- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Gollancz; First Edition edition (Sep 1990)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0575047623
- ISBN-13: 978-0575047624
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.4 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 703,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Book Description
'A visionary steam-powered heavy metal fantasy. Gibson and Sterling create a high-Victorian virtual reality of extraordinary richness and detail' Ridley Scott, creator of ALIEN
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Set in an alternate universe, Victorian England is a land where the Information Age has dawned a century early. Sybil Gerrard faces an uncertain future - a choice between the suave Mr Radley or the enigmatic General Houston. Gibson is the author of "Count Zero" and Sterling wrote "Schismatrix".
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First Sentence
Composite image, optically encoded by escort-craft of the trans-Channel airship Lord Brunel: aerial view of suburban Cherbourg, 14 October 1905. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Composite image, optically encoded by escort-craft of the trans-Channel airship Lord Brunel: aerial view of suburban Cherbourg, 14 October 1905. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a story of how things might have been if the brilliant Charles Babbage had succeeded in creating his Computer (the Difference Engine) - all brass cogs, gears and thundering steam.
William Gibson (whose other books such as the stunning Neuromancer et al. are quite different) and Bruce Sterling have expanded this idea and peopled a reinvented Victorian Age with real names in new situations.
As someone who often thinks he would have liked to have been a Victorian (if only they had had more technology) this book is just perfect. I have now read it three times - and still thought it was excellent on the third time round.
Do not expect anything similar to Gibson's other sci-fi or else you will be disappointed. If, on the other hand you really enjoyed Neal Stephenson's (similar-ish) "Diamond Age" - then "The Difference Engine" is the book for you.
William Gibson (whose other books such as the stunning Neuromancer et al. are quite different) and Bruce Sterling have expanded this idea and peopled a reinvented Victorian Age with real names in new situations.
As someone who often thinks he would have liked to have been a Victorian (if only they had had more technology) this book is just perfect. I have now read it three times - and still thought it was excellent on the third time round.
Do not expect anything similar to Gibson's other sci-fi or else you will be disappointed. If, on the other hand you really enjoyed Neal Stephenson's (similar-ish) "Diamond Age" - then "The Difference Engine" is the book for you.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is the best `alternative history' novel, and one of the best SF novels I have read so far. The authors did their homework before writing this book; the atmosphere, the historical details and the psychology of the 19th-century characters are utterly credible, as is the science. I had no problem with the numerous digressions from the main storyline; they thoroughly immerse you into the culture of the time - or the alternative culture that might have been.
I'm a great fan of Baxter, who also has stories in which some discoveries or inventions are made "too early", but those lack the feeling of authenticity The Difference Engine manages to generate. There should be more books like this.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this at a book shop a while ago on the title alone, and I thought it was worth it.
If you know a little about Babbage and are intruiged by the potential his (uncompleted) machines had, I think you can really imagine the world this book depicts. Not just the mechanics of Babbages creations and their offspring, but the mechanics of society which has evolved along with them. Two merged Revolutions, both Industrial and Informational.
I also found the story to be interesting, but excuse me if I rave about the setting it is in most of all. :)
If you know a little about Babbage and are intruiged by the potential his (uncompleted) machines had, I think you can really imagine the world this book depicts. Not just the mechanics of Babbages creations and their offspring, but the mechanics of society which has evolved along with them. Two merged Revolutions, both Industrial and Informational.
I also found the story to be interesting, but excuse me if I rave about the setting it is in most of all. :)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Twice burned by Gibson
I'm a tough person to impress. I know this, I accept this, and sometimes I see it as a curse when others gain enjoyment from books, films and TV that I struggle to get along with. Read more
Published 4 months ago by B. Tipper
Wasted Oportunity
Forgetting for a moment that Steam-punk is the latest big thing - the idea behind this book is brilliant, and at least to begin with the authors described vividly the landscape of... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Peter
Nice idea but flawed execution
After reading the summary I was hooked and really wanted to read it. Score one for a strong publishing team. Took me a while to actually to this far down my reading list it and.... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Edward A. Thomson
I am too old.
The book is a good example of it's genre but my complaint is with this particular edition. The typeface is painfully small and makes this very difficult to read even with good... Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. D. Ritchie
Exceptional Steampunk
This collaborative effort from William Gibson and Bruce Sterling (the only to date) is a prime example of the `Steampunk' genre and a bold imaginative `alternate history'... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Daniel Cann
ahh...so it's MY fault then.
I've been struggling with this one since trying it again after giving-up a few years ago and while looking for ideas for an interesting read decided to see what others thought... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Stu_cj
Excellent Steampunk
This book is one of the better titles released as part of the SF Masterworks list in recent years. Odd at times, always interesting, this is an enjoyable and different novel.
Published 9 months ago by Balor of the Evil Eye
The Difference Engine
This is a very slow starter of a book, with several possible plots. I've not finished it yet, but fully intend to do so. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Ms. Lynne Farrer
Still waiting for a classic steampunk novel..
This should have been so good; the whole Steampunk genre is one I find very appealing; but it failed on many levels. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Shumba
a classic work
enough to rank this guy with the best - off the scale in imagination, true writing skills and character development - not to mention the total immersion in the stink of 19thC... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mr. David A. Braid
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