The Speed of Dark (Ballantine Reader's Circle) (edition 2004)

by Elizabeth Moon (Author)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Conversations / Mentions
2,145	104	6,510	(3.98)	2 / 225
Thoughtful, poignant, and unforgettable, The Speed of Dark is a gripping exploration into the world of Lou Arrendale, an autistic man who is offered a chance to try an experimental "cure" for his condition. Now Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that may change the way he views the world--and the very essence of who he is. "Compelling...an important literary achievement and a completely and utterly absorbing reading experience." --Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "A pwerful portrait...an engaging journey into the dark edges that define the self." --The Seattle Times… (more)

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Member:	Richtmyre
Title:	The Speed of Dark (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Authors:	Elizabeth Moon (Author)
Info:	Ballantine Books (2004), Edition: Reprint, 384 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
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Work Information

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

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110
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (infiniteletters)
infiniteletters: Charlie is definitely not like Lou, true. But their experiences and perspectives have the same mental effect on readers.
110
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (tortoise)
tortoise: Both are well-written novels with a first-person autistic-spectrum narrator. The Curious Incident has a better-constructed plot (the villain in The Speed of Dark is a bit cartoonish), but The Speed of Dark is I think more interesting as a commentary on autism.… (more)
20
Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold (LamontCranston)
LamontCranston: Pathological corporate greed, manipulation of the disabled/differently abled, and both for space applications, but Falling Free has a much more proactive response to being exploited
10
This Alien Shore by C. S. Friedman (MyriadBooks)
MyriadBooks: For the exploration of human intelligences and mental health.
00
The Island Keeper by Harry Mazer (MyriadBooks)
MyriadBooks: For not knowing enough yet.
00
A Wizard Alone by Diane Duane (2wonderY)
2wonderY: One of the young wizard's is autistic. For comparison of viewpoint and choices.
00
The Multiplex Man by James P. Hogan (infiniteletters)
00
Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life by Harriet McBryde Johnson (infiniteletters)
01
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (hoddybook)
hoddybook: A somewhat more lighthearted look...
01
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor (infiniteletters)

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▾Conversations (About links)

Group › Topic	Messages	Last Message
The Green Dragon: FEBRUARY READ - SPOILERS - The Speed of Dark	8 unread / 8	NorthernStar, February 2015
The Green Dragon: FEBRUARY READ - NO SPOILERS - The Speed of Dark	7 unread / 7	zjakkelien, February 2015

» See also 225 mentions

▾Member reviews

English (101) French (2) Hungarian (1) All languages (104)

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Showing 1-5 of 101 (next | show all)

I adored this book until the last...40 pages or so. The ending made me want to scream and throw things. Why cure him of his autism and take away everything that made Lou *him*? As an autistic person, the treatment of this as a *good* thing (because look, now he can be an astronaut! It only requires he give up everything pleasurable and good in his life, and all his relationships!) Ugh. Still 4 stars, because of just how much I loved everything preceding, but just...ugh. (

)

Orion_Merlin_Parker | Oct 9, 2022 |

Brilliantly done. This is the _Flowers for Algernon_ for the 21st century. This is primarily 1st-person narration, with some 3rd-person, and there are brilliant style shifts that cue the narrator shifts, but also create the character and voice of the character-narrator. (

)

AmyMacEvilly | Aug 1, 2022 |

Lou Arrendale, an autistic man is offered a chance to try an experimental "cure" for his condition. Now he must decide if he should submit to a surgery that may change the way he views the world - and the very essence of who he is.

melsbks | Nov 4, 2021 |

I am a big fan of fantasy and science fiction novels especially if they are long and have several books in the series. I really enjoy a series of books that I can immerse myself in and I first picked up an Elizabeth Moon novel because it was long and part of a multi-novel series. I continue to read her books because I find them engrossing and highly enjoyable. (

)

KateKat11 | Sep 24, 2021 |

Superb speculative fiction, given to me -- no, pressed on me -- by a friend who is a parent of someone with Asperger's. (

)

wordloversf | Aug 14, 2021 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Elizabeth Moon	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Gardner, Grover	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Metz, Julie	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Snyder, Jay	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

Folio SF (329)

Is abridged in

Nebula Awards Showcase 2005 by Jack Dann

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Awards and honors

Nebula (Novel, 2003)

Arthur C. Clarke Award Shortlist (2003)

Epigraph

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First words

Questions, always questions.

Quotations

Normal is a setting on a dryer.

I had to learn to say conventional things even when I did not feel them, because that is part of fitting in and learning to get along. Has anyone ever asked Mr. Crenshaw to fit in, to get along?

I wonder, not for the first time, why a woman friend is called a girlfriend and not a womanfriend.

Bad parents make things hard and painful for their children and then say it was to help them grow. Growing and living are hard enough already; children do not need things to be harder.

I do not understand the rules about interrupting. It is always impolite for me to interrupt other people, but other people do not seem to think it is impolite for them to interrupt me in circumstances when I should not interrupt them.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

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Bear, Greg

McCaffrey, Anne

McDevitt, Jack

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▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (3)

File:SpeedOfDark(1stEd).jpg

Speed of Dark

Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2010 March 17

▾Book descriptions

Thoughtful, poignant, and unforgettable, The Speed of Dark is a gripping exploration into the world of Lou Arrendale, an autistic man who is offered a chance to try an experimental "cure" for his condition. Now Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that may change the way he views the world--and the very essence of who he is. "Compelling...an important literary achievement and a completely and utterly absorbing reading experience." --Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "A pwerful portrait...an engaging journey into the dark edges that define the self." --The Seattle Times

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