Searching for sci-fi short story relating to space pilots and autism
I remember reading an amazing short story/novella (at least 15+ years ago) that focused on a universe where it has been discovered that the vastness of space drives the pilots of spaceships insane over time. The only people that seem to be able to withstand this are people with mental disabilities; they are described in the story similar to being on the spectrum of autism, if i remember correctly. They are then trained to be the pilots of these spaceships, since they’re not affected by the vastness of space. The big reveal in the story, as it was told through the eyes of one of these pilots, was that, sometimes, these pilots would be 'healed‘ by their exposure and 'wake up‘ (i.e. overcome their conditions).
Does anybody have an idea what story that could be?
story-identification hyperspace novella
edited Mar 3 at 18:01
Edlothiad
54.4k21287297
asked Feb 21 '18 at 20:27
LyrixDeRavenLyrixDeRaven
1361
|
show 1 more comment
I remember reading an amazing short story/novella (at least 15+ years ago) that focused on a universe where it has been discovered that the vastness of space drives the pilots of spaceships insane over time. The only people that seem to be able to withstand this are people with mental disabilities; they are described in the story similar to being on the spectrum of autism, if i remember correctly. They are then trained to be the pilots of these spaceships, since they’re not affected by the vastness of space. The big reveal in the story, as it was told through the eyes of one of these pilots, was that, sometimes, these pilots would be 'healed‘ by their exposure and 'wake up‘ (i.e. overcome their conditions).
Does anybody have an idea what story that could be?
story-identification hyperspace novella
edited Mar 3 at 18:01
Edlothiad
54.4k21287297
asked Feb 21 '18 at 20:27
LyrixDeRavenLyrixDeRaven
1361
3
There's an outside chance that it could be Scanners Live in Vain. It doesn't match the 'healing' part though, so I'm reluctant to post it as an answer.
– Bob Warwick
Feb 21 '18 at 20:35
The Eric Olafson chronicles by Vanessa Ravencroft use autistic folks as navigators, because they are better at the computer interface for it, but no mention of curing, etc. Also only online until very recently so if it was printed 10+ years ago that wouldn't be it. Good reading though...
– ivanivan
Feb 21 '18 at 20:41
1
So when they 'heal' and 'wake up' they are no longer immune to the 'vastness of space' and go insane?
– user14111
Feb 22 '18 at 1:25
1
When they ‚heal‘ (and yes, i don‘t like the term either and it doesn‘t make sense in the context of autism, but it‘s how it was presented in the story) they are, in essence, very confused by where they are and what‘s been happening to them, but they don‘t necessarily remember. If I remember correctly, they then can‘t be the Navigators anymore.
– LyrixDeRaven
Feb 22 '18 at 7:03
1
Not anything like "Scanners Live in Vain." Those people are artificially modified so that they cannot feel the physical pain and agony that interstellar travel causes. It's not a psychological thing, it is actual physical pain. The scanners monitor the bodies of the modified people since they themselves cannot feel when their bodies are damaged or need rest.
– JRE
Mar 3 at 18:33
|
show 1 more comment
I remember reading an amazing short story/novella (at least 15+ years ago) that focused on a universe where it has been discovered that the vastness of space drives the pilots of spaceships insane over time. The only people that seem to be able to withstand this are people with mental disabilities; they are described in the story similar to being on the spectrum of autism, if i remember correctly. They are then trained to be the pilots of these spaceships, since they’re not affected by the vastness of space. The big reveal in the story, as it was told through the eyes of one of these pilots, was that, sometimes, these pilots would be 'healed‘ by their exposure and 'wake up‘ (i.e. overcome their conditions).
Does anybody have an idea what story that could be?
story-identification hyperspace novella
edited Mar 3 at 18:01
Edlothiad
54.4k21287297
asked Feb 21 '18 at 20:27
LyrixDeRavenLyrixDeRaven
1361
I remember reading an amazing short story/novella (at least 15+ years ago) that focused on a universe where it has been discovered that the vastness of space drives the pilots of spaceships insane over time. The only people that seem to be able to withstand this are people with mental disabilities; they are described in the story similar to being on the spectrum of autism, if i remember correctly. They are then trained to be the pilots of these spaceships, since they’re not affected by the vastness of space. The big reveal in the story, as it was told through the eyes of one of these pilots, was that, sometimes, these pilots would be 'healed‘ by their exposure and 'wake up‘ (i.e. overcome their conditions).
Does anybody have an idea what story that could be?
story-identification hyperspace novella
story-identification hyperspace novella
edited Mar 3 at 18:01
Edlothiad
54.4k21287297
asked Feb 21 '18 at 20:27
LyrixDeRavenLyrixDeRaven
1361
edited Mar 3 at 18:01
Edlothiad
54.4k21287297
asked Feb 21 '18 at 20:27
LyrixDeRavenLyrixDeRaven
1361
edited Mar 3 at 18:01
Edlothiad
54.4k21287297
edited Mar 3 at 18:01
Edlothiad
54.4k21287297
edited Mar 3 at 18:01
Edlothiad
54.4k21287297
54.4k21287297
asked Feb 21 '18 at 20:27
LyrixDeRavenLyrixDeRaven
1361
asked Feb 21 '18 at 20:27
LyrixDeRavenLyrixDeRaven
1361
asked Feb 21 '18 at 20:27
LyrixDeRavenLyrixDeRaven
1361
1361
3
There's an outside chance that it could be Scanners Live in Vain. It doesn't match the 'healing' part though, so I'm reluctant to post it as an answer.
– Bob Warwick
Feb 21 '18 at 20:35
The Eric Olafson chronicles by Vanessa Ravencroft use autistic folks as navigators, because they are better at the computer interface for it, but no mention of curing, etc. Also only online until very recently so if it was printed 10+ years ago that wouldn't be it. Good reading though...
– ivanivan
Feb 21 '18 at 20:41
1
So when they 'heal' and 'wake up' they are no longer immune to the 'vastness of space' and go insane?
– user14111
Feb 22 '18 at 1:25
1
When they ‚heal‘ (and yes, i don‘t like the term either and it doesn‘t make sense in the context of autism, but it‘s how it was presented in the story) they are, in essence, very confused by where they are and what‘s been happening to them, but they don‘t necessarily remember. If I remember correctly, they then can‘t be the Navigators anymore.
– LyrixDeRaven
Feb 22 '18 at 7:03
1
Not anything like "Scanners Live in Vain." Those people are artificially modified so that they cannot feel the physical pain and agony that interstellar travel causes. It's not a psychological thing, it is actual physical pain. The scanners monitor the bodies of the modified people since they themselves cannot feel when their bodies are damaged or need rest.
– JRE
Mar 3 at 18:33
|
show 1 more comment
3
There's an outside chance that it could be Scanners Live in Vain. It doesn't match the 'healing' part though, so I'm reluctant to post it as an answer.
– Bob Warwick
Feb 21 '18 at 20:35
The Eric Olafson chronicles by Vanessa Ravencroft use autistic folks as navigators, because they are better at the computer interface for it, but no mention of curing, etc. Also only online until very recently so if it was printed 10+ years ago that wouldn't be it. Good reading though...
– ivanivan
Feb 21 '18 at 20:41
1
So when they 'heal' and 'wake up' they are no longer immune to the 'vastness of space' and go insane?
– user14111
Feb 22 '18 at 1:25
1
When they ‚heal‘ (and yes, i don‘t like the term either and it doesn‘t make sense in the context of autism, but it‘s how it was presented in the story) they are, in essence, very confused by where they are and what‘s been happening to them, but they don‘t necessarily remember. If I remember correctly, they then can‘t be the Navigators anymore.
– LyrixDeRaven
Feb 22 '18 at 7:03
1
Not anything like "Scanners Live in Vain." Those people are artificially modified so that they cannot feel the physical pain and agony that interstellar travel causes. It's not a psychological thing, it is actual physical pain. The scanners monitor the bodies of the modified people since they themselves cannot feel when their bodies are damaged or need rest.
– JRE
Mar 3 at 18:33
3
3
There's an outside chance that it could be Scanners Live in Vain. It doesn't match the 'healing' part though, so I'm reluctant to post it as an answer.
– Bob Warwick
Feb 21 '18 at 20:35
There's an outside chance that it could be Scanners Live in Vain. It doesn't match the 'healing' part though, so I'm reluctant to post it as an answer.
– Bob Warwick
Feb 21 '18 at 20:35
The Eric Olafson chronicles by Vanessa Ravencroft use autistic folks as navigators, because they are better at the computer interface for it, but no mention of curing, etc. Also only online until very recently so if it was printed 10+ years ago that wouldn't be it. Good reading though...
– ivanivan
Feb 21 '18 at 20:41
The Eric Olafson chronicles by Vanessa Ravencroft use autistic folks as navigators, because they are better at the computer interface for it, but no mention of curing, etc. Also only online until very recently so if it was printed 10+ years ago that wouldn't be it. Good reading though...
– ivanivan
Feb 21 '18 at 20:41
1
1
So when they 'heal' and 'wake up' they are no longer immune to the 'vastness of space' and go insane?
– user14111
Feb 22 '18 at 1:25
So when they 'heal' and 'wake up' they are no longer immune to the 'vastness of space' and go insane?
– user14111
Feb 22 '18 at 1:25
1
1
When they ‚heal‘ (and yes, i don‘t like the term either and it doesn‘t make sense in the context of autism, but it‘s how it was presented in the story) they are, in essence, very confused by where they are and what‘s been happening to them, but they don‘t necessarily remember. If I remember correctly, they then can‘t be the Navigators anymore.
– LyrixDeRaven
Feb 22 '18 at 7:03
When they ‚heal‘ (and yes, i don‘t like the term either and it doesn‘t make sense in the context of autism, but it‘s how it was presented in the story) they are, in essence, very confused by where they are and what‘s been happening to them, but they don‘t necessarily remember. If I remember correctly, they then can‘t be the Navigators anymore.
– LyrixDeRaven
Feb 22 '18 at 7:03
1
1
Not anything like "Scanners Live in Vain." Those people are artificially modified so that they cannot feel the physical pain and agony that interstellar travel causes. It's not a psychological thing, it is actual physical pain. The scanners monitor the bodies of the modified people since they themselves cannot feel when their bodies are damaged or need rest.
– JRE
Mar 3 at 18:33
Not anything like "Scanners Live in Vain." Those people are artificially modified so that they cannot feel the physical pain and agony that interstellar travel causes. It's not a psychological thing, it is actual physical pain. The scanners monitor the bodies of the modified people since they themselves cannot feel when their bodies are damaged or need rest.
– JRE
Mar 3 at 18:33
|
show 1 more comment
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3
There's an outside chance that it could be Scanners Live in Vain. It doesn't match the 'healing' part though, so I'm reluctant to post it as an answer.
– Bob Warwick
Feb 21 '18 at 20:35
The Eric Olafson chronicles by Vanessa Ravencroft use autistic folks as navigators, because they are better at the computer interface for it, but no mention of curing, etc. Also only online until very recently so if it was printed 10+ years ago that wouldn't be it. Good reading though...
– ivanivan
Feb 21 '18 at 20:41
1
So when they 'heal' and 'wake up' they are no longer immune to the 'vastness of space' and go insane?
– user14111
Feb 22 '18 at 1:25
1
When they ‚heal‘ (and yes, i don‘t like the term either and it doesn‘t make sense in the context of autism, but it‘s how it was presented in the story) they are, in essence, very confused by where they are and what‘s been happening to them, but they don‘t necessarily remember. If I remember correctly, they then can‘t be the Navigators anymore.
– LyrixDeRaven
Feb 22 '18 at 7:03
1
Not anything like "Scanners Live in Vain." Those people are artificially modified so that they cannot feel the physical pain and agony that interstellar travel causes. It's not a psychological thing, it is actual physical pain. The scanners monitor the bodies of the modified people since they themselves cannot feel when their bodies are damaged or need rest.
– JRE
Mar 3 at 18:33