Hammer of the Dogs: A Novel
by Jarret Keene
A postapocalyptic adventure in Las Vegas for readers of all ages.
Set in the wasteland of post-apocalyptic Las Vegas, Hammer of the Dogs is a literary dystopian adventure filled with high-octane fun starring twenty-one-year-old Lash. With her high-tech skill set and warrior mentality, Lash is a master of her own fate as she helps to shield the Las Vegas valley’s survivors and protect her younger classmates at a paramilitary school holed up in Luxor on the Las Vegas Strip. After graduation, she’ll be alone in fending off the deadly intentions and desires of the school’s most powerful opponents.
When she’s captured by the enemy warlord, she’s surprised by two revelations: He’s not the monster her headmaster wants her to believe and the one thing she can’t safeguard is her own heart. Hammer of the Dogs celebrates the courageousness of a younger generation in the face of authority while exploring the difficult choices a conscionable young woman must make with her back against a blood-spattered wall. It’s a story of transformation and maturity, as Lash grapples with her own identity and redefines the glittering Las Vegas that Nevada is known for.
5 out of 5 fairies
A great post-apocalyptic story with some light romance, an amazing pair of MCs, and an unforgettable cast of characters. Keene does a great job with the world building, drawing the reader into a world that is so very different from our own, but still has echoes of it. It’s easy to get lost in the story, and I loved following Lash on her journey, as she learns things aren’t always what they seem, as well as finding herself in some ways. If you’re looking for a post-apocalyptic story that colors outside a few lines, then you’ll want to grab this one!
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Jarret Keene is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he teaches American literature and the graphic novel. He has written books—travel guide, rock-band biography, poetry collections—and edited short-fiction anthologies such as Las Vegas Noir and Dead Neon: Tales of Near-Future Las Vegas. His Pushcart-nominated stories, essays, and verse have appeared in literary journals, spec-fic anthologies, academic textbooks, and university presses. He is the series editor of Las Vegas Writes, an annual anthology sponsored by Nevada Humanities and published by Huntington Press.