Watching Trees Grow - Plot and Setting

Plot and Setting

The setting is a world in which the Roman empire never collapsed, with the world controlled by various Roman Dynasties. Due to the presence of a continuous stable society, scientific and technological advancements have proceeded at a faster pace in this world. For example, the opening segment of the story, set in the early 19th century, features electric cars and widespread use of telephones.

The story also contains a class system handed down from the Roman era, in which upper-class humans, descendants of Roman patricians, are eugenically advanced and have a much longer-than-normal lifespan. The majority of humanity are known as "Shorts"; they have a normal lifespan and lack most of the privileges of the upper class, who attend universities and control the world's wealth, companies, governments and access to high technology. Murder is virtually unknown among the upper class, and so provides the power behind the main story line.

The novella explores this world via a quest for a murderer, undertaken by a member of a Roman noble family. The time-span reaches from the 1830s to a distant future in which starflight and other highly advanced technologies are ubiquitous. As time passes and more advanced forensic techniques become available, the protagonist re-visits old evidence and witnesses to further his investigation.

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.