The Difference Engine

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.

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. I hate to think that people who might enjoy this book as much as I did will miss out on it because of what they've read here. If you don't like SF books that aren't tightly character and plot-driven, this one isn't for you. But the book does have a plot, and I think those who say that it's muddled, or ends in mid-story just didn't get it. This book is about the genesis of the first AI in an alternate history, in which the historical leaps in computer technology take place in a post-Napoleonic Britain where meritocracy and rationalism have triumphed over aristocracy. The authors were not trying to develop this idea by focusing on plot and character and indeed the AI itself is largely absent. The focus is instead on the alternate society from which the AI comes. The authors introduce a number of equally weighted plot elements, which are indeed low-key and inconclusive. But two of these meandering elements of the plot are, by the end, shown to be significant. One involves the invention of a computer system so complex that an unavoidable randomness is introduced into its calculation of data. The other involves the rationalist government's internal security technocrats, who, in the style of their twentieth century counterparts in actual history, base their philosophy on mass information - by trying to construct a database of the personal details of all their citizens.Far from finishing in mid-story, the book reaches its natural conclusion when these two plot elements are brought together. That last chapter, with the "shadowy character", shows us a point in the future in which the result of their union finally comes to fruition. What happened in between the end of the story and this future point we can easily extrapolate, and is surplus to the authors' requirements. Reading that last chapter gave me chills and I thought about it for days afterwards. The plot of this book is as devastating and brilliant as any SF book I've ever read, but the authors slip it in under the radar and hide it behind their wonderful evocation of their alternate society, which would make worthwhile reading just by itself. If you don't like stories that aren't tightly focused, don't read it. But otherwise, take my five-star review seriously and try to get hold of this one.

Like most people, apon completing the book I thought "How can you finish the book with the plot unresolved?". Apon reflection I have decided that the "plot" was just a mechanism for this sublime tour of alternate England. Powerful images dominate this book. The detail put into the characters and their surrounds had me unable to put the book down. After a couple of days I found that even my dreams were being influenced by the images contrived in the novel. I also found some parrallels with modern life. Is it possible that the society in this book was unable to cope with the technology that it had created?

I started reading this, then stopped, due to circumstances beyond my control, but when I picked it up again this week, I had difficulty putting it down.Don't read this book if you don't have the time to read it within the space of a week, if you try to read it over a longer period, you won't get through it, because the 'fiddly bits' that keep your attention and draw the subplots of the book together will fade from your memory.This is a book for reflection, and one that needs to be read more than once to get the full effect. This is hardcore stuff, and that's why it interested me. I love alternate histories, and I enjoy cyberpunk.Don't read this book if you are interested in only the tech side of cyberpunk. The story and vision of this setting are what make all the difference between a crap novel and a great one, and this is a great novel.

Contrary to the mass of negativity that has surfaced regarding this work, I feel obliged to defend it and sing its praises. The dystopia that Gibson and Sterling create is a wonderfully detailed glimpse of what "cyberculture" could have been in the height of the Victorian age. The mystery plot kept the book moving along, without being too distracting from the excellent descriptions of the world that could have been. The shifts in point of view from section to section highlight not only the diversity of physical imagery, but also the variety of psychological landscapes one could meet in this alternate reality. Not a book to read for blaster-packing action or for futuristic technological predictions... rather an excellent attempt at following the question "What if Babbage's computers became a part of Victorian society, like modern computers have in our time?" Overall, a great delve into alternate history, with the ambience of certain Sherlock Holmes tales.