''Speed of Dark'' (released in some markets as ''The Speed of Dark'') is a near-future

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel by American author

Elizabeth Moon Elizabeth Moon (born March 7, 1945) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. Her other writing includes newspaper columns and opinion pieces. Her novel '' The Speed of Dark'' won the 2003 Nebula Award. Prior to her writing career, sh ...

. The story is told from the first person viewpoint of an

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

person. It won the

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of profe ...

for Best Novel in 2003, and was also an

Arthur C. Clarke Award The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It is named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, who gave a grant to establish the award i ...

finalist.

Plot summary

Lou Arrendale is a

bioinformatics Bioinformatics () is an interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data, in particular when the data sets are large and complex. As an interdisciplinary field of science, bioinformatics combi ...

specialist who is

, and has made a good life for himself working in pattern recognition. A new manager at the firm where he works puts pressure on his 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 if he does not undergo it. Lou struggles with the idea of going through this "treatment" for his autism while he pursues fencing with his "normal" friends and continues to go to work. His autistic friends, as well as himself, meet together after work and discuss what or what not to do.

Reception

''Speed of Dark'' was released to high praise from reviewers. ''

SF Site SF may refer to: Locations * San Francisco, California, United States * Sidi Fredj, Algeria * South Florida, an urban region in the United States * Suomi Finland, former vehicular country code for Finland In arts and entertainment Genre ...

'' stated that "At worst, ''Speed of Dark'' is a magnificent character study. At best, it's the most powerful book you'll read this year", and ''

Infinity Plus ''Infinity Plus'' (sometimes stylized as ''infinity plus'' and ''infinityplus'') was a science fiction webzine active from 1997 to 2007,

'' described it as "one of those exceptionally rare novels that have the power to alter one's entire worldview, and reading it is a profoundly rewarding and enriching experience."Grant, John
"The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon"
. ''

Infinity Plus ''Infinity Plus'' (sometimes stylized as ''infinity plus'' and ''infinityplus'') was a science fiction webzine active from 1997 to 2007,

''. Accessed March 22, 2013.

References

External links

''Speed of Dark'' at the official Elizabeth Moon website
{{Autism resources 2002 American novels American science fiction novels Nebula Award for Best Novel-winning works Novels by Elizabeth Moon Books about autism First-person narrative novels Orbit Books books