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Title: More than the sum of their faults
Review: Gibson and Stirling write such wonderfully crafted books that you have to wonder how together they wrote THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE into the ground. The characters in the story act as if they are the ones who are gear-driven automatons. The plot consists of winding their keys and letting them wander aimlessly around a seedy and unconvincingly technological Victorian Englnd. Gibson and Stirling eventually let their story wind down and have to conjure up a disappointing ending before all of its momentum is lost. Whoops, too late.I am amazed by the number of people who like this novel. It is flat and tedious especially when compared to their other great works, such as Gibson's NEUROMANCER and nearly every other book Stirling has written. Ignore this book if you have not read it and enjoy Gibson and Stirling, separately, at their best.
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