The Speed of Dark

I’ve read some good books this year - some great ones even. But I think the book I will remember most from this year is The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon.

I’ve been a fan of Elizabeth for some years now. I picked up her Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy in a single volume in the US when over there with the RAF and thought it the best epic fantasy I’d read since Lord of the Rings. I still feel that way about it. However, I’d never really got into her Science Fiction, despite reading quite a bit of it.

Of Elizabeth’s SF novels, Remnant Population was probably my favourite … until now. The Speed of Dark is a remarkable book, with a remarkable character, who is one of those characters who will live in my mind forever.

The date is never mentioned, but this story is set in a near future (about 2040) Lou Arrendale is a forty-some year old autistic man who is working with a group of other autistic men and women for a large pharmaceutical company. His job is to locate patterns in data streams. The story never tells you what these patterns represent, but whatever they are, the autistics are very good at finding them. The story is seen mainly through the eyes of Lou, which is a fascinating perspective.

The only other book I’ve read with this sort of point of view was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, but this book knocks the spots off the story by Mark Haddon. The viewpoint feels far more real. There are things that Lou picks up on that are quite amazing, and others that you feel like shouting at him for not seeing. However, aside from being a fascinating viewpoint, the story and the writing are totally captivating with a bittersweet ending that will leave the more weepy reader in floods.

This is a MUST READ. Put it on your list of things to read in the near future now! I cannot recommend it highly enough. I’d say the content is suitable for any competent reader about 12 or over, though it is written for the adult SF market.