The Difference Engine: A Novel

Set in an alternative 1855 where Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine has accelerated the Industrial Revolution, this novel follows three disparate protagonists: Sybil Gerard, a dishonored woman and daughter of a Luddite agitator; Edward "Leviathan" Mallory, an explorer and paleontologist; and Laurence Oliphant, a diplomat and spy. Their paths converge around a box of punched Engine cards of unknown origin, triggering a high-stakes race that blends detective work with historical thriller elements. The narrative explores the societal and political upheavals caused by early computing technology in Victorian Britain, featuring steam-driven cybernetic engines and a world where the computer age arrived a century ahead of schedule.

As the first collaborative novel by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, the book is a foundational text of the steampunk genre. The writing style is dense and atmospheric, merging the hard-boiled, fragmented prose of cyberpunk with the detailed historical texture of Victorian literature. It serves as a provocative extension of the authors' visions, applying their signature focus on technology, power, and social stratification to a pre-electronic era.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.