#85. THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE By William Gibson & Bruce Sterling

Published : 1990
Pages : 383
Overall Mark : 8/10

In London in 1855, the great steam-driven Babbage Engines power the Industrial Revolution because the age of the computer is already here, and the Indusrial Radicals and the scientists run things. But there's still treachery and intrigue at the heart of government and Sybil Gerard, fallen woman, Edward Mallory, palaeontologist, and Lady Ada Byron, compulsive gambler and mathematical genius, are unwittingly caught up in a conspiracy that could change the world...

WILLIAM GIBSON (1948-)
Born in America, William Gibson moved to Canada in 1968 after being rejected by his draft-board. He is the multiple-award winning author of Neuromancer, Count Zero, The Mona Lisa Overdrive, Virtual Light, Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties and Spook Country.
BRUCE STERLING (1954-)
Born in Texas, Bruce Sterling is the author of, among others, Involution Ocean, Schismatrix, Islands In The Net, Crystal Express, Zeitgeist, and The Caryatids.

VERDICT
I was surprised that I actually enjoyed this book, seeing as I never really liked William Gibson's Neuromancer. My guess is that Bruce Sterling had more of the input into this combined effort, which does an interesting job of creating an alternate reality in which technology is steam driven. This is a well written piece and well worth adding to any respectable sci-fi collection.