Manhattan in Reverse

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Peter F. Hamilton has earned both critical acclaim and a devoted following for such interstellar epics as The Night's Dawn Trilogy and Fallen Dragon. He has also created a small bu t memorable body of shorter fiction as compelling and carefully crafted as his longer, more characteristic work. Manhattan in Reverse, Hamilton's first collection since A Second Chance at Eden appeared in 1998, is a genuine publishing event, offering seven compact examples of their author's imaginative range and sheer narrative virtuosity. The opening novella, 'Watching Trees Grow,' is an enthralling, multi-layered account of a murder investigation that encompasses hundreds of years, a multitude of worlds, and an astonishing array of technological advances. 'If at First...' is a witty, wholly original take on the theory--and unexpected consequences--of time travel. 'The Forever Kitten' is a marvel of compression that addresses one possible application of a nascent rejuvenation technology. The title story brings back Paula Myo, the detective heroine of Hamilton's Commonwealth novels. In this never-before-published novella, which takes place in the aftermath of Judas Unchained, Paula travels to the frontier planet of Menard, where she brings her puzzle-solving skills to bear on an escalating conflict between the planet's 'non-sentient' inhabitants and the hordes of newly arrived settlers. Like the best of Hamilton's earlier work, Manhattan in Reverse is a treasure trove of pure narrative delights. Intelligent, surprising, and lovingly detailed, these resonant tales are the mature products of a gifted storyteller, a man with a powerful--and seemingly limitless--imagination. Hardcover: 272 pages Publisher: Subterranean Press (July 31, 2012) ISBN-13: 978-1596064409 Show more