The Speed of Dark (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

The Speed of Darkness is an extraordinary book. It shatters one's preconceived notions about one's world viewpoint. The author takes us inside the head of the main character, who is autistic, and allows us to look at the world from another viewpoint. It also encourages us to think about what is "normal" and our value judgements about that. I highly recommend this thoughtful book.

Although the medical aspects were more into the future, the characters were so of the moment. This book was a very realistic look into the autistic world, very informative, and so well written, you became a cheerleader for the main character.

Highly recommend to anyone who likes a good read - in any genre, as this is to me only tenuously classable as 'science fiction', which ultimately is irrelevant as it's such a rewarding work, to see the everyday world through different eyes. Really glad to have had this experience.

I appreciate this book. It was a great fiction that felt so real in describing the day to day life of a man with autism. The story line and characters were richly developed and fascinating. You will like this book!

I like my SciFi to entertain and educate. The Speed of Dark did that and much more. I was profoundly moved by the first person narration of life in an autistic mind. I have been recommending this book to everyone even before finishing it. Thank you, Elizabeth Moon!

It raised many questions such as: What is normal? What is gained and lost with change? As a society, do we look at weaker or handicapped individuals from only a normal perspective? Very thought provoking and applicable ethical and moral questions that we face today are woven in to the plot.

The main character is autistic, and the author gives a great insight in to the way an autistic person thinks (whether or not it's accurate is another question, but it's interesting reading). Set in the near future, not a heavily scientific sci-fi book, but a lot of really good character developoment. A nice foil for the behavior of everyday people. Recommended.

I like my SciFi to entertain and educate. The Speed of Dark did that and much more. I was profoundly moved by the first person narration of life in an autistic mind. I have been recommending this book to everyone even before finishing it. Thank you, Elizabeth Moon!

It raised many questions such as: What is normal? What is gained and lost with change? As a society, do we look at weaker or handicapped individuals from only a normal perspective? Very thought provoking and applicable ethical and moral questions that we face today are woven in to the plot.

The main character is autistic, and the author gives a great insight in to the way an autistic person thinks (whether or not it's accurate is another question, but it's interesting reading). Set in the near future, not a heavily scientific sci-fi book, but a lot of really good character developoment. A nice foil for the behavior of everyday people. Recommended.

Speed of Dark, Outside the box, nonpolarizing presentation
excellent characterization of autistic person as well unpredictable outcome and enjoyable read.
Author, Elizabeth Moon, blends conserable knowledge and writing skill.

I'm a person with high-functioning autism, and like the main character of this novel I've adapted very successfully to living on my own in "normal" society.

I was surprized by how well the author captured the inner experience of someone with autism. The confusion with colloquialisms; the extreme sensitivity to light, sound, smell, touch; the effort required to recognize human faces; the extreme anxiety caused by change or unfamiliarity; the use of classical music as a calmative. She even managed to guess the right music for the right reasons: Bach for the small, intricate interlocking rosettes of sound; Bruch for the long, sweeping lines. It's unusual for me to read fiction and find a character whose inner monologue is anything like me.

Even so, many aspects of the story seemed unnecessary. The book could have been much shorter than 239 pages. The discussion of personal identity would have been clearer if the author had just written an essay, rather than hiding everything inside a lot of discussions of fencing and mysterious "treatments." Perhaps science fiction authors can only get their works published if they write them as "science fiction."

This was so enjoyable because it is written in the vernacular of the main characters, aiding the reader in understanding their thoughts and conversations. It also gives the reader some insight to the conditions of those on the autism spectrum.

This book has a very interesting premise, but goes on for way too long. Very repetitive, and ends pretty much going nowhere. I finally finished it, but nearly gave up on it several times. It would have been much better at around half its length. And anyone who thinks this would make a good movie is absolutely nuts. It is barely a decent book...

Learning how to write from another's point of view isn't quite Writing 101 but its close enough to be 101.5 or so, otherwise we'd have a lot of books about what its like to write or shelves of thinly veiled autobiographies. Considering the world from perspective that isn't your own and perhaps not the reader's either has to be key to anyone who wants to make a habit of telling stories, whether its about visiting an alien planet or writing about the family that lives across town. Without it we'd never have the chance to see the world through another's eyes and try to understand how they see the world as they do.

But while writing from another's perspective is easy enough for a good writer, how much more difficult is it to write from the point of view of someone whose sensory perceptions and thought processes may be different enough from ours that the challenge is to not only convey that perspective but make it seem as human as our own. That's the challenge Elizabeth Moon sets out for herself and by and large she succeeds.

Its a SF novel told not from the point of view of an alien or a sentient leaf or anything like that but from the perspective of someone many of us may know or have encountered at some part in our lives . . . her protagonist, Lou Arrendale, is an adult high functioning autistic with a decent job analyzing patterns and a comfortably routine life. Its a topic that must be near to Moon's heart, as one of the reviews pulled for the cover copy notes that has an autistic child (the book is dedicated to both her son and her husband) and her own acknowledgments touch upon the number of people she contacted or spoke with and the books she researched before she started writing. And to her credit she doesn't turn the book into a dry lecture on the autism spectrum . . . we're not treated to people spending pages debating the causes (perhaps a disappointment to some people to subscribe to the more fringe theories) or the years of therapy and training to help an individual with autism function in society to the best of their ability and if possible to live on their own (notably, every autistic character in the book appears to be high functioning and has a fair degree of independence which isn't always possible depending on where someone falls on the spectrum . . . she does touch on that briefly through mention of another character's brother). You can debate how much background the average reader requires . . . I've got something resembling a medical background and one of my wife's past jobs in special education involved some work with autistic children . . . and one of the lines the book has to toe carefully is not giving the impression that people with autism are "Rain Man" super-geniuses that are bad with reading social cues. Too far in that direction and it turns into "The Big Bang Theory" with less jokes and comic references. But its not meant to be a primer on autism, merely a story about these people in a world that's meant to be the near future (and published in 2002 it can't take advantage of the decent amount of research that's been done since).

The future itself is interesting because it seems just like ours (there are cars and trains and people still hate their jobs) but with more medical advances. In fact, autism itself appears to have been cured in the very young, with only adults like Lou and his coworkers existing as the last remnants. Until one day research is announced that might even cure him and the people he knows. The question of course is, do they want to?

That question lies in the center of the book and for the most part Moon makes the case that for someone like Lou its a trickier questioning than asking a blind person if they'd like to be able to see. Her writing from his perspective is the selling point of the book, frankly, as she effortlessly details the world as he perceives it, the logic of his routines, the intensity of his work into pattern recognition, his adaptations to help calm himself and most importantly his interactions with other people, especially in his struggle at times to understand the meaning of words beyond the spoken meaning and all the subtle nonverbal cues that go into how we talk to each other, which to him can be the same as ancient music beamed to him from another world . . . he has some idea that people might attach importance to it but can't for the life of him figure out what it means.

Moon makes sure we spend a lot of time with him whether he's at work, dining with his coworkers, going grocery shopping or engaging in his fencing class (none of the other students are autistic). He seems comfortable enough in his life that beyond some daily frustrations it seems like his biggest problem is figuring out how to approach a fencing classmate he has a crush on. Those lack of immediate problems to some extent minimizes the years of adjustments and adaptations he had to make to get to that point but it doesn't make the decision of whether or not to undergo the procedure as compelling perhaps as it needs to be. So of course the peril of having it forced on him has to exist.

Its weird how the plot itself often seems to get in the way of the book's strengths. Moon's depiction of Lou is so carefully considered that there's inherent drama in seeing him go about his day, if only to learn more about his perceptions and interactions and how he copes with them. When the book moves into the other characters it suffers slightly . . . most everyone else he comes across is either a total jerk that no one else likes or kindly and patient and accepting, which can make everyone who isn't Lou sort of boring to be around at times. And the less said about Lou's division boss the better . . . a gross embodiment of all the worst traits we ever associate with corporate greed, he's a swaggering masculine buffoon that is so blunt and unclever that the only way you can imagine his plan succeeding is that everyone around him is just as dumb as he is and goes along with it . . . in the real world worse acts are perpetuated in the name of smiley profit that wind up being completely legal even as they're reprehensible. So the inherent drama of "will they be forced into doing the procedure" never quite materializes. Even the random cop who comes by to investigate an act on vandalism lectures Lou's boss on workplace disability laws (that was around the point where I started to wonder if Moon was working out some real life frustrations).

But substract all that and you're left with something sort of plainly beautiful, a man living his life as fully as he can within his limitations while still dreaming of what he might be like if those limitations were removed and how essential is his disability to who he is as a person (in that sense its a more optimistic "Flowers for Algernon", which captured the texture of someone once mentally impaired awakening and then the calm and tragic acceptance of having it taken away). That story is the most interesting to me, the struggle to be who you are and having worked hard to achieve that understanding how far you might still have to go. The question of will he or won't he isn't as vital in of itself as the why of that decision . . . and anyone who has stood at the edge of their own sharply defined parameters, debating whether to step over into a larger world they can't fully perceive, afraid of the problems it might bring and the changes it might cause, might find reason to understand of knowing exactly why you would or wouldn't take the step. For some, comfortable with the world they live in and their place within its confines, may find it best to stay put as a way to improve themselves. And for others, its exactly the reason to go.

And opposites appeared, two directions on the same path. Boo stranger to alien worlds, Ms. Moon again invites us to discover the shared sense of humanity looking at you through eyes which look like yours but see a universe filled with color and sound and tastes and smells literally beyond your comprehension.

Elizabeth Moon takes her readers on a backstage tour of a mind which, when viewed from the outside appears a bit slow, awkward and uneven. Inside, galaxies are born and die, rainbows shower the air in ripples of music, and the sound of a cricket's mating call becomes a symphony.

She demands, through her protagonist Lou, that the reader question the meaning of labels, their value and their limitations. She challenges each to reassess the meaning of 'normal' and 'human'. And, in what to me was the most piquant scene in the book, asks each 'Do you want to be healed?'

The answer to the last is the hardest. What are we willing to risk on a maybe? Is change easier to handle if it thrust upon us in a dusky parking lot at gun point, or when we choose the risk? How do we decide what needs healing in the first place?

I lost a night's sleep over this book, and likely will loose more pondering the questions raised as they apply to my life as a person ringed about by labels and pressured constantly by societal norms to change, to try the next great cure or treatment or procedure. I am coming to believe that my situation is in fact what passes for normal around here: everyone becomes identified by the shorthand of labels. Some of us are more aware of them than others.

So...do you want to be healed? Of what? At what price?

Let Ms. Moon's tour begin. Just watch the pretty lights as they flicker and dance around you. There's nothing to fear. We're all friends here......

“Autistic is different, not bad. It is not wrong to be different. Sometimes it is hard, but it is not wrong.”

Speed of Dark is the second stand-alone novel by American author, Elizabeth Moon. It is set in the near-future. Lou Arrendale is an autistic man in his late thirties, working as a bioinformatics specialist with several autistic colleagues in the Analysis Section of a large Pharmaceutical company. Born too early for the curative treatments available to infants later born with this condition, Lou is part of a select group of autistics whose unusual needs are supported as their unique skills are utilised. Lou lives independently, supporting himself and enjoying the routines that make his life reassuringly predictable: shopping on Tuesdays, cleaning his car on Saturdays, church on Sundays and fencing practice with his friends Tom and Lucy on Wednesdays. He loves the stars, classical music and, lately, Marjory, one of his fencing friends.

But things are changing in Lou’s life: the new division head, Mr Crenshaw, seems to dislike the autistic employees; Tom is encouraging Lou to fence in a tournament; someone is vandalising his car. Lou feels he is changing too. He and his colleagues are being coerced into a new clinical trial for an experimental treatment to alter their brains, to remove their autism, to make them “normal”. But will this treatment change who they are? Reactions to this opportunity are understandably polarised.

Moon uses two narrative strands: Lou’s experience is told in the first person; characters observing him (Tom Fennell, Pete Aldrin) are told in the third person. Moon’s experience with autism is evident in every paragraph: Lou’s voice is authentic and Moon touches on many topical themes, some particularly relevant to those on the autism spectrum: the ethics of chemical restraint, the medicalisation of variations from the norm, bullying and intimidation, what defines self and the importance of memory. This is a powerful and thought-provoking read.

The fear of anyone who is different. That is what Lou Arrendale comes up against all the time. He has a form of autism that affects every moment of his life. At home, at his job, at play and, ever-so-new, in his love life.

This story is told in the first person, from Lou's POV. You hear his inner thoughts. You listen to his conversations with others. You see the 'looks' with all the little nuances that are never taken for granted. And in a short time you appreciate who you are because you don't have to go through what Lou does. Every day.

This is the near future and, if you are to believe, there is a method to make him and others "normal". But what is normal? And to what expense must he give up all who he is and has been? And when does it become acceptable for society to dictate what people must do to conform? This story covers an often-misunderstood subject with a darker edge (no pun intended).

At times a little tedious because everything has to be explained, you see the difference between a person with autism and others. You take for granted the inflection of a voice, the way someone uses slang, the movement of a body, a certain type of music, loudness and so on. Things Lou and others like him consider at every moment.

As with any futuristic story written years ago, you see mistakes. Things that the author did not know at the time that we take for granted now. For the most part videos are a thing of the past. Some of the technology is stilted because of the year this story was published (2002). Still, the message Ms. Moon is trying to convey is what is normal? If you could 'improve' yourself but had to take a chance that it might not be what you really wanted, would you?

The biggest problem I had with the story is I felt I would have liked less detail and a better interaction between some of the key characters. It felt it was dry at times for a better choice of words. But watching Lou evolve from the beginning until the last page was interesting and I won't take autism for granted ever again. If you enjoy futuristic science fiction with a bite of scary technology and some romance you might also like Susan Squires' BODY ELECTRIC. With a greater degree of suspense, more action and heavier on relationships than THE SPEED OF DARK, it will also open your eyes to a different future.

A bloated, less compelling version of Flowers For Algernon.

Writing from the perspective of an autistic main character is an interesting idea, but the way it was done here stripped all of the charm and appeal out of the narrative. I know, I know. It's an intentional stylistic choice designed to help us see the world through his eyes, but it's also a technique that makes large portions of the book dull and dry. There must be some way to convey the unique point of view of an autistic character that doesn't make the prose read like a textbook or a grocery list of meaningless detail.

The supporting characters suffer from a lack of depth. They're either very, very good and run around with shining halos championing for the rights of the disabled or very, very bad and devote themselves to ruining the lives of others for no particular reason (aside from being very, very bad.) Readers don't need a character to cackle maniacally while twirling a handlebar mustache to figure out he's the bad guy. Antagonists with a little more depth would have made the danger to the hero far more convincing. Protagonists with a shade more complexity would have made the hero's struggle to connect with others meaningful. As it is, he's not really missing much.

The structure of the plot is also an issue. Very little happens in the first two thirds of the book, aside from a few feeble obstacles thrown in the path of the main character in the form of two ridiculously over the top villains. At no point is there ever any risk that the baddies will win. They're cartoon characters, not actual threats. Meanwhile the real crisis of the story (whether or not to accept the treatment) is shoved toward the end of the book, resolved in a rush, and deprived of any emotional impact.

There was so much potential in this story, but almost all of it was lost in the execution.

I was skeptical of this book and the mixed reviews, so I passed on this book a few times before purchasing it. I am so glad I read it! This book was excellent, not only did I look forward to sitting down with it at the end of my day, but I spent much time thinking about it during my day.
Let me tell you though this book isn't for everyone. If you enjoy the journey more than the destination, this book is for you. If you sit in public places observing people and wondering what they are thinking rather than with your nose in your electronic device, this book is for you. If you like what's different from you, if you want to understand the unusual this is the book for you. If you like non stop action and have the attention span of a Facebook update, this book is not for you. If you don't care what goes on in other people's mind, this book is not for you. If you dismiss all that is different from you as weird, freaky, and deficient, this book is not for you.
Some readers complained of the choppy writing style. Personally I found it quite fitting. It reminded me of how we speak in a foreign language (and I suspect for an autistic person, verbal communication probably does feel like a foreign language): we use an economy of words, short and direct sentences, very literal. Besides, the author was skillful enough to imbue much deep content in that seemingly simple style. The sentences may be simple, but what they express is far from simple.
I don't know any autistic people, so this book opened a world for me, and spurred me to research autism even more. The book gives a very interesting account on what autistic people find important (things that most of us would consider trivial), what causes them discomfort and anxiety (most things seem to make them uncomfortable and anxious, apparently). I thought it was very interesting that autistic people seem exceptionally good at finding patterns in inanimate things (objects, numbers, light, etc) but abysmal at finding patterns in human facial expressions, human interactions, etc. It's all quite fascinating.

The Speed of Dark
This book was different. There were 2 love triangles, and you might not even notice!

Um. Also, the story takes place in the future, and the main character is autistic. Lou is required to see a therapist who doesn't like him, and he fences - rapier, epee, and dagger.

Lou work with for a mega-company in a small group of autistic people who all do pattern analysis. Their supervisor likes them, the new boss can't stand them. Cops in this story are largely nice people.

As compared with "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night" about an autistic 15 year old - Lou is more rounded person, less violent, more stable. The story itself is much better.

This beautifully written story gives the reader deep insight into the life of an autistic man Lou, who, in less than ideal circumstances, is given the opportunity to join the first human trial to 'cure' those with autism and make them 'normal'. Lou has been provided with specialist treatment during his early development which has helped him overcome some of the more distressing symptoms of autism and this enables him to function effectively in society without support. In today's world, he would be considered to have Asperger's Syndrome, having difficulty as he does with understanding human interactions and developing deeper relationships, though he does socialise through attendance at a weekly fencing meeting and church. He has a full time job where he works in a department with other autistic people, who are provided with tax deductible support aids by the company so the employees can manage the stresses of living with an autistic wired brain in 'normal' society and be productive. Lou's 'splinter' autistic skills of quickly identifying patterns are useful to his company, but the additional benefits in the work environment (car allowance where public transport is the norm for commuting, personal car park, own office, a shared gym, et cetera), are resented by some.

Most of the book gives us an insight into the stresses Lou faces in trying to function and be a useful member in 'normal' society. We see how important a highly structured life is for Lou to function effectively, and how vulnerable he is because of those self imposed routines, despite his higher than average IQ. The book powerfully makes the point that society contains people with a wide spread of characteristic behaviours, with 'normal' people's behaviours often deemed acceptable despite often including inconsiderate or worse behaviour to others. While I would love to live in a world where medical intervention is available to assist those born into the autistic spectrum, having personally seen the painful stresses and limitations this condition causes, the book does leave you wondering to what extent we as a society have the right to impose our version of normality onto those that are differently wired. Are the costs worth the benefits to the individual and society?

I found the book very reminiscent of 'Flowers for Algernon', though thankfully not as sad as that story - at least not in Lou's case. It is decades since I read 'Flowers for Algernon', yet that story was so powerful, I can still clearly remember the plot. I suspect 'The speed of dark' will be the same.

In 2003 this Texan writer finally got a major award for her speculative fiction when this novel won the Nebula Award for best novel in 2003. In my opinion, it is well deserved. Although not fully a sci-fi novel in many ways, it is a futuristic story of our world and it makes many points about the sensitive subject of special needs peoples and what to do if the opportunity presents itself to perform experimental processes on these peoples. Many readers (me included) and many critics have compared this story to the great sci-fi classic short novella, Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes (ie Hugo Award for short fiction in 1960; Nebula Award, best novel, 1966). Keyes told the story of a mentally challenged janitor who takes controversial medication and treatment and improves to the genius level, only to fall back again months later. The Speed of Dark deals with a bright and observant computer programmer who finally opts for treatment to make him seem normal (a reversal of the Algernon role).

Lou Arrendale is a computer programmer who has made a good life for himself, as an autistic computer programmer. A new manager at the firm where he works puts pressure on the department where many autistic people work. Lou is pressured to undergo an experimental treatment that might "cure" his autism. Lou does not think he needs curing, but he risks losing his job and other accommodations the company has put in place for its autistic employees. It is told mostly in the first person viewpoint of Lou and we get a compelling look inside the mind of a gifted man who wonders about life's basic issues and the differences between `normal' people and people such as himself, who are too often seen as freaks and weirdos. Moon has an autistic son and apparently knows of what she talks about here.

The story is poignant and fluid and, as a very compelling read, it is hard to put down. It impressed me, considering my own novel featuring an autistic boy with the same problems, which I composed and wrote years ago before even knowing about this fiction. Even within the first few pages, I was totally on Lou's side of things, agreeing with his viewpoints and observations and his detailed analysis of the very smallest things that happened around him. I was inclined to think that he was normal and that we mere ordinary people are the misfits. That may well be a point of Moon's novel. Oddly gifted people shouldn't be viewed as abnormal, but as specially gifted and very valuabe persons, not in need of alterations to their characters.

In an interview at the conclusion of the novel, Elizabeth Moon describes her son and the world of autistic people. She also refers to the large amount of help now available to challenged people that was not available years ago, when her son was born. She also talks about the way some people exploit the special talents of gifted people without addressing them as genuine characters. I've always thought of autistic people as very genuine and unique and special. While writing my own novel of an autistic child, I researched this topic. It is to Moon's credit that she gives us all this very fine portrait into that world.

In The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon blends science fiction, neuroscience, and her own experience to speculate about a future in which scientists have nearly eliminated the symptoms of autism. Lou Arrendale's cohort is the last of the impaired autistics. Thanks to early intervention programs, Lou and his colleagues are verbal, take care of themselves, and work for a pharmaceutical company that makes use of their savant abilities, yet they lack the social understanding needed to integrate into "normal" society. But that could all change because Lou's company has just received approval to begin clinical trials on a procedure that may cure them of their disorder, and the boss wants to use Lou and his co-workers as the first guinea pigs.

Because Elizabeth Moon has a teenager with autism, a background in science (and science fiction), and has done a lot of research, The Speed of Dark feels like an authentic account of an autistic man's cognitive processes. I was completely fascinated by Lou's revelations about the way he thinks, the things he understands and remembers, the environmental stimuli that he either doesn't notice or can't ignore, and the way he uses music and motion to help him integrate and regulate sensory input. This was really well done (except that I feel pretty sure that Lou wouldn't use the term "object permanence" to explain "shape constancy"). Few readers could fail to become emotionally attached to Lou and to root for him as he struggles to understand who he is and how he fits in, tests his strengths and challenges himself to excel, makes friends and enemies, falls in love, learns how his brain works and, most importantly, decides who he wants to be.

The focus on Lou deprives the other characters of some depth, but perhaps they seem this way because we view them mainly from Lou's perspective. Marjory, the girl Lou has fallen in love with, exhibits very little personality, and Mr. Crenshaw, the "villain," is so completely over-the-top that I kept thinking of Mr. Waternoose from Monsters, Inc. In fact, in Brilliance Audio's version, the reader, Jay Snyder, sounds just like Mr. Waternoose (who was played by James Coburn). By the way, I highly recommend this audiobook because the novel is written in the first person and Snyder's voice, which so perfectly captures Lou's social awkwardness, adds to the emotional impact and makes Lou's stilted language not only easier to "read," but actually quite charming.

The Speed of Dark, which won the Nebula Award, is one of those novels that makes you feel the whole spectrum of emotions, changes the way you think, and stays with you forever. Its portrayal of a devastating behavioral disorder is all at once beautiful, humorous, enlightening, heart-wrenching, poignant, and hopeful.

I judge a novel on different levels. Was it just plain fun to read? Was the writing convincing? Were the characters well-developed? Was the plot intriguing? Did it make me think differently, see things differently? How long does it stay with me?

Elizabeth Moon's book "The Speed of Dark" is a book that satisfied all my criteria of a great book. This is the story of an autistic man, Lou Arrendale, faced with the choice of undergoing treatment to make him "normal." But as one of Lou's autistic friends notes, "Normal is a setting on a dryer." It became a constant pleasure to be challenged as to what "normal" is. Lou's views of the world were often so much more calm and rational and "normal" than the views of the non-autistic "normals" around him that his views and his world often became appealing, no more painful or less joyful than the normal world.

The writing was convincing and fun to read. Even a description of Lou's experience simply buying groceries was suspenseful. The author's protagonist is deeply multidimensional: the book in fact is an exploration in mostly first person of Lou's debates with himself as to who he is and what he wants.

The plot was simple but carried me forward. I was alternately angry and frustrated and joyful. The author's accounts of Lou fencing with his friend Marjory in complex rhythms were beautiful romantic dance portraits. The author's accounts of Gene Crenshaw's and Don's bigotry and arrogant refusal to see Lou's brilliance and worth as a human raised my blood pressure. The metaphors of dark and light, ignorance and knowledge, were subtly and thoughtfully interwoven throughout the story. The author's description of Lou listening to Bach were interesting. Lou's experience simply walking in the woods near the end of the story and his literally tasting nature were beautifully written. I have been looking at things differently, through Lou's eyes.

A Russian literary critic once said that good poetry is a process of "defamiliarization"; making the familiar deeply unfamiliar, compelling us to see the familiar through new eyes. In brief, Elizabeth Moon's book has helped me see my familiar world through new eyes and understand better the painful and joyful unfamiliar world of autism.

An utterly fascinating look inside the mind of an autistic person. "The Speed of Dark" by Elizabeth Moon, is set in the near future. Lou Arrendale, the book's protagonist, is an autistic man nearing 40. He was born in an era where early intervention methods made it possible for him to live a near normal life, while not actually "curing" his autism. He is one of the last of his "kind", as those just slightly younger than he were given a treatment in-utero to "fix" the genetic abnormality identified as the cause of autism. Lou struggles with the idea of being "not normal" in a world of "normals'. He is near genius in his intelligence, but significantly impaired in his ability to interact socially. When the pharmaceutical company he works for develops an experimental treatment designed to re-wire his brain through a combination of genetic engineering and nanotechnology, with the potential to elimate his autism, he and his fellow autistic co-workers find themselves wondering who and what they will become if they agree to submit themselves as volunteer subjects for the procedure. Will it change the very essence of who they are?

The story raises many moral, philosophical, and ethical questions about how society views not only autistic people, but anyone who is considered "different", for whatever reason. At the core of many of these issues is the question: if we truly love and accept people for who they are, why is it necessary for them to change, especially if they are also happy with who they are?

Lou is a very likeable character. He reacts to his environment in interesting ways. I especially enjoyed the way he was able to internalize music (classical) to adapt to his moods or to regulate them when he felt himself becoming anxious. His special ability in pattern recognition is a common trait among autistic people, but I was intrigued by the descriptions of the many ways he uses pattern recognition to help him cope with the world and his interactions with it. He is endlessly fascinated by the idea of darkness and whether or not it has a speed (light has a speed, why not dark?) "The Speed of Dark" becomes a metaphor for other things - discrimination, ignorance, death - basically anything unknown or misunderstood. Lou prefers his environment to be ordered, predictable, routine - known - but through the course of the book he encounters situations that he cannot control, things that challenge his rhythms and routines and force him to change in order to adapt and understand. He learns that change is inevitable, and that we must make the choice to accept or resist the change, even if the result is unknown.

Most of the story is told from Lou's point of view, but occasionally the perspective changes to that of another character. I did not find this to be at all difficult to follow. I liked being inside Lou's mind the best, but the occasional shift of perspective helped with the overall flow and development of the story line.

I would put this book near the top of the list of books I have read in the past year. I would highly recommend it for readers who enjoy character-driven vs. plot-driven stories. It is not action and adventure, but more an exploration of culture and ethics. This book won the 2004 Nebula Award, given annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The author is better known as a science fiction writer, and the story is set in the near future where science and society have made some significant advances, but this is not your typical sci-fi story, so even those who usually don't care for science fiction could enjoy reading "The Speed of Dark". My only complaint with the book is that I was not 100% satisfied with the ending. Because the story and Lou's character were developed in such detail, I found the ending too abrupt. I was so invested in Lou Arrendale I wanted more details, and they simply weren't there. On the other hand, it does have a great "last line", one of the best of any of the books I have read lately. However, you will have to read it yourself if you want to find out what it is!

Wow! I was totally fascinated with this book!
Lou Arrendale, an autistic man, works for a pharmaceutical company in a special section with other autistics. The story is mostly told through his eyes and gives the reader a unique perspective to not only the world around him, but also to the struggle he has to simply translate the cues that humans use to communicate.
A new supervisior shakes Lou's department with the news that the company would like for the group to submit to clinical trials that would help them become more 'normal'; thus, cutting out what he considers the economic extras that help the autistics stay centered and cope in the work place.
This brings up many questions: Is autism really bad? abnormal?
What would happen to the special skills that make this group so valuable to their company? Would they still be the same persons with the same memories?

"No one interrupts me while I bounce, the strong thrust of the trampoline followed by weightless suspension makes me feel vast and light. I can feel my mind stretching out, relaxing, even as I keep perfect time with the music. When I feel the concentration returning and curiosity drives me once more toward my assignment, I slow the bouncing to tiny little baby bounces and swing off the trampoline." (6)

"The symbols I work with are meaningless and confusing to most
people. It is hard to explain what I do, but I know it is valuable work, becuase they pay me enough to afford the car, the appartment, and they supply the gym and the quarterly visits to Dr. Fornum (the psychiatrist). Basically I look for patterns. Some of the patterns have fancy names and other people find them hard to see, but for me
they have always been easy. All I had to do was learn the way to
describe them so others could see that I had something in mind." (6)

"I can feel myself relaxing. Trees do not care if I am normal or
not. Rocks and moss do not care. They cannot tell the difference between one human and another. That is restful. I do not have to think about myself at all." (346)

flag

I won't bother discussing a summary; read any other review for that. I found this book to be: stark, imaginative, beautiful, lyrical, but ultimately unfulfilling. Why? The ending. *STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE NOVEL*

For the bulk of the novel, Moon so beautifully imagines this simple, kind and gentle autistic man's way of moving through the world, that when the book suddenly shifts, and he has become "normal," I felt profoundly cheated. Up to that point, I felt the message of the book was that anyone is fine just as they are, and, silly me, I thought Lou felt the same way. He didn't seem to change his mind and think he should go through with the treatment until he went to church and did some soul-searching - and then, suddenly, BAM - he wants to be a different person. Why? He'd been happy the way he was for 95% of the novel. Sure, he felt like he didn't fit into the "normal" world, but everyone feels that. It's what I related to the most.

But I just hate the ending, in which he accepts the treatment, and becomes a different person, who no longer needs his old friends. Sure, he gets to go into space, but at what cost? He has completely lost his old life, his friends, his love for Marjory. Is that the message of the novel? That no matter how different we are, if given the chance, we should alter ourselves to become "normal"?

Don't get me wrong, I really loved most of the book. But the ending makes me extremely sad. I want "Before-Lou" back, the man who so loved Marjory, who stood up for himself and enjoyed fencing.

Lou Arrandale is autistic, but one that can usually function in "normal" society. When a new (experimental) therapy is developed, in which the brain is tricked into creating new neural pathways to replace/substitute for the damaged ones that lead to autism, Lou is left with a dilemma. Should he take the treatment? Will it fundamentally alter who he is? Will it work well enough that he can function as a "normal" person? Will the treatment cost him his abilities at mathematical pattern analysis (something autistics do better than non-autistics), and therefore his current job?

The strength of Moon's book is that she focuses on the second question: will changing an autistic person from "disabled" to "normal" cause a fundamental change in who he is? The fact that "Speed of Dark" is (mostly) written in the first person is key: we enter the mind of the autistic main character so we learn to care about him like a friend, and would not have him risk irretrievably changing himself for the nebulous promise of becoming more normal in an experimental treatment. We are also introduced to Lou's world of fellow autistics (who work in his pattern-analysis section at the Company) and his fencing group of normals. Again, the first-person writing style is key in illuminating Lou's world and giving us an idea of how the autistic mind works. Having met few autistics in my time, I cannot vouch for the veracity of the portrayal of autism - I do know that they have difficulty picking up social signals and take things strictly literally - but the details Moon brings seem genuine and it's a fascinating look into the autistic mind.

The details of the plot are not as important as the portrait of the main character. A junior vice-president in Lou's Company tries to bully the autistic section into taking the experimental treatment as the first cohort of human volunteers. Meanwhile, Lou's extra-curricular activities include fencing every Wednesday night, and he attends his first tournament. He also loves a "normal" woman in that group, arousing the jealousy of a rival suitor. Unusually, for a science fiction novel, Lou is a regular church-goer, and Moon very effectively uses a homily by Lou's priest as an example of the literal-mindedness of autistics. In the most interesting passages of the book, Lou's car is vandalised twice in one week (coincidence??), and Lou is removed from his comfort zone in having to deal with the police and insurance company.

This book won the Nebula Award (voted on by the members of the Science Fiction Writers Association) for best novel. It is very nearly a 5-star story, one that will inevitably draw comparisons to the old classic "Flowers for Algernon". Unfortunately, it just doesn't pack the emotional punch of "Algernon", and "Speed of Dark" is also marred by a common sci fi problem - Moon has set up a very compelling problem and characters, but then she doesn't quite know how to wrap up the story satisfactorily. It is not as bad in this book as in, say, "Darwin's Radio" (Greg Bear) or "Andromeda Strain" (Michael Crichton), but it is enough to lower the rating to 4 stars, in my opinion. Still, it's a very interesting book (and a good read!) and I recommend it highly.

If you are looking for a "typical" Elizabeth Moon story, this is not it. I always trust her as an author and always buy her books. I hesitated on this one, partly because it is so completely different from her usual work, and partly because my oldest son was, at age 3-1/2, diagnosed as pre-autistic, and has a "mild" version of Aspergers. After I bought the book I hesitated to read it, because I have found books about "learning disabled" people painful to read in the past.

But this story is a triumph! Another reviewer said that Moon has an autistic child - I don't know if this is true, but based on her dedication, I suspect it is. If that was her inspiration, she has more than done justice to her child and herself.

Other reviewers cover the plot quite well, and I won't repeat their work. I can only say that this book gave me insights into my son's mind and thinking that I had never had before - and he is now 43. Moon has given me a whole new and wonderful perspective of my son, and I am deeply grateful.

As another reviewer said, this is a must-buy and must-loan book. I intend to loan it to as many people as I can arm-twist into reading it, and will buy extra copies for just that purpose.

There is some science fiction in the book, in the medical science involved. But mostly this is the story of one autistic man, how he has learned to live in the "normal" world, and how he manages to cope with surprise and change. Her understanding, empathy, and acceptance of "other" as "normal" for her protagonist are outstanding. There is no condescension or pity, only narrative of what is happening to Lou.

The Speed of Dark is an exquisite, delicious story that you want to hurry and finish, and yet, you want it to linger over it, making it last.

Lou Arrendale is a functioning autistic, working for a large multinational corporation. The corporation uses his pattern recognition skills to review and revise its software. The story, told from Lou's point of view, details his life and an attempt by the manager of his department to use Lou and the other autistics in the department for human trial experimentation on a new procedure that purports to 'cure' autism.

We see the world through Lou's eyes; a place that is sometimes orderly and understandable and, at other times, confusing and duplicitous. It takes a few pages to get into Lou's world and narrative style but once you're there you wonder if his observations of people, their behaviors and life in general aren't more logical and appropriate than what we've been told is 'normal' all out lives.

The narrative is deceptively simple as it seduces the reader into considering the questions of why we behave the way we do, how people view those with disabilities, what is normal, how we perceive the world around us and whether it's 'right' or simply appropriate to ourselves, what happens to us when we change, both in our own estimation and the estimation of others and the sick, superior behavior of some people when faced with those suffering from mental or physical disabilities.

Every thing in the story has a reason to be there, whether it is immediately apparent to the reader or not. Ms. Moon keeps the pace brisk yet you feel as though you're lingering, pleasantly, over the prose.

The characterizations are wonderfully subtle, particularly as seen through Lou's eyes, when he has little understanding of how 'normal' people behave and why. He is, at once, a painfully accurate observer and his musings on why people do what they do can make you laugh out loud from time to time.

And the ending... Ms. Moon leaves you just enough clues to wonder what sort of ending it really is, unhappy or happy and whether it really matters.

I do not read Ms. Moon often but, after reading The Speed of Dark, I will definitely be purchasing more of her books. A book so good I needed a smoke and a lie down, afterward. They don't make them like this as often as they should.

Lou Arrendale is a high-functioning autistic man in a near-future world. When his employer starts to put pressure on him to be one of the first human subjects in a dangerous brain-altering experimental "cure" for autism, he questions what it is to be Lou. Is his autism part of his personality? What does it mean to be "normal?" Are the normals even normal? This book is full of deep questions of identity and categorizing of humans. It is also about mistreatment of disabled people by bigots. In fact, I thought the bigotry was a little over-done to the point of not being realistic...but maybe this is Moon's idea of what the near future will be like. Or maybe I'm naïve. :) This book was very thought-provoking and interesting, though I thought it lacked verisimilitude. And there were three (apparently) independent secondary characters named Bart within a 25 paged interval. Not sure what Moon was trying to say there--maybe she really likes the name Bart. :) Anyway, despite my nit-pickiness, I thought it was quite a good book.

Set perhaps thirty or forty years in the future, this is the story Lou Arrendale and his coworkers--a "lost generation" of autistics born late enough to benefit from vastly improved treatment for their condition, but too soon to be truly cured. They have jobs they're really good at, that use the abilities that come from their disability in really valuable ways, in a work environment fitted out with the things they need to help them function well.

All's well, or seems so, until their peaceful routine is disrupted by the announcement that an experimental new technique may be able to cure autism in these "lost generation" adults. The company they work for has bought the research, and the new manager of their division, who has already made it clear that he regards as "waste" the money spent on their special accommodations, has decided that they are all going to "volunteer" for the first human trial.

This crew is autistic, not stupid, and they do have friends and resources; the coercion doesn't work, but they still have to decide what they want to do. Will it work? Will it fail? If it fails, will they be worse off than they are now? If it works, will they lose the particular talent for pattern-recognition that currently makes them so valuable? Do they even want to be "normal"?

It's not really the near-future setting that makes this sf; it's the trip inside an interestingly alien mind, as we get nearly all of the story from Lou's viewpoint. Forget anything cutting I've said about some of Moon's other work; this one is stunningly good.

Strongly recommended.

Absolutely loved this book from the first page to the last. Read it while vacationing in the Bahamas, it was the perfect remedy for flight delays and long waits.

I had also read and enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Haddon, which is a similar novel in that it is first person from an autistic viewpoint. I much prefer this one, though to be fair no one is demanding a comparison. I came to know and appreciate the characters here, the dialogue was not contrived, it felt natural. I loved the simple observations of the world from Lou's perspective, and the calming effect that structured music can have.

It made me think how so many of my own thoughts and feelings could be considered borderline autistic at times, or rather be similar to what an autistic person thinks or feels. I also felt for the boss as he struggled with his good intentions, but never truly understood where Lou and the others were coming from. I identified with him, how often do I apply my own rules/views to other people's problems?

Moon is a seasoned and expert novelist, the descriptions and dialogue flow naturally. I also enjoyed the brief introduction to fencing, and appreciate learning about it through the plot devices, not in a flooded rush like Tom Clancy explaining how nuclear weapons work. A favorite part were the restaurant servers, referred to literally by their name tags "Hi my name is X". Now every time I see one of those tags, I need to word it out in my head...

One final note, though labeled "science fiction" it really is not what most would consider sci-fi. It takes place in what seems to be the not too distant future, but that is only as a plot device. The same novel could just as easily have been written to take place in 2007 with some minor changes.

Lou is a high functioning autistic adult working for a pharmaceutical company. A new boss decides that the supportive work environment is too costly and presents a drug trial that could very well cure adult autism. But it is not without considerable risk because although tried on primates, it has not yet been tried on humans. The first half of the story introduces the reader to Lou and his world. The second half of the story centers on Lou's decision making process about whether or not to participate in the trial. I bought this book because of a series I have read by Elizabeth Moon, although this is a stand-alone novel. Although Moon doesn't describe how her futuristic setting got there, I don't feel that is important to the overall tone or plot of the novel. Moon portrays a high functioning world of adult autism in a very capable, compassionate manner. The style of writing keeps the reader inside the autistic world without bogging down. I found it to be an interesting literary device that many writers may not have considered in writing such a piece. There were times when I felt better editing could have enhanced the novel, but overall it was a great read and certainly much different than most sci-fi or mystery novels. It unexpectedly held my interest and was worth the coin.

I almost never give 5 stars. I liked this novel. It was fascinating to see the world from the view of an "impaired person'. The flaws have mostly to doe with the "deus ex machina" resolution to the book. But still, the writing is excellent and description of life was outstanding.

I confess to being an Elizabeth Moon fan. Her space "operas" are a lot of fun. But this novel and her "Remnant" novel are more serious and well worth reading

With her latest book The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon has put the science back into fiction. A consummate weaver of tales, she takes you on a journey of betrayal, intrigue, and the human condition. Set in the not inconceivably distant future The Speed of Dark tackles the morals of scientific experimentation when it meets the corporate world. It is a frightening look at a situation that is totally feasible. The implications and possible uses for the discoveries described here are endless.

The story centers on Lou Arrandale, an autistic man in a world where autism can now be corrected at birth. He must find a way to decide for himself whether or not to chance a new procedure that could make him normal. To do this he must find the understanding of what is normal in his society and decide if it is worth the risks. I found myself on the edge of my seat, (ok so I was in bed) cheering Lou on as he steered his way through problems despite almost paralyzing fears.

From beginning to end Elizabeth Moon delves into many of societies misconceptions and faults pertaining to people who do not fit the accepted parameters and into the other spectrum, those people who can look beyond the surface and find the worth of the person. Her characters are living breathing people, some you are proud to know and others need a swift kick to the butt. A wonderful tale and I don't say this because Elizabeth Moon is one of my favorite authors, (she is!!) but because it is well worth reading.