Manhattan in Reverse

In this collection of short stories, Peter F. Hamilton draws you into an array of captivating tales. These exciting glimpses into his worlds are not to be missed – and as Ken Follett says, ‘each short story has enough ideas for a whole novel’.Manhattan in Reverse features the author’s popular detective Paula Myo, from his bestselling Commonwealth books. Other stories include Watching Trees Grow – a murder mystery set in an alternative 1800s Oxford – and The Forever Kitten. This questions eternal youth and the sacrifices required to pursue it. With all his usual brilliantly conceived storytelling, Peter F. Hamilton’s talents are on full display.

A rare collection from one of sci-fi’s more engaging storytellers, Hamilton is often associated with space operas unusual even in that genre for both scale and mass; one of the best stories here, “Watching Trees Grow”, depicts the human race’s expansion out from its home world as the background to an immortal Javert’s inexorable solution to a whodunit. He also usefully reminds us that it is possible for people of somewhat conservative views to be humane; the title story is an effective puzzle concluding in a moral point that does not only apply to alien planets, The collection’s highpoint is the excelled novella “Watching Tress Grow”, set in an alternate reality in which Rome never fell and most citizens are immortal, If you’re looking for a collection of truly well-written and engaging short science fiction stories, then Manhattan in Reverse is a great read, With all his usual imagination for futuristic technology, complexity of character and brilliantly conceived storytelling Peter F. Hamilton shows through this collection of work what it is that makes him Britain's number one science fiction writer . . . Peter F. Hamilton is at the top of his game and this short story collection just reinforces that fact. If you are a fan you will absolutely love this collection, but newcomers will find this an excellent introduction to his work without having to commit to a full-length novel. Highly recommended

Peter F. Hamilton was born in Rutland in 1960 and now lives in Somerset. He began writing in 1987, and sold his first short story to Fear magazine in 1988. He has written many bestselling novels, including the Greg Mandel series, the Night’s Dawn trilogy, the Commonwealth Saga, the Void trilogy, The Chronicle of the Fallers, short story collections and several standalone novels including Fallen Dragon and Great North Road.