Watching Trees Grow
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Watching Trees Grow is a novella by British author Peter F. Hamilton, published in 2000 (101 pages). It is set in an alternate history universe. Essentially a detective story about a murder investigator that attempt to solve a murder that took place early in his career. The detective has all the time in the world, as the group of humanity that he belongs to has a very long lifespan to begin with and become essentially immortal later as rejuvenation techniques are invented.
The setting is one that speculates a world in which the Roman empire never collapsed, and so controls the globe to the present day and into the future. As such the world after the 11th Century is dramatically different, with no period of "Dark Ages" resulting in a massive advancement in technology. For example the opening segment of the story features electric cars (having phased out internal combustion engines) and widespread use of telephones, despite being set in the 1800's.
The story also reflects a strong sense of social hierarchy remnant of the Roman era, by which "bred" humans, leftovers from gladiators and soldiers of Rome who are eugenically advanced to the remainder of humanity (known collectively as "Shorts"). Shorts have none of the opportunities that the upper-class are born into, who attend universities and control all of the worlds' companies and high technology. Murder is virtually unknown in the upper-classes, and so provides the power behind the main story line.
The novella explores this world via the quest for a murderer that a Roman noble family's appointed official for the investigation must undertake. The time-span reaches from the 1830's until a distant "unlimited" future, the last given time after the late 21st century. It is a world filled with starflight, and highly advanced technology. As time passes and more advanced forensic techniques become available, giving the investigator more avenues to explore, visiting upon old evidence to lead to the shocking final realisations.
The novella was first published in a limited signed edition by PS Publishing, later anthologised in Futures, then published in a mass market paperback edition, ISBN 0-575-07305-5.
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Works by Peter F. Hamilton |
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The Greg Mandel trilogy • Mindstar Rising | A Quantum Murder | The Nano Flower |
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