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This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

North by 2000+ is a collection of science-fiction stories originally published over several decades by author H. A. Hargreaves. I enjoyed the stories very much, particularly “Dead to the World”, “Cainn”, “Tee Vee Man” and “More Things in Heaven and Earth”. Alhough these stories were written many years ago and there are some discrepancies between the future as Hargreaves had envisioned it and the reality as it is today, the stories do not feel dated. It is Hargreaves’s exploration of human relationships, to one another and to the environment, in an imagined setting that makes the stories memorable. I also found Runte’s commentary on “Canadian science-fiction” and how it differs from that of the British and American tradition thought-provoking.

Having experienced hits and misses with small publishers, I was genuinely surprised by the quality of the writing. I recently finished all the short stories and novelettes nominated for this year’s Hugo awards, and certainly, Hargreaves’s stories would not suffer in comparison. I’m glad that Five Rivers Publishing has chosen to reprint his work, as it deserves a wider audience. ( )