Santa 2000

by Michel Parry

Hardcover

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decade before David Hartwell produced his Christmas anthology series and long before Connie Willis claimed the season as her own, this obscure volume appeared in the U.K. from Dragon Books, a Granada imprint. It contains six stories: Santa Rides a Saucer (which isn't particularly memorable) by Donald A. Wollheim (you know, of DAW fame), Christmas Treason (a nice story of psi-powered kids searching for Santa) by James White, Sanity Clause (a short little punchy twist tale) by Edward Wellen, The Santa Claus Planet (a fun old-fashioned story on the theme of the spirit of giving) by Frank Robinson, Christmas on Ganymede (my favorite of the lot, and also the oldest story in the book; it's a clever alien encounter story, but you have to overlook the exploitation of the natives and the manifest destiny of Earthmen theme) by Isaac Asimov, and finally another very short tale, The Santa Claus Compromise by Thomas M. Disch, which can be read as sort of a brave toaster forerunner. None of the stories are great classics, but they're all fun and light and (in my opinion) superior to Hallmark Channel offerings. Jolly times to all, and to all a good night...

[Duncan (Backawayfromthedonkey) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2