The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer

Date of Publication: March 2, 2010

Memorable Quotation: "Two moral forces shaped how we think and live in this shining twentieth century: The Virgin and the Dynamo. The Dynamo represents the desire to know, the Virgin represents the freedom not to know." (pg. 186)

Grade: A+

Dexter Palmer's debut novel, The Dream of Perpetual Motion, is one of absolute magnificence. Palmer's novel is told by Harold Winslow, a greeting card writer who is imprisoned on a Zeppelin created by Prospero Taligent, a scientist whose genius borders on madness, with Prospero's daughter, Miranda, who has gone insane due to the twisted love of her father.  The world they live in takes place in a Steampunk era that has replaced where angels once roamed free and people once believed in miracles, although this world of advanced technology cannot always replace the miracles that human love creates.   As the reader is transported back to Harold's childhood, they travel with him through his friendship with Miranda and the Shakespeare-worthy tragedies he must face to eventually find him writing his journey on paper.  

Two of the main characters, Prospero and Miranda (and one other that will be introduced to as the story goes on) are representative of Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, as Palmer has the characters point out but are not essential to understanding the story. (He does, however, make innuendos to the Tempest that can be best appreciated by those who understand the play.) 

Aside from the clever use of Shakespeare's characters in his novel, the imagery Palmer creates are paintings through words, from Ophelia (another Shakespeare reference), one of Harold's co-workers, posing in front of her bedroom mirror to Harold's repetitious dreams of the Virgin Queen.  The only downfall to this novel is a catch twenty-two;  the amount of detail Palmer puts into the story is what makes it so enrapturing, but at the same time, the momentum decelerates at points with how in depth he goes into with detail.  Nevertheless, if the reader is patient, the story will pick back up.

The Dream of Perpetual Motion is a piece of literature that has the ability to change the world through Palmer's beautiful and innovative visions, challenging the way people view art, philosophy, and the modern day takeover of technology.  

Thanks for reading my review! Until next time, happy reading!

~Shelly-Beans