For the Guardian, he tagged his ten favorite twisted histories (also known as alternate histories, counterfactuals, "what-if" fiction), including:The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce SterlingRead about another entry on the list.
Hailed by many as the first steampunk novel, The Difference Engine depicts an alternative timeline where Charles Babbage has succeeded in the construction of his prototype computers, the Difference Engine and its successor, the Analytical Engine. This heralds a technological revolution alongside the industrial one, with steam-powered computers transforming a society now ruled by an intellectual elite. With hackers becoming clackers, the novel presents a fascinating exploration of a Victorian information age.
The Difference Engine is one of Jeffery Deaver's top ten novels featuring the internet or computers.
--Marshal Zeringue
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