This is a collection of short stories from the excellent science fiction author Peter F. Hamilton. There are 7 stories in this collection, 4 of which are stand alone stories with 3 set within the the Commonwealth Universe created by Hamilton in his previous books Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, and revisited in the excellent Void Trilogy.
The collection revisits many of the themes he explored in his previous works, one of which is how humanity copes and adapts to changing technology. The first story in the collection, Watching Trees Grow, is a detective story spanning several centuries of rapid technological progress in an alternative timeline to our own. Each chapter in the story jumps forward several decades yet still manages to give you a sense of how things have moved on and how society is adapting (in some cases better than others) while still telling an interesting story.
The last 2 stories in the collection (The Demon Trap and Manhattan in Reverse) are set in the Commonwealth Universe and feature one of the best characters from his previous works, Paula Myo. She is a detective with a genetically engineered obsession with seeing justice done. The character is so well developed in his previous works that its a welcome return for her.
While you do not need to be familiar with his previous works for the first 4 stories, unfortunately I believe that unfamiliarity with the Commonwealth Universe may leave readers confused over some of the references within the stories set there. This is a book that any fan of Hamilton's work should read but I'm not sure I can recommend it to anyone unfamiliar with his previous books.
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