02557cam a22003613u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000220011324500230013526400510015830000470020933600260025633700260028233800360030849000570034450000310040150801090043252013950054153400450193665300200198165300180200165300250201965300220204470000290206683000570209585600430215232859UtSlPG20260610133741.0mcr n260607r2010||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aStockham, Richard10aPerchance to Dream 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2010  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from IF Worlds of Science Fiction May 1954.  aRelease date is 2010-06-17  aProduced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net  a"Perchance to Dream" by Richard Stockham is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. The narrative explores themes of existential despair and the search for meaning within a meticulously controlled dystopian city. The story follows the life of a worker, known only as Twenty-three, who grapples with a profound sense of emptiness as he dreams of escape and a more vibrant existence beyond the confines of his machine-driven reality.  The plot centers on Twenty-three's struggles within the oppressive environment of the city, where individuals are conditioned to control their dreams using a prescribed dream machine. As he experiences increasingly troubling dreams, he begins to question the purpose of their monotonous toil and the life they are living. The arrival of alternative dream cards from a mysterious man offers him a glimpse of hope and freedom. Driven by a desire to escape, Twenty-three embarks on a journey of self-discovery that culminates in a desperate act to break free from the dream machine—ultimately leading him to a richer, more fulfilling existence beyond the city's walls, where life and nature flourish in stark contrast to the sterile environment he has known. Through Twenty-three's awakening, the novella contemplates the value of individual dreams and the importance of pursuing true freedom. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aScience fiction  aShort stories  aDystopias -- Fiction  aDreams -- Fiction1 aFreas, Kelly,d1922-2005 0aProduced from IF Worlds of Science Fiction May 1954.40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32859