Speed of Dark

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Elizabeth Moon: Speed of Dark (2010, Little, Brown Book Group Limited)

432 pages

English language

Published 2010 by Little, Brown Book Group Limited.

ISBN:
978-0-7481-2680-4
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2 stars (1 review)

In the near future, disease will be a condition of the past. Most genetic defects will be removed at birth; the remaining during infancy. Unfortunately, there will be a generation left behind. For members of that missed generation, small advances will be made. Through various programs, they will be taught to get along in the world despite their differences. They will be made active and contributing members of society. But they will never be normal.Lou Arrendale is a member of that lost generation, born at the wrong time to reap the awards of medical science. Part of a small group of high-functioning autistic adults, he has a steady job with a pharmaceutical company, a car, friends, and a passion for fencing. Aside from his annual visits to his counselor, he lives a low-key, independent life. He has learned to shake hands and make eye contact. He has taught himself to …

11 editions

Review of 'The Speed of Dark' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Elizabeth Moon's novel The Speed of Dark won a Nebula award, and was nominated for the Clarke and Locus SF awards. In my opinion, this novel didn't reach those heights.

Most of the novel is told from the perspective of the main character, Lou Arrendale. In this future earth, autism is cured at birth, but Lou is from a generation that missed out on that cure. He and several other autistic adults work for an unnamed company, putting their pattern recognition skills to good use - Lou's highly functioning group of is the most profitable in the company. In his spare time, he participates in a fencing group and within the novel attends his first tournament. Here also, pattern recognition provides a great boon.

A pair of conflicts in the novel stem from his new boss (a cost-cutting and short-sighted ladder climber) and a member of his fencing group. Interesting …