by Rachel A. Rosen

In the preface that opens this collection of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror from Palestinian writers in the diaspora, editor and contributor Sonia Sulaiman writes, “Someone once said that all Palestinian fiction is speculative; we are always grappling with the past and living in expectation of the future.” These stories are those of writers violently unmoored from home and belonging. What is more speculative than dreaming of the future, despite a past of dispossession?

There are many standout stories in this collection, which is the first of its kind to be published in Canada. From the unsettling horror of Ziyad Saadi’s “The Third Or Fourth Casualty,” in which a group of boys die while swimming as we are reminded of the insignificance of their deaths, to the triumphant DIY space project of Samah Serour Fadil’s “Gaza Luna,” to the heartfelt queer longing of Nadia Afifi’s “The Generation Chip,” this diverse and imaginative collection is at once a cry of rage and a flickering of hope in the darkness. It’s a must-read.