{"product_id":"the-difference-engine-9780440423621","title":"The Difference Engine","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 20th anniversary edition of the classic steampunk novel \u003cbr\u003eWith new commentary by the authors\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e1855: The Industrial Revolution is in full swing, powered by steam-driven cybernetic Engines. Charles Babbage perfects his Analytical Engine, and the computer age arrives a century ahead of its time. Three extraordinary characters race toward a rendezvous with the future: Sybil Gerard--fallen woman, politician's tart, daughter of a Luddite agitator; Edward \"Leviathan\" Mallory--explorer and paleontologist; Laurence Oliphant--diplomat, mystic, 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePart detective story, part historical thriller, \u003ci\u003eThe Difference Engine\u003c\/i\u003e took the science fiction community by storm when it was first published twenty years ago. This special anniversary edition features an Introduction by Cory Doctorow and a collaborative essay from the authors looking back on their creation. Provocative, compelling, intensely imagined, this novel is poised to impress a whole new generation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWilliam Gibson\u003c\/b\u003e is credited with having coined the term \"cyberspace\" and having envisioned both the Internet and virtual reality before either existed. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eNeuromancer\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCount Zero\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMona Lisa Overdrive\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBurning Chrome\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVirtual Light\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eIdoru\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAll Tomorrow's Parties\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePattern Recognition\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSpook Country\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eZero History\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDistrust That Particular Flavor\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Peripheral\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with his wife. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eBruce Sterling \u003c\/b\u003eis an Austin-born science fiction writer and Net critic, internationally recognized as a cyberspace theorist who is also considered one of the forefathers of the cyberpunk movement in science fiction. He has won a John W. Campbell Award, two Hugo Awards, and an Arthur C. Clarke Award.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Spectra Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50324635844882,"sku":"9780440423621","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d58373fc-ad10-4c04-9a84-e511e23af9e0.jpg?v=1727669019","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-difference-engine-9780440423621","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}