Review of "The Difference Engine" by William Gibson & Bruce Sterling

The ‘punk’ in ‘cyberpunk’ comes from the generally rebellious stance of the sub-genre.  In contrast to the squeaky-clean space visions produced by the likes of Asimov and Clarke, sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, mixed with near-future tech, are instead presented as the future.  So when two of its most prominent representatives genre decided to collaborate on a novel, what better way to rebel than defy expectation?

One its premiere stylist, the other its most outspoken media voice, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling buck cyberpunk expectation with their cooperative effort The Difference Engine.  Applying computing in Western society nearly a century before it occurred in reality, the two create an imaginative alternate history, and in the process pen one of the most influential works of steampunk to date.

The Difference Engine is set in London of 1855.  Charles Babbage’s theories of computing having been made mechanically possible in difference engines—primitive computers powered by steam that process punch cards (see Section B.4 here).  Spindles, gears, and feeder chutes, alongside steam gurneys, telegraphs, and smog abound in this alternate vision of England’s capital.  The plot is centered around a peculiar set of punch cards which are being pursued by various personages.  Luddites, Communards, Industrial Radicals, and other political interests giving chase, adventure and intrigue propel the plot through social and political waters, the use of the cards growing ever more mysterious as the story develops.

Review of "Crystal Express" by Bruce Sterling

Crystal Express is a 1989 collection of Bruce Sterling short stories published between 1982 and 1987.  A variety, five of the stories are set in his Shaper/Mechanist universe made popular in Schismatrix, three are general science fiction, and four lean toward the fantasy end of genre.  The stories grouped along these lines, the following is a brief summary of each.

Shapers/Mechanist

“Swarm” (1982) – Certainly one of Sterling’s initial forays into the S/M universe if not the first, this story is poorly written (it has almost a cartoon presentation), but does a solid (if overt) job of delineating the differences between Shapers and Mechanists. Otherwise, it is the tale of two people trapped inside an asteroid filled with Investor youth and their plans for genetic modification.

“Spider Rose” (1982) – A heavily modified Shaper working alone as a deep space miner finds an unusual object for trade.  But the Investors who come looking to haggle have more than she bargained for.  A better written story than the first, not to mention containing more imagination, things turn out like no one could predict.  But then, that’s Sterling’s point when post-humanism is at play.

Review of "Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology" Edited by Bruce Sterling

There are a handful of people who have/had their finger on the pulse of cyberpunk.  Love him or hate him, Bruce Sterling has perhaps two.  In 1986 he decided to pull together a collection of stories he felt were representative of the sub-genre.  Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology the result, it is both broad in scope yet delimits the idea of what cyberpunk, or at least can be.  Sterling’s agenda his own, some stories will be immediately recognizable for their mood and voice, while others will require more thought toward determining just how they fit into the sub-genre, if at all.  The following is a brief introduction to each.

 

"The Gernsback Continuum" by William Gibson – A connoisseur’s piece, this story requires an understanding of the evolution of science fiction to fully appreciate.  Commentary on modernism’s influence, this is Gibson’s first published work.  It is also perhaps his most overtly ideological work, the result an iconoclast opening salvo.

"Snake-Eyes" by Tom Maddox - George Jordan, a soldier who has been cybernetically altered to fight a war that never happened, is now looking for employment.  Where he finds it may take advantage of George’s alterations in ways he never wanted. 

Review of "Schismatrix" by Bruce Sterling

The current generation of sci-fi fans will undoubtedly be familiar with Alastair Reynolds’ Conjoiners and Ultras. Two groups of post-humans inhabiting his universe, the former have augmented consciousness toward intra-communities, while the latter have undergone major biomechanical reconstructive work to enhance capabilities.  Original ideas, yes?  Unfortunately, no.  Acknowledging the debt in his outro to Galactic North, Reynolds admits if it weren’t for Bruce Sterling’s Schismatrix Shaper/Mechanist universe, Revelation Space’s trans-humanism may have never taken shape.  A work of truly unique imagination, Sterling deserves far more exposure than acknowledged homage or footnotes to cyberpunk he has been given in the three decades since this novel’s publishing.

Schismatrix opens with one of the most bizarrely sublime assassination attempts ever depicted in literature—the possibilities of sci-fi used to full effect.  The main character, Abelard Lindsay, escapes but is subsequently exiled to a lunar colony where he must rebuild the social and political network cut off by his would-be assassins.  Though born a Mechanist (people who alter their bodies with software and biomechanics), he trains as a Shaper (genetically modified people with special mental capabilities), and is thus an asset to both, a fact he attempts to spin for his own benefit in exile.  As the decades and centuries pass, the political situation evolves, and reverts back on itself time and again, bringing Lindsay to face a final decision that transcends the cracked, post-human world he is immersed in.

Schismatrix more a pastiche of novellas than linear storytelling, tension builds in the setting rather than over the course of the narrative.  The events and circumstances of Lindsay’s life find him in a handful of locales and situations, each more imaginative and peculiar than the next.  Arthur C. Clarke nowhere to be seen, Sterling never paints these scenes in beautiful colors.  The colony Lindsay is exiled to suffers from severe atmosphere problems, while a pirate ship he later finds himself on clanks and clutters its way across the universe, the crew never quite predictable in their twitchy addictions and edgy compulsions.  

Given the extreme lack of similarity between Shapers/Mechanists and humanity today, Sterling’s narrative appropriately keeps the reader at a distance from the characters.  Lindsay is not a hero to exalt or cheer for, but is a man whose life is for observation in comparison to our own, for better and worse.  After all, how can one properly empathize with a person who has been alive for centuries and no longer exists in the body they were born with?   Soldiers returning from war often alienating themselves due to their experience of being so far removed from normal life, Sterling is correct to detach readers from Lindsay.  What results is both an interesting read and social statement. 

More politically overt than Gibson’s brand of cyberpunk, Schismatrix focuses on the interaction of various factions throughout his created universe.  Shapers and Mechanists have their agendas, as do a variety of other groups, including aliens calling themselves the Investors.  Groups within each of these associations likewise have goals that don’t always agree with their peers’.  This makes for some occasionally confusing shifts in plot, but shifts that well reflect background realpolitik.  Attentive readers will not have a problem with these transitions, while those accustomed to Lois McMaster-Bujold, John Scalzi, or Vernor Vinge’s brand of sci-fi may feel lost upon occasion.

In the end, Schismatrix is an underrated work deserving of wider acclaim.  More than the realist tone of its politics, the book is filled with original ideas, from setting to technology.  Not a novel in the standard sense, the book is more a collection of vignettes welded together by Sterling’s fertile imagination.  A great examination of post-humanism, readers of William Gibson, Ian McDonald, John Brunner and cyberpunk in general will want to check it out.  If interested, buyers may want to seek out Schismatrix Plus, a book containing not only the novel but also all the short stories from the Shaper/Mechanist universe.  Sterling a better writer of short fiction, these stories cap what is a great book in itself.