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ninj's review against another edition
5.0
Highly readable, great characters, shades of flowers for algernon.
noahbw's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book... until the end. I was glad that Lou was able to pursue his dream of working in astronomy, but it didn't feel right. To me, it seems like he would have still cared about Tom and Lucia and Marjory, but not the stars. I didn't think that made any sense. If his social abilities were altered, and developed, then I had thought that would happen with his relationships as well. I didn't think that he wouldn't have wanted to go into space anymore, I just figured he would also retain feeling for Marjory.
I found the chapter from when Lou is recovering very interesting, because it lacks coherent sentences. At first I liked it, but it was also very frustrating because I couldn't imagine what anything would look like because it was just a whole bunch of words strung together.
I thought this book was really good, interesting, and well-written, because it covers some important topics and asks some good questions. I really enjoyed having it written from Lou's point of view- I liked all of the little things that he paid attention to, and how he would do things only because he knew he should, though he didn't really understand why. He was often unsure of why people used particular phrases or expressions, and what they meant.
Not only does this book give a very literal look into our world, but it also has a very interesting plot line- Lou is being stalked and attacked by someone he thought was a friend, and he is trying to find the courage to ask Marjory to dinner.
Something else that I found very interesting about this book was that Lou is a fencer (though I probably found this interesting because I fence too). The specific type of fencing that they do intrigued me- it is more classical then visually-judged foil. They fenced with two weapons at a time, epee, rapier, and dagger. I suppose this would be like in-the-round fencing? Anyway, Lou did take part in a tournament, in which the participants dress up in medieval garb and can even have a "persona"... I must admit, it sounds like a lot of fun.
I found the chapter from when Lou is recovering very interesting, because it lacks coherent sentences. At first I liked it, but it was also very frustrating because I couldn't imagine what anything would look like because it was just a whole bunch of words strung together.
I thought this book was really good, interesting, and well-written, because it covers some important topics and asks some good questions. I really enjoyed having it written from Lou's point of view- I liked all of the little things that he paid attention to, and how he would do things only because he knew he should, though he didn't really understand why. He was often unsure of why people used particular phrases or expressions, and what they meant.
Not only does this book give a very literal look into our world, but it also has a very interesting plot line- Lou is being stalked and attacked by someone he thought was a friend, and he is trying to find the courage to ask Marjory to dinner.
Something else that I found very interesting about this book was that Lou is a fencer (though I probably found this interesting because I fence too). The specific type of fencing that they do intrigued me- it is more classical then visually-judged foil. They fenced with two weapons at a time, epee, rapier, and dagger. I suppose this would be like in-the-round fencing? Anyway, Lou did take part in a tournament, in which the participants dress up in medieval garb and can even have a "persona"... I must admit, it sounds like a lot of fun.
erika_is_reading's review against another edition
3.0
This was a Nebula award winner. Narrated by a bioinformatics specialist who is also a high functioning person with autism, in a future world where autism is avoidable (he was born just a bit too late). The story itself is fairly mundane, a few of the characters are too simply and stereotypically drawn, but the narration from his perspective was fascinating and eye opening. Moon's teenager has autism. I would recommend this highly -- simply because reading about the world and interactions and other people based on her best effort to capture what she thinks her son sees and hears and thinks . . . was truly eye opening and humbling.
pufforrohk's review against another edition
3.0
The Speed of Dark tells the story of Lou, an autistic man that works as a patter matching specialist in a research company. The book describes his highly structured life and how it's challenged by intepersonal conflicts and the possibility of a cure.
Most of the novel is from Lou's point of view, and it's fascinating. I do not have the knowledge required to understand if it is accurate, but it was very interesting to read. I enjoyed the most mundane parts of his life, such as his meetings with friends and his swordfighting hobby. He, as it should be, has a very distinctive voice that forces you to continuously re-evaluate the situation described from different points of view. This part of the novel is excellent.
I had issues with the more dramatic plot. The main antagonists are cartoonishly evil, without any redeeming characteristics, which is a pity in a novel with such a well defined main character. I found the last third of the novel and the resolution of the main subplots quite unsatisfying. The epilogue in particular left a bad taste, it seemed a big stretch from what happened before.
This novel is often compared with Flowers for Algernon, the most famous science fiction novel about curing disabilities. In most of the novel The Speed of Dark is able to match its predecessor in quality by focusing on the life of autistic people from inside. I did not find the rest of the novel as good, and the ending was deeply forgettable.
Most of the novel is from Lou's point of view, and it's fascinating. I do not have the knowledge required to understand if it is accurate, but it was very interesting to read. I enjoyed the most mundane parts of his life, such as his meetings with friends and his swordfighting hobby. He, as it should be, has a very distinctive voice that forces you to continuously re-evaluate the situation described from different points of view. This part of the novel is excellent.
I had issues with the more dramatic plot. The main antagonists are cartoonishly evil, without any redeeming characteristics, which is a pity in a novel with such a well defined main character. I found the last third of the novel and the resolution of the main subplots quite unsatisfying. The epilogue in particular left a bad taste, it seemed a big stretch from what happened before.
This novel is often compared with Flowers for Algernon, the most famous science fiction novel about curing disabilities. In most of the novel The Speed of Dark is able to match its predecessor in quality by focusing on the life of autistic people from inside. I did not find the rest of the novel as good, and the ending was deeply forgettable.
martha_imani's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
varmint3's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully written from the perspective of an autistic man - four stars mainly because of the ending... I wish a different choice had been made.
eggjuices's review against another edition
3.0
The ending really ruins this for me. I also don't really consider this to be a true "sci-fi" novel. The science is pretty secondary, even tertiary to the story - the main draw of the novel is the characters. The author did a great job with creating the character of Lou, I really loved him! But the ending is really rushed and doesn't fit with message that I felt the rest of the book was trying to get across.
orionmerlin's review against another edition
3.0
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.
brapfel's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
paperbacksupremacy's review against another edition
3.0
I got so lost towards the end of this book. It wasn't until I read other reviews that I realized this was a science fiction novel. I was so moved by the chracter throughout the story, rooting for him the entire time. I wish that the last chapter didn't exist and we were left wondering how things turned out for the main character. The chracter development is thrown away, as another reviewer put it, for the author's parental fantasy, seeing that their child in real life has autism. Great stuff until the last 20 pages.