The Difference Engine

Set in an alternate 1855 where Charles Babbage successfully built his mechanical computer, the Victorian British Empire is completely transformed by cybernetic technology and industrial steam power. Three distinct characters find their lives intersecting after coming into possession of a mysterious set of punched engine cards. As political tensions and radical movements escalate, they navigate a world radically accelerated by early computing. The novel explores themes of history, industrialization, and political conspiracy in a pioneering steampunk setting.

by William Gibson

Spectra · First published 1990 · 448 pages