The Speed of Dark |
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Author:
Elizabeth Moon
By Del Rey
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $7.99
Our Price: $4.34
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Product Description
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.
Amazon.com Review
Corporate life in early 21st-century America is even more ruthless than it was at the turn of the millennium. Lou Arrendale, well compensated for his remarkable pattern-recognition skills, enjoys his job and expects never to lose it. But he has a new boss, a man who thinks Lou and the others in his building are a liability. Lou and his coworkers are autistic. And the new boss is going to fire Lou and all his coworkers--unless they agree to undergo an experimental new procedure to "cure" them. In The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon has created a powerful, complex, and believable portrayal of a man who varies radically from what is defined as "normal." The author insightfully explores the nature of "normality," identity, choice, responsibility, free will, illness and health, and good and evil. The Speed of Dark is a powerful, moving, illuminating novel in the tradition of Flowers for Algernon, Forrest Gump, and Rain Man . --Cynthia Ward
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 Not bad but didn't hold my interest., 2008-12-29
I was looking forward to reading this book but found it to be very dull and droning. I respect the author's attempt to show the world from an autistics point of view but I just could not get through it. I gave it three stars for the premise of the story and for origionality.
Speed of Dark, 2008-10-01
This is a very moving story about spirituality and technology. We can learn a lot from the main character Lou. Elizabeth's love for her own son shows through very clearly.
A view from an intriguing mind facing an intriguing choice , 2008-09-11
Elizabeth Moon writes this outstanding book with the empathy of a mother of an autistic son imagining a future where there are more options open for socialization and treatment. The plot is complex and so intriguing I couldn't put the book down.
By writing in the first person, Moon allows us to see the world through the eyes of Lou: an intelligent, thoughtful, accomplished autistic man who--after many years of struggling to be as "normal" as possible--is faced with the opportunity to be one of the first humans to undertake a dangerous operation which may cure his autism or destroy his mind. The technical risk of the operation doesn't disturb Lou as much as the question of what it will make of him if it succeeds. Is it right to "cure" the uniqueness that is Lou as a thoughtful, intelligent autistic person with a point of view that leads him to ask questions like "what is the speed of dark?"?
The book raises universal questions: What is the essence of a person? What do we risk if we change and what do we risk if we stay the same? What is the value of conformity? What is the source of happiness? Which choices will bring more light and which will bring more darkness? This is a book you don't want to miss.
A Realistic Autism Story, 2008-09-09
Author Elizabeth Moon creates realistic characters of adult autistics in the workplace. (Moon's own son is autistic and she pinpoints autism symptoms and quirks with accuracy and caring.) This is an interesting fictional story with an unexpected twist.
I liked it but it was missing something, 2008-07-02
There is a lot to like about this book. It's intelligent, thought provoking stuff. It is about more than just Autism - it pokes at the whole idea of personal change and whether it is important to embrace change or oppose it.
But at the same time, there is a warmth that is lacking in this novel. Granted, that may be by design - seeing things from the main characters point of view is an exercise in seeing something from the point of view of a colder (for want of a better word) personality. But still... It feels lacking.
I also take exception to the end of the novel. I don't want to post a spoiler here, so I will try to talk around it. And actually this is a good point of the novel - I disagree with the main character and his choices, but the author gave me enough information to fully flesh the main character out enough for me to actually disagree with him. But it does not change the fact that I have serious disagreements with the way this book ended.
Overall, this is a good book. It's not a simple read and it is not quick. But it is worth reading.
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780345481399
ISBN: 0345481399
Label: Del Rey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: 2005-06-28
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: 2005-06-28
Studio: Del Rey |
