The Difference Engine

Critics

• Steampunk Week – Book Review: The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling

  The Difference Engine seems to be universally praised as one of the core Steampunk titles and it makes pretty much every single list I came across whilst reading about the genre in preparation for this week. Since this is hailed as required reading f ... (read full critics)

  thebooksmugglers published on Tue, 14 Sep 2010

• Voyage to Uchronia

  In February 1812, Byron stood up to speak for the first time in the House of Lords. His speech was a passionate defence of the Nottingham weavers – followers of the mythical King Ludd – who had been smashing the new mechanical stocking-frames; and fo ... (read full critics)

  lrb published on Sun, 5 Sep 2010

4 Reviews

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  The perfect ucronic novel

  Many people I know consider The Difference Engine a rather boring and uninspired effort, a low point in the career of two great writers. I strongly disagree. To me, this is the perfect ucronic novel. Starting with a single divergence point from the historical reality (Charles Babbage manages ... (continue)

  Many people I know consider The Difference Engine a rather boring and uninspired effort, a low point in the career of two great writers. I strongly disagree. To me, this is the perfect ucronic novel. Starting with a single divergence point from the historical reality (Charles Babbage manages to build his difference engine, a sort of steam-powered computer), and going on from there in very logical steps Gibson and Sterling manage to build a world very different from our own, but resembling it like a deforming mirror. Sterling's knowledge of technology and Gibson's quirky narrative complement eachh other beatifully, giving us a compelling story that manages to say a lot, by comparison, about us and our future. To me, a masterpiece.

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  Vanamonde said on Feb 22, 2008 about the Paperback edition | 1 feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  Interesting but sometimes hard to grasp alternative view of the coming of the computer age

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  Pia said on Sep 27, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  I have mixed feelings about this novel now that I've finished it.
  I am given to know that some people consider the beginning slow, while the story gains pace after the first part, but my experience is quite the opposite. I loved the beginning, but especially in the final phase the narration graduall ... (continue)

  I have mixed feelings about this novel now that I've finished it.
  I am given to know that some people consider the beginning slow, while the story gains pace after the first part, but my experience is quite the opposite. I loved the beginning, but especially in the final phase the narration gradually plunges into boredom. The narration is not uneventful. I did not feel like the writers had the usual need of filling pages to sell. It is the choice of words, phrasing and narration that simply loses the initial spark, and that is too bad.
  I would recommend this book mainly for the historical value of having been the first steampunk novel, but little more than that.

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  Tazio Bettin said on Sep 7, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  Awesome

  One of the best-written and most thought-provoking novels by cyberpunk godfathers Sterling and Gibson

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  John Christian Falkenberg said on Sep 10, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
  (60)
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• English Books
• Mass Market Paperback 448 Pages
• Edition: Reissue
• ISBN-10: 055329461X
• ISBN-13: 9780553294613
• Publisher: Spectra
• Pub date: Jan 01, 1992
• Dimensions: 1161 mm x 710 mm x 194 mm Just how big is that?
• Also available as: Paperback, Hardcover and Others
• In other languages: other languages Libri Italiani

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• steampunk readers (10)

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