The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer; 352 pages
When I picked this up, I think I was expecting something a little more on the science fiction end of the spectrum; what I got was something far more literary than I anticipated, but enjoyable nonetheless. The story is set in an alternate version of the early twentieth century, and is narrated by Harold Winslow, who is presently imprisoned on a zeppelin orbiting the globe. The craft is powered by a "perpetual motion machine" that is slowly deteriorating, and Howard knows his time is limited. Miranda, daughter of the zeppelin's inventor, is on board with him, but after years of searching he cannot find her, and so has turned to writing out his story--which is the bulk of the book. Yes, this is a loose retelling of The Tempest, in which Prospero as a mad scientist rather than a benevolent magician, but there are also some very interesting ideas running through it: artifice vs. reality, art vs. programming, innocence, love, storytelling, and the loss of magic in the world. I can see this being a popular choice with book clubs, and had to keep myself from writing down questions as I read. Not a fast read, but thought-provoking.
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