The Difference Engine (Gollancz SF)
by William Gibson, Bruce Sterling
published
1996
(first published 1990)
by Gollancz
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binding
Paperback, 384 pages
isbn
0575600292
(isbn13: 9780575600294)
description
A collaborative novel from the premier cyberpunk authors, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. Part detective story, part historical thriller, The Difference Engine ...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1595)
Read in June, 2008
Alright, so it was a bit of a jolt to my system, as I haven't read anything set before 1900 in quite some time (I KNOW! HORRIBLE!), which is a shame. Once I got over the culture (which was rather disparaging to a variety of people who were not white men) as you have to do with things set in history, I rather enjoyed most of this book. The book is divided between three different main character perspectives, the largest section being given to Dr. Edward Mallory, who is a paleontologist or as they ...more
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In their first major collaboration, sf heavyweights Gibson and Sterling spin an exquisitely clever filigree of Victorian alternate history, sparkling densely with ideas, moored by a challenging subtext of chaos theory and the lessons of recent paleontology. In London of 1855, Lord Babbage's steam-driven Engines (mechanical computers roughly comparable to Univac) have transformed the world, blueprints thanks to Victorian paradigms of science and order. England's hereditary lords have been replace...more
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Read in July, 2004
recommends it for:
to fans of the Victorian era as it might have been; with an interest in computing as well
An alt-history/steampunk tale, we follow three characters from mid 1850's London: Sybil Gerard, a fallen woman with higher aspirations; Edward Mallory, a paleontologist unwillingly embroiled in a political plot; and Laurence Oliphant, a high-class detective. Their common thread is a mysterious box of computer punch cards. None of them is quite sure what program it holds, only that people are willing to kill and die for it.
There are many mentions of contemporary personages - Lady Ada Byron a...more
There are many mentions of contemporary personages - Lady Ada Byron a...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
people looking for an entry point into steampunk
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in October, 2008
This is a bit of a strange one and I went into it without having read any reviews first so it caught me a little off guard.
I would say that if you enjoy Victorian history - the politics, the characters of the time, some Victorian fiction maybe, and of course if you like reading about their inventions and what they might have been if Babbage's steam-powered computer had been completed within his lifetime - you will enjoy this book on a much deeper level than a casual reader.
Myself I fall ...more
I would say that if you enjoy Victorian history - the politics, the characters of the time, some Victorian fiction maybe, and of course if you like reading about their inventions and what they might have been if Babbage's steam-powered computer had been completed within his lifetime - you will enjoy this book on a much deeper level than a casual reader.
Myself I fall ...more
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Read in November, 2007
Ach, I wish I could recommend this book more highly, but I was very disappointed in it.
Perhaps my expectations were too high, given how much I loved Gibson's "Neuromancer." However, "The Difference Engine" was over-long. The plot threaded together slowly. The character development of central characters was fragmentary and tended toward the superficial. The writing of the action scenes was unbelievably bad - the reader could barely piece together what was happening, and it...more
Perhaps my expectations were too high, given how much I loved Gibson's "Neuromancer." However, "The Difference Engine" was over-long. The plot threaded together slowly. The character development of central characters was fragmentary and tended toward the superficial. The writing of the action scenes was unbelievably bad - the reader could barely piece together what was happening, and it...more
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Read in October, 2007
This was a total disappointment. I was hyped to read some "steampunk" after jumping back on thee comics and sf trains over the last year plus. The word on the web was don't buy this, don't read it, not worth it. Don't get pumped about reading a collab by Sterling and Gibson. I ignored the shouts...and shoudn't have. I agree with what I read in online reviews and blogs: steampunk is a good concept for art, comic books or even cinema, but it doesn't work in novel form, especially n...more
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This book was a little disappointing. On the positive side, the world that Sterling and Gibson create is a masterpiece of steampunk, a forerunner in the genre, really. The only thing that I didn't really like about the book is that the most interesting character, a paleontologist named Edward Mallory, is abandoned, and a somewhat less interesting story arc is followed to the conclusion of the book. The book is still worth reading for the amazingly detailed alternate-history London with cameos...more
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Read in January, 2006
I think that I own this book because I had to read it for science fiction media/literature class, but I didn't finish it at the time. I finally finished it recently and was a bit disappointed. The concept of the book is great -- it's steam punk, so it's about what if Babbage's computing engine had taken off and we'd entered a world of computing during the steam age rather than the electric age. But I feel that I lack a lot of knowledge of the history to enjoy the way he changes history (and m...more
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A world that looks Victorian through the collection of dated nouns and verbiage. The period piece is intimidating and always tempts arrogance. At what point do you consider yourself qualified to create a uninsulting likeness of mid-19th century experience? Not that this effort deserves less credit than any other. The immersive effect of the research is often breathtaking. The victorian baubles, idioms, and sexual preferences are hung on a contemporary spy novel. The alternate history part, facil...more
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Read in March, 2008
It's not a bad read. Adventure story, set in an alternate-history Victorian world. As a computer scientist, though, I found a lot of it somewhere between incomprehensible and goofy. Much of the book turns on struggle for control of a particular computer program. Without spoiling the plot -- that program just isn't worth fighting for. No program is.
People have this notion that computer programs are like magic spells, where only a great wizard can create a mighty spell. They're not. Wha...more
People have this notion that computer programs are like magic spells, where only a great wizard can create a mighty spell. They're not. Wha...more
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It was good, but it the co-writing got in its way, sometimes it was a bruce sterling book, and sometimes it was a willian gibson book. I like both authors, but would have preferred if this was written only by gibson. I liked the more degenerate, pathological character of Ada and the poetry of a amped to 11 victoriana than the frenetic, rambling 'world tour' plot that Sterling seemed to impose on the book. I do like other sterling works though. Holy Fire is a master piece.
There are some cool...more
There are some cool...more
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Read in March, 2008
I remember starting this book way back when it came out, but never finishing it. This time around, I vowed to finish it--I did, but it took a very, very long time to do so. As I slowly--oh so sloooowly--turned the pages, I tried to figure out why the book was giving me so much trouble. I like steampunk things, and this book is pretty much the reason the term was invented. I think I had trouble with the disjointed nature of the narrative. Just as we'd get to know a character, we'd switch to ...more
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A giddy mix of Waldrop and Pynchon, this alternative history is a collage of nightmare images alongside historical, political, and technological speculations. A combination of Sterling’s “I’m going to give you a tour of this world so it’s a surreal mirror of history, science, and politics”, with Gibson’s “I’m going to immerse you in this world with a dark driven detective/spy/caper thriller”. This book drips atmosphere and the narration is non-linear/post-modern and little deta...more
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This is the first book I’ve read by Bruce Sterling but the fourth or fifth I’ve read by Gibson. The prose does not disappoint Gibson fans and the plot is as labyrithian as a fan would expect. Even the philosophy is ken.
The book however still manages to be vague and off target. It’s an alternative history novel and yet many of the alternative history “facts” or “characters” seem superfluous and clumsy. Perhaps the authors enjoyed creating the alternate Sam Houston, but the cha...more
The book however still manages to be vague and off target. It’s an alternative history novel and yet many of the alternative history “facts” or “characters” seem superfluous and clumsy. Perhaps the authors enjoyed creating the alternate Sam Houston, but the cha...more
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Yuck yuck yuck. Bad action, bad dialogue, bad characters. The worst of all, though: the world was wonderfully designed, but the plot was so meaningless and boring. What a waste of a grand environment to set such a terrible story.
Some collaborations combine the strengths of all involved into something extraordinary. Others magnify the weaknesses. This is a fine example of the latter.
PS: the ending is the greatest WTF in modern history.
Some collaborations combine the strengths of all involved into something extraordinary. Others magnify the weaknesses. This is a fine example of the latter.
PS: the ending is the greatest WTF in modern history.
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Read in October, 2007
I love Bruce Sterling as an author but I was underwhelmed by this book. The plot was set in turn of the century (19th-20th) century England and adds a twist with the premise that the industrial revolution has jumped ahead several decades. The idea is nice but the execution falls flat. Overall the plot was confusing and most of the characters transparent. Perhaps the book would be more enjoyable for someone who is more familiar with British history during that time. I found the references to...more
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Hands down, my favorite Gibson. In collaboration with Bruce Sterling, Gibson creates a world that is both familiar and different. The characters are probably the weakest aspect of the book: you never fully get to know most of them, and what you do know is oftentimes clouded by the mysterious cloud that Gibson and Sterling choose to surround them in.
A full analysis and review of this book can be found on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T..., and i...more
A full analysis and review of this book can be found on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T..., and i...more
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Read in April, 2008
Having discovered SteamPunk, this is a must read... and soon!
Well, I'm left with a big question mark over my head on this one. Maybe I had expectation, maybe there is something here that I'm just not getting. But it seems to me that the book is over about 4/5 of the way through, and the last bit is just tortuous to read. It really tailed off on the "care-o-meter." Also, it could be that it is a co-authored book, and while I am a Gibson fan, I have no idea who this Sterling fellow i...more
Well, I'm left with a big question mark over my head on this one. Maybe I had expectation, maybe there is something here that I'm just not getting. But it seems to me that the book is over about 4/5 of the way through, and the last bit is just tortuous to read. It really tailed off on the "care-o-meter." Also, it could be that it is a co-authored book, and while I am a Gibson fan, I have no idea who this Sterling fellow i...more
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Read in October, 2003
The synopsis on the flyleaf claims it's
a story about the computer age arriving a century too early. Indeed, the
story is set in 1855 London (hmm...similar time frame to Crimson
Petal...that caught my eye), but I found it impossible to see how the
computer angle made much difference. The authors failed miserably at
describing the machines in a method that made any sense to me, so they
became non-entities in my mind and an unnecessary sidebar to the characters.
Toss it and forget it. Move ...more
a story about the computer age arriving a century too early. Indeed, the
story is set in 1855 London (hmm...similar time frame to Crimson
Petal...that caught my eye), but I found it impossible to see how the
computer angle made much difference. The authors failed miserably at
describing the machines in a method that made any sense to me, so they
became non-entities in my mind and an unnecessary sidebar to the characters.
Toss it and forget it. Move ...more
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