Cover of The Difference Engine
Steampunk

The Difference Engine

by ,

  • 1990 first published
  • 395 pages
  • ★ 3.3 (26 ratings)
  • 28 editions
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Published in 1990, The Difference Engine is a steampunk novel by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. The story is set in London, in the 19th century. Characters include Ada Byron and Laurence Oliphant. It deals with computers and computer engineering.

Open Library readers give it an average of 3.3 out of 5 from 26 ratings, and 67 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 28 editions across 7 languages.

At about 395 pages, most readers finish it in 7–8 hours.

About The Difference Engine

1855: 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. And three extraordinary characters race toward a rendezvous with history - and the future: Sybil Gerard - dishonored woman and daughter of a Luddite agitator; Edward "Leviathan" Mallory - explorer and paleontologist; Laurence Oliphant - diplomat and spy. Their adventure begins with the discovery of a box of punched Engine cards of unknown origin and purpose. Cards someone wants badly enough to kill for... Part detective story, part historical thriller, The Difference Engine is the first collaborative novel by two of the most brilliant and controversial science fiction authors of our time. Provocative, compelling, intensely imagined, it is a startling extension of Gibson's and Sterling's unique visions - in a new and totally unexpected direction! > > -[Goodreads](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/337116.The_Difference_Engine)
Description from Open Library

Awards & lists

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Setting

Era

Characters

  • Ada Byron
  • Laurence Oliphant

Subjects

  • American Science fiction
  • Computers
  • Steampunk
  • Steampunk fiction
  • Steampunk science fiction
  • Computer engineering
  • Science fiction

Publisher

Quick answers

Who wrote The Difference Engine?

The Difference Engine was written by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling and first published in 1990.

What genre is The Difference Engine?

It is usually shelved as Steampunk.

How long is The Difference Engine?

The median edition has 395 pages, about 7–8 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

What books are similar to The Difference Engine?

Readers who like it often enjoy The Hangmans Revolution, Mortal Engines and Age of Victoria.

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