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The Difference Engine
  
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The Difference Engine (Hardcover)

by William Gibson (Author), Bruce Sterling (Author)
2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Product Description

From Amazon.com

A collaborative novel from the premier cyberpunk authors, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. Part detective story, part historical thriller, The Difference Engine takes us not forward but back, to an imagined 1885: the Industrial Revolution is in full and inexorable swing, powered by steam-driven, cybernetic engines. Charles Babbage perfects his Analytical Engine, and the computer age arrives a century ahead of its time. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In a surprising departure from the traditional view of cyberpunk's bleak future, Gibson ( Mona Lisa Overdrive ) and Sterling ( Islands in the Net ) render with elan and colorful detail a scientifically advanced London, circa 1855, where computers ("Engines") have been developed. Fierce summer heat and pollution have driven out the ruling class, and ensuing anarchy allows the subversive, technology-hating Luddites to surface and battle the intellectual elite. Much of the problem centers on a set of perforated cards, once in the possession of an executed Luddite leader's daughter, later in the hands of "Queen of Engines" Ada Byron (daughter of prime minister Lord Byron), finally given to Edward Mallory, a scientist. Mallory, who knows the cards are a gambling device that can be read with a specialized Engine, is soon threatened and libeled by the Luddites, and he and his associates confront the scoundrels in a violent showdown. A sometimes listless pace and limp conclusions that defy the plot's complexity flaw an otherwise visionary, handsomely written, unsentimental tale that convincingly revises the 19th-century Western world. 75,000 first printing; $75,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews

82 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (19)
3 star:
 (17)
2 star:
 (20)
1 star:
 (17)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
2.8 out of 5 stars (82 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4.0 out of 5 stars Meat, not gruel, Jun 20 2004
By Roderick T. Long (Auburn, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Difference Engine (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm puzzled by the complaint (made by several reviewers below) that the plot threads are never tied up (yes they are, in the final third of the novel) and that we never find out what the mysterious punch cards do (we most certainly do -- see pp. 387, 421, and 429, where we're told EXACTLY what their function is).

This is admittedly a novel that has to be read carefully; one can't just slurp it down like jello without doing any work. It's a serious novel, thank goodness -- not "light entertainment."

I'm also puzzled that nobody seems to have noticed what a highly *political* novel this is. This book is much more about political and cultural ideology than it is about alternative-history technology.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A complex alternate history, Mar 3 2004
By Garrett J. Menning (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Difference Engine (Mass Market Paperback)
The Difference Engine reflects the creative synergy of two great cyberpunk pioneers, Gibson and Sterling. It is a difficult and complex novel, based on the premise that Charles Babbage's eponymous mechanical computer is actually developed for practical use using steam power in the Victorian Age, ushering in the Information Revolution a century early. The authors manage to convincingly evoke a Victorian otherworld that is both hauntingly familiar and yet dramatically different from our own past. England is ruled by technocrats and scientists (known as savants) who battle Luddite terrorists; the United States are far from united, rent between the Republic of Texas, the Confederate South, and the Marxist Manhattan Commune. Gibson and Sterling utilize this fascinating background to great advantage, using a colorful cast of characters (including famous historic figures like Sam Houston and Lord Byron in roles a little different from those in our own history books) to explore such weighty themes as evolution and natural selection; technology, surveillance and social control; AI; and the science of chaos and complexity.

I'm sure I did not fully grasp all the implications or understand all the intricate plotlines in this rare treasure; it will definitely repay rereading. But I'm sure that thoughtful fans of Gibson and Sterling--especially those with some knowledge of 19th century England--will enjoy this book as much as I did. It may well be regarded as an SF masterpiece with time. On the other hand, readers who require straightforward, linear plotting and who find ambiguity irritating will certainly do best to skip this novel.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but many missed opportunities, Dec 2 2003
By Eric Hines "--eric" (Northern Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Difference Engine (Mass Market Paperback)
This isn't a bad novel, and I don't think it "drags" as some would have it--there is enough motive force behind the novel (action, plot development) to keep you there, BUT

The main character just isn't particularly interesting and the novel fails to flesh out its alternative history in a way that would make it truly intersting. We get a smattering of the catastrophist/gradualist controversy (derived from SJ Gould is my guess), and Victorian social attitudes and mores get depicted (but not discussed) pretty well.

However, we don't get very much on the difference engines or how the technology interacts with Victorian society or on why Byron would have made a successful prime minister in these circumstances or . . .

Well, we could go on at length as to topics the two novelists might have turned their attention to.

But at the end of the day, not a bad way to spend a few days away from more serious reading.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring
I am a fan of William Gibson, I read a lot of good book written by him and find that he is a very interesting author. Read more
Published on Feb 4 2005 by Claude Mally

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but distorts history
The idea of the invention of Steampowered computers in the nineteenth century is interesting but the author makes several unetanable claims of what would happen in the new... Read more
Published on May 24 2004 by Sean Mulligan

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Complex Reading
In contrast to most of the negative reviews, I thought the suprise ending was powerful and not entirely unexpected. Read more
Published on Jun 30 2003 by JFBeilman

3.0 out of 5 stars nice plan, but huh?
i really like reading gibson. usually, it's kind of like running a marathon: it's harder than hell to get to the end, but ultimately rewarding. Read more
Published on Mar 30 2003 by M. Browning

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
This book takes a little while to get started (about 30 pages--not too long), but once it does, wow. What a world! Read more
Published on Mar 27 2003 by L. Hall

1.0 out of 5 stars Huh?
Okay, right now I'm on a cyberpunk kick and I picked this book up at the library because the premise sounded interesting: what if the computer ("Engine" in the book... Read more
Published on Feb 5 2003 by wysewomon

3.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to love it.
It was such a great premise for a book-- what if the Babbage had realized his analytical engine and successfully created computer much earlier in our history? Read more
Published on Jan 10 2003 by frumiousb

3.0 out of 5 stars A conflict of writing styles
It had the *makings* of a great novel... two of the greatest modern SF writers, applying the tools of today to a previous century. But. But. Read more
Published on Nov 27 2002 by a superintelligent shade of th...

5.0 out of 5 stars Gave me chills
I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I think I have to reveal a little to counter the bad reviews. Read more
Published on Sep 12 2002 by Adrian Bell

1.0 out of 5 stars Absolute crap!
I have to agree with virtually everyone else who reviewed this book. It is horrible. The book reads like Sterling and Gibson came up with a concept, divided up the chapters and... Read more
Published on Aug 20 2002 by jsdunk

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