The Difference Engine (Spectra Special Editions) by William Gibson  (100)
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Scotsman McAuley (Philip A. Dick Award-winning Four Hundred Billion Stars; Red Dust) has written an ambitious, often brilliant novel of alternate history. Renaissance Florence provides the richly portrayed historical backdrop. But, in McAuley's evocation, the city's skies are tainted by industrial waste from foundries and manufactories; its monumental buildings are designed and fiercely watched over by the Great Engineer, whose identity readers will easily deduce as that of Leonardo da Vinci. In this alternate Florence, a division has arisen between artisans and artists, with the former?those who work with their hands?holding more prestige than the creative artists. The protagonist is Pasquale, an apprentice painter determined to create a true image of an angel. He meets Niccolo Machiavegli, who lost his foreign policy position under the Republic rule and is now a journalist and political commentator on a broadsheet offering gossip and scandal. As the two become involved in investigating a string of murders, including the death of Raphael (Florence's most honored artist since Michelangelo fell from grace when he failed to complete the Sistine Chapel ceiling), Pasquale and Machiavegli uncover conspiracy after conspiracy, including the "demonology" of the followers of prophet-orator Savonarola and the obligatory "Spanish conspiracy." McAuley adroitly ties all these events together in a complex plot. His most noteworthy accomplishment is that Machiavegli sounds Machiavellian even in ordinary conversation. Indeed, the only moments that give a reader pause are those that seem more anachronistic than they probably truly are?Pasquale turns out erotic paintings called "stiffeners"; a corpsemaster wishes for "sloppy seconds." McAuley's spectacularly realized chiaroscuro world is a highly entertaining tour de force.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Although they were, respectively, a universe-spanning space opera and a dark depiction of the last days of human colonization of Mars, McAuley's Eternal Light (1993) and Red Dust often strained science fiction conventions. Now, McAuley leaves sf altogether, producing a vividly imagined, historically meticulous murder mystery set during the Renaissance. Just before an auspicious papal visit to Florence, a fierce argument breaks out between a local apprentice to Leonardo da Vinci and an assistant of the notorious Florentine painter, Raphael. When the assistant is found murdered in a locked tower, famed essayist Niccolo{•}Machiavegli [sic] accompanies Pasquale, a novice artisan, on the detective trail. As suspects proliferate, including, among others, the great Michelangelo and Raphael himself, Machiavegli and Pasquale uncover Florence's darker secrets. McAuley makes excellent use of period scenery, celebrities, and art history to create an absorbing suspense vehicle. May the novel's release under Morrow's sf imprint, AvoNova, not mislead readers in search of a first-rate murder mystery. Carl Hays --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
Scotsman McAuley (Philip A. Dick Award-winning Four Hundred Billion Stars; Red Dust) has written an ambitious, often brilliant novel of alternate history. Renaissance Florence provides the richly portrayed historical backdrop. But, in McAuley's evocation, the city's skies are tainted by industrial waste from foundries and manufactories; its monumental buildings are designed and fiercely watched over by the Great Engineer, whose identity readers will easily deduce as that of Leonardo da Vinci. In this alternate Florence, a division has arisen between artisans and artists, with the former?those who work with their hands?holding more prestige than the creative artists. The protagonist is Pasquale, an apprentice painter determined to create a true image of an angel. He meets Niccolo Machiavegli, who lost his foreign policy position under the Republic rule and is now a journalist and political commentator on a broadsheet offering gossip and scandal. As the two become involved in investigating a string of murders, including the death of Raphael (Florence's most honored artist since Michelangelo fell from grace when he failed to complete the Sistine Chapel ceiling), Pasquale and Machiavegli uncover conspiracy after conspiracy, including the "demonology" of the followers of prophet-orator Savonarola and the obligatory "Spanish conspiracy." McAuley adroitly ties all these events together in a complex plot. His most noteworthy accomplishment is that Machiavegli sounds Machiavellian even in ordinary conversation. Indeed, the only moments that give a reader pause are those that seem more anachronistic than they probably truly are?Pasquale turns out erotic paintings called "stiffeners"; a corpsemaster wishes for "sloppy seconds." McAuley's spectacularly realized chiaroscuro world is a highly entertaining tour de force.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Although they were, respectively, a universe-spanning space opera and a dark depiction of the last days of human colonization of Mars, McAuley's Eternal Light (1993) and Red Dust often strained science fiction conventions. Now, McAuley leaves sf altogether, producing a vividly imagined, historically meticulous murder mystery set during the Renaissance. Just before an auspicious papal visit to Florence, a fierce argument breaks out between a local apprentice to Leonardo da Vinci and an assistant of the notorious Florentine painter, Raphael. When the assistant is found murdered in a locked tower, famed essayist Niccolo{•}Machiavegli [sic] accompanies Pasquale, a novice artisan, on the detective trail. As suspects proliferate, including, among others, the great Michelangelo and Raphael himself, Machiavegli and Pasquale uncover Florence's darker secrets. McAuley makes excellent use of period scenery, celebrities, and art history to create an absorbing suspense vehicle. May the novel's release under Morrow's sf imprint, AvoNova, not mislead readers in search of a first-rate murder mystery. Carl Hays --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
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