Speed of Dark - Kirjakasa

No cover — 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

(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 …

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 use "please" and "thank you" and other conventions of conversation because he knows it makes others comfortable. He does his best to be as normal as possible and not to draw attention to himself. But then his quiet life comes under attack. It starts with an experimental treatment that will reverse the effects of autism in adults. With this treatment Lou would think and act and be just like everyone else. But if he was suddenly free of autism, would he still be himself? Would he still love the same classical music--with its complications and resolutions? Would he still see the same colors and patterns in the world--shades and hues that others cannot see? Most importantly, would he still love Marjory, a woman who may never be able to reciprocate his feelings? Would it be easier for her to return the love of a "normal"?There are intense pressures coming from the world around him--including an angry supervisor who wants to cut costs by sacrificing the supports necessary to employ autistic workers. Perhaps even more disturbing are the barrage of questions within himself. For Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that might completely change the way he views the world . . . and the very essence of who he is.Thoughtful, provocative, poignant, unforgettable, The Speed of Dark is a gripping exploration into the mind of an autistic person as he struggles with profound questions of humanity and matters of the heart.From the Hardcover edition.

11 editions

Thom reviewed The speed of dark by Elizabeth Moon

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 …

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 is the way that Lou mostly recognizes the first threat but not the second, assuming the motives are good because of the professed friendship. Another conflict shown is Lou versus "normal" society, dealing with airport security personnel or service station employees.

Elizabeth Moon's own son is autistic, and both her descriptions and Lou's point of view are lovingly crafted. Much of the "science fiction" here likely comes as a wish for a better world for her son and autistic persons everywhere. While reading this book, I also finished Malcom Gladwell's David and Goliath. In that book, he talks of the success of some dyslexics, and Moon's subjects show similar success. I very much enjoyed this aspect of the novel. I have no doubt that a lot of the brain science described is also very accurate.

Unfortunately, the rest of the SF in this story just doesn't hang together. There is a mentioned "space program" and the medical procedures that make up the main story point, but that's about it. The rest of the world felt dated, as if it were still 2003.

The author jumps out of character when she wants to show something behind the scenes. These episodes are sporadic and jarring; it would have been better to use a second character (involved in each of the incidents) or perhaps have Lou find out about them later.

The ending of the novel felt very sudden. After hundreds of pages describing Lou's thoughts in detail, the story drops to just a few. It feels as if a diary were no longer kept. Perhaps that was the intention, but I would have preferred more closure. Does the son of Lou's supervisor take the treatment? Does Lou continue to fence, and is his skill affected there or at work?

While I enjoyed the success of Lou at work and in hobbies, the rest of the novel just didn't work for me - it was just okay, the equivalent of one and a half stars out of five.

Lists

Nebula Award for Best Novel