Joe's Reviews > The Difference Engine

Finding the fun hidden within The Difference Engine requires a major archaeological expedition. First you must dig through a layer of Victorian British slang, followed by a layer of alternate-history jargon. Next, carefully remove a rocky patch of shifting perspectives and unclear motivations. After that, you will confront a bloated stratum of physical description so detailed and uninteresting you'll be tempted to rush through it, barely glancing at the muddy mixture as you shovel it out. I suggest you give in to this temptation.

And what's your reward for all this work? Well... there's some bland technology (basic transportation and printing) that didn't exist in our version of the 19th century. And we get to follow esteemed paleontologist Edward Mallory as he tours London and blunders into a series of silly, Hollywood-style action sequences that clash with the otherwise snail-pacing. It's too bad the story doesn't follow Mallory digging up dinosaurs as he proves quite engaging on the subject in the rare instances that he gets to opine on his field of expertise.

Co-authors Gibson and Sterling spent seven years writing this novel. Perhaps they should've spent more time editing each other and less time piling on literary dirt. Or maybe this is simply evidence that sometimes two cooks is too many. It hardly matters; we're talking about a 'Difference' without distinction.

Edited 3/1/2020