Iraq + 100: The First Anthology of Science Fiction to Have Emerged from Iraq by Hassan Blasim

Review by Mia Veal

The Short 

This anthology was thought of by Hassan Blasim to bring the science fiction genre to modern Iraqi literature. The topic for all the writers was to “imagine Iraq a hundred years after the U.S. occupation through short fiction.” 

The Long 

The many stories within the book take the reader through multiple tales of the future of Iraq. Most of the stories take a morbid route in how they view the future of the nation such as “Kahramana” which tells the story of a young immigrant woman who is seeking political asylum from an extremist dictator. Other stories reference climate change, neoliberalism, technological advancements, and poverty. The intense stories reflect how the Iraqi authors feel about the coming years of the country and the destruction that has been left due to occupation. 

To read or not to read? 

Yes! It was on NPR’s Best Books of 2017 for a reason. It is a nice change from the usual science fiction novel and is definitely a must read.