With the advent of steam-driven analytical engines, all aspects of people’s lives are effected – from the punch cards used for their identification to the type of music they listen to. The majority of the stories take place during this new British scientific revolution – spurred by Charles Babbage’s invention of the Difference Engine, an invention that in this reality he never actually built. Years before the story takes place, political Luddites opposed new technologies, while the Industrial Radical Party embraced the new analytical machines with all their applications. In Britain, intellectual savants – backed by scientific achievement instead of breeding – have become the new aristocracy. However, I was soon swept away by the characters and their fantastic world of invention and intrigue. All I knew was that it was a classic and had something to do with steampunk. When I first delved into The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, I had no previous experience reading the work of either author. “ The book does prominently feature three of the foundational touchstones of all things steampunk: giant airships, brass computers, and kinky feminine underwear.” ~ Bruce Sterling, Afterword, The Difference Engine
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |