The Speed of Dark

By: Elizabeth Moon

Narrated by: Jay Snyder

Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

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...

©2002 Elizabeth Moon (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

Nebula Award, Best Novel, 2003

• Favorite Audiobooks of 2010 (Fantasy Literature)

Excellent read

An excellent read though I docked it a half star for an epilogue that seemed tacked on to give the book a "Hollywood" ending and another half star because, despite being set some 40 years into the future, the book felt very dated in many ways.
The story is primarily told from the point of view of Lou Arrendale, a high functioning autistic with a job working as a data analyst at a pharmaceutical company. He has a pretty good life with friends and coworkers that he regularly socializes with and hobbies that he partakes in but he's constantly working within the limitations that his autism places on him. The central dilemma in the story comes when an experimental treatment that could potentially cure his autism becomes available does he want to take it if he won't be the same person who comes out of the treatment at the end?
The story is very well written, the main characters are well developed and mostly believable (view spoiler) though some of the secondary characters seem to be more caricatures (tyrannical boss, unsympathetic doctor, angry ex-girlfriend, biased psychologist, etc) they don't really distract from the story. The plot hangs together well, though it does spin off a few threads that never really get adequately tied up.









Minor nits...

* For a story written in this century and set in the 2050-2060's, it seems very odd that every phone call is placed from a land line.
* The only people who we see who have portable computers/tablets are doctors and police officers, everyone else apparently uses desktops.
* The epilogue felt very much like a wish-fulfillment ending, as if the author didn't want to deal with the difficulties the new Lou would have integrating back into his old life. I thought that was a bit disappointing because after exploring the difficulties of life with autism, I certainly wouldn't think that Lou's life post-autism would be all cupcakes & kittens and that would have been an interesting coda to the story. As it stands I think the story would have been better without the epilogue at all.

Interesting and a bit different

Enjoyed the different perspective and would recommend it. I found the ending a bit anti climactic though.

I had forgotten how amazing this book is!

I first read this book when it was originally published in hardcover. I had not remembered the wonder of the story...and it still gives me goosebumps!

Brilliant

I have Aspergers Syndrome and can relate to Lou to an extent. I really enjoyed it when I first read it about 20 years ago in high school. Reading it again was great, although I no longer have the difficulties Lou has. The issue surrounding the cure is brilliant, engaging, and suspenseful. I highly recommend this book not only for Autistics, but for everyone else as it can help better understand the disability.

Captivating story

I typically listen to thrillers and adventurous science fiction stories, so this is not my typical reading material, but I've always liked Elizabeth Moon. I was a bit doubtful starting this book, but it immediately caught my attention and kept it. The narrator is great at portraying Lou's thought process, and his concerns and the things that made him relaxed and/or happy. Maybe part of what kept my attention was the adventure Lou experienced as his life changed, becoming more complicated, and requiring that he meet the new challenges and eventually make some tough decisions. His experience had many similarities to those of explorers on a new planet developing solutions to deal with unexpected dangers and alien landscapes. In any case, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in psychology, social interactions, and also to readers who just enjoy an interesting adventure.

Great story - sort of weak ending

This is a pretty interesting story, told from the point of view of a functioning autistic adult in a time when autism has been cured for those treated early enough. It is very well written and very well read. The performance does a great job with the various personalities in the book making it very enjoyable. The ending feels like the author was trying to get finished (but it still is interesting). While it is still a good ending, to many things are left undone. But overall, I really liked the story.

Superb character-driven SF

This is "science fiction" for adults--SF second and a great novel first, with the science very much in service of character and raising deep, intimately human questions. The tone somewhat reminded me of Philip K Dick--a near future that has the same "ordinary life" feel, the way things actually do feel in reality. People with regular jobs and pastimes, and the fraught situations, profound as they are, arise from those quotidian circumstances rather than alien invaders or whatnot. The novel's concerns are similar to Dick's preoccupations, too: the material basis of consciousness and the ineffability of spirit, and how those things inform or conflict in our perception of reality. And above all, a way of handling that conflict in a way that is not simplistic, reductive or predetermined. Ms Moon has a way of inhabiting the mind of a character--in this case a high-functioning but autistic savant--that is utterly convincing, and riveting, and she treats the moral and psychological quandaries of his existence with great sensitivity and a firm grasp of how the real world works.

I did have a slight complaint about the narrator. His tone seemed appropriate to the voice (both inner and outer) of the main character, whose linguistic and social skills are limited and childlike, but carried over to the other characters it had the feel of someone reading to children, more appropriate to a YA novel or younger. Not at all how I would have imagined the characters in my own head if I were reading this in text form rather than audio.

Incredible and moving

A scary yet moving story, I barely deared finish. The best in years. Thank you Elizabeth Moon for writing this story.

Fantastically accurate.

Loved it! As accurate as can be regarding the inner dialog of the autistic mind!

Insightful and thought provoking.

At first glance, this book did not interest me much, except I have a son with ASD. I am so glad I persevered.
This book delves deeply into the psyche of a brilliantly autistic man who craves love, new experiences and “normalcy” at the cost of everything he already has. The author also questions ethical dilemmas of experimentation and informed consent.
Definitely a favorite.