La Máquina Diferencial

Paperback, 344 pages

Spanish language

ISBN:
978-84-9800-281-2
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3 stars (8 reviews)

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

24 editions

World over story?

3 stars

I will usually grab any SF Masterworks book I find in second hand book shops because so far every one I've read has been brilliant. Unfortunately The Different Engine has broken that run by coming across as confused and mediocre.

There's interesting world building (maybe more "world describing") at play, and quite a pacey, engaging story thread that pulls you through the middle of the book. Either side though almost feels like completely unrelated tales that never really join up with everything else.

Great idea but executed in a way that didn't do it for me. Read a review that suggested this would have been a great short story or novella if trimmed down, and I think they've got it spot on.

Review of 'The Difference Engine' on 'GoodReads'

2 stars

Around the time this book was published and the term “Steam Punk” was being bandied about, and people were modding computers with Victorian facades, a university friend of mine mentioned the words to me, “The difference engine”. I never read the book but I used the term freely over the years to express the À rebours aesthetic taking place with new technologies. The concept overall, quite interesting, albeit twenty years later, I actually got round to reading the book. I couldn’t have felt flatter. It felt like Gibson and Sterling had over-researched the era and decided to throw in as much of this research as possible in order to either authenticate the world within or just let the reader know they had done their homework.

Consistency was lost through-out. Even some of the main character dialogue shifted from cockney brogue to received pronunciation without seemingly intending to do so, as …

Review of 'The difference engine' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This is everything I want in a steam punk novel; the Victorian/Sci-Fi mix works really well in this book. It was nice to read a book with famous heroes like Lord Byron in it. Although at times it did drag on a little this is defiantly a recommended read for someone interested in getting a feel for the Steam punk genre.

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Subjects

  • Science Fiction - High Tech
  • American Science Fiction And Fantasy
  • Fiction
  • Spanish: Adult Fiction

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