Rating: 
Summary: Inside an alien mind
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Perspectives and abilities of autistics ... admire, not pity
Review: The first time I picked this book up, I read the first couple of pages and immediately put it back down. "The Speed of Dark," by Elizabeth Moon, is written primarily from the perspective of an autistic individual, and did not at first appear to be Science Fiction. Also, I had recently finished reading the excellent autism-perspective book "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," by Mark Haddon.
A couple of months passed (there are many books on my reading list, as I shop frequently at Amazon), and I picked the book up again, read the first chapter, and was immediately engrossed. Both the story and the perspective carried me through to the end, and part way through I realized it was Science Fiction after all, although almost incidentally.
As an engineer, I sympathize with and relate to the protagonist, an autistic named Lou Arrendale who works for a large corporation performing some sort of non-linear pattern analysis. I love patterns, especially visual ones, and I envy the abilities of this protagonist. The story concerns changes in Lou's life brought on by outside forces, and how Lou chooses to cope with these changes. The prose is beautifully written, and the autism-perspective is especially well-done (the author has an autistic son) -- all-in-all, an engaging and engrossing book.
Rating:
Summary: Aliens Among Us
Review: The Speed of Dark is a singleton SF novel. A couple of decades in the future, autism has become a treatable condition, first via special training of younger children and then via genetic engineering of the fetus or infant. However, millions of autistics were too old for the training or gene therapy. Now a procedure has been discovered to directly modify the brain to correct the condition, but the procedure has only been tested with animals.In this novel, Lou Arrendale is a trained autistic. He works for a pharmaceutical company with other autistics in a bioinformatics unit specializing in pattern recognition and algorithm design. His unit has been provided with a gym equipped with its own sound system and musical library as well as other features to provide for their special needs. Despite the legal requirements for such facilities, a newly appointed executive, Crenshaw, views such benefits as wasteful and unnecessary expenses in his budget. When the company obtains the North American rights to the new procedure, he starts pressuring these autistic employees to join the initial test group. If they undergo the procedure, then these employees will no longer have these special needs, but any employee who resists such treatment will be forced to resign or laid off. In this story, the manager of this unit, Pete Aldrin, knows that his subordinates not only have a legal right to these special facilities, but have also earned these benefits by their astounding productivity. Moreover, he recognizes that such tactics are blatantly illegal, but he knows that others have been laid off recently and fears for his own job. However, he starts working his contacts in an undercover effort to foil Crenshaw's plans. The story is about aliens -- others -- dwelling in human society. Although born of human parents, these autistics think and behave differently than most of their friends and associates. Early intervention has allowed them to participate in most aspects of human society, but they still are awkward and uncomfortable in many social situations and are subjects of curiosity and suspicion. The life and thoughts described in this story forms an engrossing look at human society through a different viewpoint. While the story only speculates about the characteristics of a trained autistic, the author has created a very believable personality in Lou Arrendale. One cannot help being vicariously drawn into his world, sharing in his hopes and fears and recognizing his strengths and limitations. This novel continues a long tradition in science fiction of portraying unusual characters in pivotal events. Beginning with Stapleton's Odd John, other such stories have included Shiras' Children of the Atom and Van Vogt's Slan. This story, however, focuses on the liberation of a group of people that currently suffer from a disabling and virtually untreatable condition. What riches will we find upon lifting the barriers of autism? Highly recommended for Moon fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales about unusual people coping with an alien yet familiar society. -Arthur W. Jordin
Rating:
Summary: Moon has an autistic child and her empathy shows
Review: This book is told mostly through the eyes of Lou, an autistic man who works for a computing firm along with others with autism. Lou doesn't always understand why his boss wants him to do certain things but Lou likes to look for patterns and is happy to do it.
The plot is great; in the near future a possible cure for autism is found and Lou's boss wants him and the others to be part of the test group. Not all of the autistic workers want to be a "normal" and the boss tries to pressure them into it.
The parts of the book that really shine are the sections written in Lou's voice. Mrs. Moon has an autistic child and judging by the book has a real understanding of what takes place inside of the autistic mind. Some books purport to change the way you look at the world, but this one actually does. Rightfully won the Nebula award for best Sci-Fi novel, but don't let that scar you; there are no rayguns or aliens.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read!
Review: This is a great book for all of us who feel as if we are just off-center of "normal" (and, let's face it, for those of us who love sci-fi and cyberpunk books, that's pretty much all of us). This book ranks up there with those of the Old School: "Childhood's End", "I,Robot", "Foundation", "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Puppet Masters", as well as those of the New School: "Neuromancer", "Cryptonomicon", "Snow Crash", "Altered Carbon", "Broken Angels", "Prey", and "Cyber Hunter".
Rating:
Summary: remind the audience of Flowers for Algernon and Rain Man
Review: Though Lou Arrendale suffers from autism, he refuses to allow that condition from stopping him from living a fruitful "normal" life. Lou works at a pharmaceutical company and has many friends. He has adapted to the troubles his condition causes him in a non-autistic society by adopting polite mannerisms such as shaking hands and using salutations. Lou tries very hard to behave "normal" when he is in the urban wilderness. However, the CEO of his firm wants to cut costs by firing the autistic work force that needs special assistance to perform. Lou is given an option of taking an experimental drug that will allegedly turn him into a normal, but he hesitates. He worries that if he becomes normal is he Lou? Adding to his dilemma is his deep feelings for Marjory Shaw, a normal who probably will never love the present Lou. Would the revisionist Lou still love her? Before he can decide what to do, Lou must hide from a stalker who wants to harm him. THE SPEED OF DARK is an incredible novel that captures the essences of an intelligent autistic person struggling to independently survive in a constantly changing world. Though the stalking angle adds suspense, the excitement of the subplot takes away from the powerful themes of focusing on autism and the ethical issue of chemical cures to the mind and body changing the essence of the person. This strong tale with powerful characters will remind the audience of Flowers for Algernon and Rain Man as Elizabeth Moon takes the reader inside the soul of the hero. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing Book
Review: What are you willing to do to fit in? Feel normal? Feel acceptance?
That is the premise of the book. I found it intriguing and engrossing to read. I stayed up several nights until 1:30 am reading this book, I didn't want to put it down or leave off where I was at in the book.
Initially, when the book arrived and I read the content, "autistic person struggles" I was prepared to do my duty, read the book and give the review, anticipating that this would be another boring book on the hardships of person suffering from autism.
Boy did I miss the mark! Yes, that is part of what the book is about. But even more, this book is about how we look for acceptance from self and others, how we interact with the world, how we interact with others, the constant and evolving process of developing our own process of understanding and making sense out of the world and defining our place in it. This book also asks us to question "social convention" as to whether it is an honest interaction between people, or even an honest response.
While discussing the main characters difficulty reading social cues, Ms. Moon asks us to question our own acuity in reading emotional nuance, facial cues, body cues, intonation meanings and the many other cues and signals that we process constantly, often automatically. How often have I decided I knew what another person meant, only to find out how grossly wrong I was in my ascertaining their response. I could certainly stand improvement in my abilities to read these cues and the resulting decisions that I make. Ultimately, Ms. Moon encourages us to openly discuss our assumptions and interpretations. She is quite right.
Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Through the eyes of an autist.
Review: While a number of books have made me stop and think, I can't remember the last time a book made me stop and think about myself. Lou Arrendale was also born autistic. Through therapy he was able to lead a normal life, but it doesn't change the fact he is autistic. Until he is offered a chance to change.... I suffer from a mood disorder that is similar to clinical depression. It's hard to describe. Periodically, I will feel either normal or incredibly depressed for no apparent reason. Many people thought I was simply being difficult or being "whiny." I wish it were that easy. Recently I have begun taking medication to help this condition. It limits my mood swings to bearable levels, but it is something that has, and will, always be a part of me. Being this way as a child certainly set me apart from other kids and I was often the subject of ridicule, just as Lou was. Although Autism is certainly more severe than what I suffer from, I recognized many of the questions that Lou asked himself. What are they trying to tell me? I know I should say something, but what? They are looking at me funny, did I say the wrong thing? Was that a social cue? Should I have responded to that? I don't pretend to be a Lou Arrendale, but I saw parts of myself when I read this book. Now I wonder: What if I was offered the chance to change? What if I could become a "normal" person? Would I do it? And if I did, would I be the same person? Would I be better, or worse? I used to think that I wanted to be more like everyone else, to be able to socialize with others without concern, to not have to worry about what mood I will be in when I am at work or class. After having read this book, I'm not so sure anymore. Maybe if I were to become "normal," I would no longer be myself. This one is a must buy and a must loan-to-a-friend. The writing makes you believe that you are in the mind of an autistic. The only nit I would have is that some of the villains were a little shallow and predictable, seeming to exist only to further the plot. Regardless, they end up playing a minimal role, so it is easily forgivable. You see and feel what Lou sees and feels, and when he makes a final decision as to what to do ... well, I wonder if I would have the courage to do the same.
Rating:
Summary: Life lessons for each and all
Review: With *The Speed of Dark*, Elizabeth Moon steps out from her usual role of science fiction author to deliver a gimlet-eyed perspective of what it means to be 'normal,' and in the process shows the reader what normal means. Others elsewhere ably limn the story's plot; surprisingly, few note how Elizabeth Moon has used the medium (its context) to help tell her tale -- and convey her message -- via employing a style at once affectless yet lucid. This is a worthy parallel (and metaphor) to protagonist Lou Arrendale's changed mental and emotional state, and showcases an author at the top of her form. I enjoyed the insights about "pattern recognition"; I enjoyed learning about the inner world of fencing; I enjoyed the insights into the inner turmoil autistics (and those close to them) suffer; I enjoyed reading each word, as 340 pages flew by. Chapter 18, in particular, left me agog in wonder, and I immediately re-read it to savor its finer qualities. Yet don't let my dry prose deter you from a stellar reading experience. Recommended.
|
