consequences.
Overall, I'd say Hamilton's strength is mainly in the longer works but he's also a decent writer of short fiction.
The remaining stories weren't anything special, If At First in particular was both dull and silly and almost certainly the first SF story to use R.E.M.'s "Shiny Happy People" as a major plot point. Footvote was short but had an interesting premise - a man opens up a wormhole to colonise a new world but sets a long list of rules about who he'll allow to emigrate, this has some negative consequences.
Overall, I'd say Hamilton's strength is mainly in the longer works but he's also a decent writer of short fiction.
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