Saad Z. Hossain s debut novel is a wildly humorous take on the horror and absurdity of war. dagr a former university professor and kinza a small time thug are thrown together in the chaos of the Iraq war. as the us marines bumble around destroying their country the two friends do everything in their power to stay alive an increasingly impossible task as Baghdad collapses around them. and then their luck begins to turn. they capture captain Hamid the star torturer of Saddam Hussein who promises them a fortune in gold if they smuggle him out of baghdad. helped by a corrupt us marine private hoffman they begin their escape when unexpectedly things get even more crazily complicated a unique blend of humour satire fantasy mystery and mythology that rattles along at the pace of a beltfed burst of machinegun fire from an apache gunship escape from baghdad is an exhilarating debut. praise for the book a marvelous mix of genres blending the visceral atmosphere of a war movie with the casual nihilism of catch22 or the original m.a.s.h. kirkus reviews Hossain daringly shows us that war isn t just hell but absolutely insane. li ary journal with nods to catch22 Frankenstein the island of doctor moreau and the golem myth escape from Baghdad weaves fantasy absurdity and adventure into a moving counter narrative to the myth of the just war. npr features a remarkable debut novel by a subcontinental writer. saad z. hossain has been compared to joseph heller and kurt vonnegut for his blackly humorous depiction of the absurdity of war. the book will receive wide coverage in the media because we are sending arcs to though leaders around the country with a personal letter from the publisher we do this only or twice a year for the most exceptional debut. the writer will be invited to several literary festivals and profiles and interviews are guaranteed in major newspapers and magazines.