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Cover of The Difference Engine by William Gibson, Bruce Sterling

The Difference Engine: Audiobook

As an audiobook, The Difference Engine runs an estimated 11.7 hours (about 7.8 hours at 1.5× playback speed).

11.7est. listening hrs
3.3★25 ratings
Science Fictiongenre
Free with trial

The instrumentWhen will you finish it?

Based on 11.7 hours of listening (estimated).

Days to finish The Difference Engine at common listening paces
Your paceYou'll finish in
30 min / day24 days
1 hour / day12 days
2 hours / day6 days
1 hour / day at 1.5×8 days

What our data says

  • At 11.7 hours (estimated), it runs longer than 65% of the science fiction audiobooks we measured.
  • That's 11% longer than the average science fiction audiobook (10.5 hrs across 820 titles in our dataset).

Computed from science fiction audiobooks in The Books Insider dataset (build ); listening time estimated from page count. Methodology.

Who is this for?

Best for science fiction listeners: a solid week of commutes at 11.7 hours (estimated).

About the book

The Difference Engine is an alternate history novel by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. It is a prime example of the steampunk sub-genre; It posits a Victorian Britain in which great technological and social change has occurred after entrepreneurial inventor Charles Babbage succeeded in his ambition to build a mechanical computer called Engines. The fierce summer heat and pollution have driven the ruling class out of London and the resulting anarchy allows technology-hating Luddites to challenge the intellectual elite. A set of perforated punch cards come into the hands of the daughter of an executed Luddite leader who sets out to keep them safe and discover what secrets they contain.

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Questions listeners ask

How long is The Difference Engine as an audiobook?

The Difference Engine runs about 11.7 hours, our estimate from its 395 pages at a typical narration pace. At 1.5× speed that drops to roughly 7.8 hours.

Can I listen to The Difference Engine free?

Yes, with the audiobooks.com free trial. Start the trial, get The Difference Engine included, and cancel anytime; the trial stays free.

Is The Difference Engine worth listening to at 1.5× speed?

At 1.5× you'd finish in about 7.8 hours, saving 3.9 hours. Most listeners adjust to 1.25–1.5× within a chapter or two.

When was The Difference Engine first published?

The Difference Engine by William Gibson, Bruce Sterling was first published in 1990.