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Las Vegas Writes #2
The Perpetual Engine of Hope: Short Stories Inspired by Iconic Las Vegas Photographs
The Perpetual Engine of Hope, a collection of short stories inspired by vintage Las Vegas photographs, takes you on an epic journey from the heyday of the mob era to a dystopian future of dashed dreams. No matter the genre, from crime noir to horror, psychological drama to urban fantasy, these stories have something compelling to say about Las Vegas and its ability to inspire hope even amid the most dire circumstances. Along the way, the writers revel in the city's rich past and ponder its uncertain future, the historic images driving them to consider Las Vegas from fresh and illuminating perspectives.
155 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2010
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About the author
Geoff Schumacher
17 books3 followersGeoff Schumacher grew up in Souther Nevada and has beena reporter, columnist and editor in Las Vegas for 16 years.
Currently, Schumacher is the director of community publications and a weekly columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal"
Currently, Schumacher is the director of community publications and a weekly columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal"
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 21, 2012
The photographs are all great, better than some of the stories, but there are a few gems here. My favorite involves Howard Hughes and the war between the mob and the Mormon church for control of Las Vegas, Dead Ringer by P. Moss. Here's a quote:
Dalitz knew the play was nothing more than a shakedown. The stakes might be higher, but no diferent from a hundred other cockroach moves he had squashed in the past. Murder and intimidation had gotten him through Prohibiiton. Shrewdness and cunning side-stepped Eliot Ness and the Kefauver Committee. And sharp lawyers made him the favorite to crush any new federal tax indictments. Moe Dalitz had always possessed the power and the guile to stave off any attack. But the Mormons were another matter altogether...The Mormons in Las Vegas were not some rival gang that recruited membership at night court and the pool hall, whose leader you could kill and then take over. This gang was bred with almighty purpose. Put God on everything like ketchup and grew obese with misguided morality. They were an enemy whose arsenal included control over punblic opinion. Throughout history, such an enemy had proved impossible to defeat. The whole story is that good. Also appealing was Juan Martinez's On Paradise about a mother-daughter team of showgirls that a lonely boy thought was his deserted family; Alissa Nutting's The Sands - a Twilight Zone type story about loss in the desert; and K. W. Jeeter's Will the Last One to Leave Turn Out the Lights about a homeless community. So laughs, weirdness and some tugs at the heart strings. Not a bad little anthology.
Dalitz knew the play was nothing more than a shakedown. The stakes might be higher, but no diferent from a hundred other cockroach moves he had squashed in the past. Murder and intimidation had gotten him through Prohibiiton. Shrewdness and cunning side-stepped Eliot Ness and the Kefauver Committee. And sharp lawyers made him the favorite to crush any new federal tax indictments. Moe Dalitz had always possessed the power and the guile to stave off any attack. But the Mormons were another matter altogether...The Mormons in Las Vegas were not some rival gang that recruited membership at night court and the pool hall, whose leader you could kill and then take over. This gang was bred with almighty purpose. Put God on everything like ketchup and grew obese with misguided morality. They were an enemy whose arsenal included control over punblic opinion. Throughout history, such an enemy had proved impossible to defeat. The whole story is that good. Also appealing was Juan Martinez's On Paradise about a mother-daughter team of showgirls that a lonely boy thought was his deserted family; Alissa Nutting's The Sands - a Twilight Zone type story about loss in the desert; and K. W. Jeeter's Will the Last One to Leave Turn Out the Lights about a homeless community. So laughs, weirdness and some tugs at the heart strings. Not a bad little anthology.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews