Watching Trees Grow

Gollancz Binary #3

by Peter F. Hamilton

Limited / Signed edition 118 /500 Signed by Peter Hamilton. Signature only A First edition, First printing. Soft Cover book. book is tight and crisp - never read. Book is in Fine condition. Boards are clean, not bumped. No store stamps Interior is clean and legible. Not remaindered. Thanks and Enjoy. All-ways well packaged, All-ways fast service. Thanks.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Short Stories, Crime, Audiobook

96 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

Peter 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.

Reviews

[Claudia]

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...

Incredible how, in a novella, Hamilton succeeds in creating such an outstanding alternate reality in which, along with the super-fast development of technologies, the pursuit of the criminal spreads on more than 200 years.

Highly recommended.

[Maddalena]

3,5 STARS


Peter Hamilton is one of those authors who always intimidated me through the sheer amount of published works combined with the staggering page count of each book: big volumes never scared me, far from it, but from the reviews I read I’ve learned that Hamilton’s Night Dawn trilogy, for example, represents quite a challenge, both in scope and in the quantity of characters and story-lines it contains.

So, when I saw he also published some shorter works, I decided to get my feet wet – so to speak – with something far less daunting [...]


FULL REVIEW AT SPACE AND SORCERY BLOG

[Fred Hughes]

A nice short book by a great author. The story line involves a murder in 1832 that is finaly solved in 2038. It embraces steampunk ideology and an extended human life cycle. The story moves along. Of interest, or aggravation, is that all the characters are referred to by their given name, surname, and middle name. It doesn't add anything to the story.

Recommended

[Luke John]

Initially this didn't really grab my attention, beginning as it did as something akin to a steam punk murder mystery, a sub genre which I don't generally find too interesting. However, the story develops well beyond this set up and my engagement increased the further in I got. The story uses a structure whereby we are made aware early on that there are significant differences between our world and that of the book, but details are only drip fed throughout. I found the overall experience to be enjoyable, with a satisfying conclusion.

[Tom Robert]

A short crime/detective story with a sci fi setting. It was okay.

[Steve]

Nice little surprise novella. Long time scale whodunnit just for something a little different.

[Alan Clark]

Tendeleo's Story, Ian McDonald's contribution to this binary book, is set in his Chaga series, in which Earth is colonised by biological packages which grow inexorably from their landing sites at 50 metres per day. It tells the story of a woman who is displaced by the Chaga, and how it affects her life. You do not need to have read the two earlier Chaga novels to enjoy the story, but you could well want to read them afterwards.

Watching Trees Grow is an interesting whodunnit set in an alternate history. It has an accidental connection with the other novella, but I will leave it to the reader to find out what it is.

Two good stories, particularly Watching Trees.

[Shola]

I am a huuuge fan of PFH, which is why I continued on with this novelette, thinking it would be worth it in the end, - but no, it was utter drivel. The entire plot hangs on a single murder, this point is used as an anchor and meant to keep you engaged in this alternate, steampunk style Earth-timeline, which is interesting but not interesting enough, the only thing that keeps you ploughing on is the thought that PFH is totally capable of pulling something amazing out of the hat at the end that makes it all worthwhile - he doesn't.

[Andreas]

This novelette is about an immortal mankind that grows out of the Roman Empire. Very intriguing. The story is centered around a murder mystery, and Hamilton skillfully intertwines the case with a slow revelation about this society so unlike our own. The main theme is the meaning of life, and the value of it. Well worth a read.

This novelette was published back to back with Tendeléo’s Story by Ian McDonald.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=799

[Gunn]

There are more big concept ideas that affect a human society stuffed into this short story than other authors put in entire series. Also, unlike some of other PFH's books (which start out strong, have a great run, and then end with a whimper -- almost like PFH didn't know how to end his stories), the ending to this particular story is both satisfying and well crafted.

[Joshua]

Not Hamilton's usual fare. Slower and less credible but for alternate history, it was a fun walk down a different take the way the world would have gone without the fall of the Roman Empire. And as per Hamilton, there was a police mystery to unravel throughout the story.

[Tyrannosaurus regina]

There's a really interesting world here that mostly makes me want to learn more about it. (I should have written a more thorough review shortly after finishing the book because I have almost no recollection of what actually happened in it now. But clearly I enjoyed it.)

[Craig]

A standard murder mystery, then take today's technology and slide it back to 1830's to start the story, extend life spans to 400 years. And then as slowly as trees grow, solve the mystery over the next 200 years. Ok.

[Lotte]

Please see my review for 'Manhatten in Reverse' to find a summary of this novella.

[Hiscio Sanchez]

awsome

[Bartosz Siwinski]

That was very interesting - loved the idea of a crime story throughout the centuries.

[Getvoldsen]

A great deal more than a whodunnit, the beginning of one hell of a journey

[Derek]

Clever, the idea of extending a murder mystery over the expansion of civilization. And so optimistic about the (alternate) history of the human race.

[Aethelberga]

I read this as part of a short story collection and loved it. I would dearly love more set in this universe, particularly if it explored how the modern Roman empire came to be.