Lord Kelvin's machine vs The Difference Engine: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Steampunk fiction, Steampunk, Fiction
Lord Kelvin's machine
World-renowned scientist-explorer Langdon St. Ives and his faithful man-servant Hasbro return again to confront the diabolical hunchback Dr. Ignacio Narbondo in a new adventure involving no less than the salvation of…
vs
The Difference Engine
1855: The Industrial Revolution is in full and inexorable swing, powered by steam-driven cybernetic Engines. Charles Babbage perfects his Analytical Engine and the computer age arrives a century ahead of its time. And…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Lord Kelvin's machine is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 8 for The Difference Engine.
- Lord Kelvin's machine has the widest readership — 446 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Lord Kelvin's machine | The Difference Engine | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.5 (446) | 3.0 (1) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | 3.2 (139) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (45) |
Reception
| Lord Kelvin's machine | The Difference Engine | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 446 | 139 |
| Editions | 5 | 28 |
| Citations | — | 91 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 567 | 2 |
| Reading it now | 14 | — |
| Written reviews | 45 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 92 | 4444 |
| Pages | 262 | 446 |