cross

Librarian Desk

Looking for a story, a room, a voice, or a way in?

What are you in the mood for?
Book Cover for The Plant - A Steampunk Story by Francis Rosenfeld

The Plant: A Steampunk Story

a story of technological change

A story of man versus plant, plant versus machine, logic versus habit, possible versus real, biology versus mechanics, haphazard versus systematic and all the complexities in between.

In the end the plant wins, since life always finds a way to elevate itself. But so does man. And so does the machine. Or whatever you want to call what it became.

The narrative highlights the complex resilience of life, the interplay between organic and mechanical systems, and the philosophical questions surrounding technological change.

Find it on Hoopla

"There was a place inside this knot of metal limbs, a clearing almost, a hollow, from which he could see the entire manifold branching overhead, and when he sat there, on a little concrete base that for some reason had remained unoccupied, it made him feel as if the entire power distribution system was an extension of his person, and that as small and weak as he was, compared to this enormous metal monster, he was its heart, the soul in the machine, the essential component that allowed the whole system to work."

  • Chapter 1 - Factory Plant
    11:53
  • Chapter 2 - Home Sweet Home
    12:19
  • Chapter 3 - The Beanstalk
    10:26
  • Chapter 4 - Jack
    13:06
  • Chapter 5 - Breaking and Entering
    12:24
  • Chapter 6 - The Research Team
    12:54
  • Chapter 7 - Debriefing
    12:38
  • Chapter 8 - Working Solutions
    13:31
  • Chapter 9 - Intelligent Life
    13:07
  • Chapter 10 - Creative Truth
    12:51
  • Chapter 11 - Brenda
    13:49
  • Chapter 12 - Parallel Tracks
    12:58
  • Chapter 13 - Biological Machines
    12:19
  • Chapter 14 - Brenda II
    13:19
  • Chapter 15 - Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
    13:22
  • Chapter 16 - Improving Efficiency
    14:03
  • Chapter 17 - Dome Park
    13:51
  • Chapter 18 - Smelly Eden
    13:39
  • Chapter 19 - Planting the Desert
    13:53
  • Chapter 20 - A Branch with a View
    13:18
  • Epilogue
    4:12

Librarian's Notes

About The Plant

Subject

Life’s resilience and the consequences of innovation.

The Plant explores the interplay of biology and mechanics, set in a race to see who adapts faster.

Genre

Classic Science Fiction

They fought the plant and the plant won.

Available Formats

Read or listen

Available in print, ebook, and audiobook formats, with library discovery and borrowing through Hoopla where available