Behaviour Patterns

Elizabeth Moon is a guest of honour at Conjunction. In preparation for that, I thought I'd read some of her work. Looking at her available work, I had the choice between one of a whole series of military sf or an atypical one-off book that won a Nebula award and got a bunch of critical acclaim. No choice really - I read The Speed of Dark. The sympathetic and strong portrayal of a man with autism who functions in society is engrossing stuff. Then there is the morality issue when this man is faced with the opportunity of a "cure". It is a story of hardships faced and won by the character with the support of those around him - ultimately a very optimistic story.

The only negative I can identify is a one-dimensionality to the surrounding characters and a certain predictability to the mechanical way the story unfolds. It could be because of the way in which the story is being told from the point of view of someone with autism - it may be subtle and brilliant. On the other hand it is a common characteristic of military sf. I can't comment about Moon's work in that area but you have to have your suspicions.

The only other thing to add is that it may not be a good idea to read a book about autism just a few weeks out from a science fiction convention.