The Dark Fields
Encyclopedia
The Dark Fields is a 2001 techno-thriller
novel by Irish
writer Alan Glynn
. It was re-released in March 2011 under the title Limitless, in order to coincide with its 2011 film adaptation
.
in 2001, and in the US by Bloomsbury USA in 2002. Macmillan
in the US and Faber and Faber
in the UK later republished the novel under the title Limitless to coincide with the novel's film adaptation of that name.
. He starts using MDT-48, a fictional experimental drug
granting heightened intellectual, creative, and learning powers, and enabling its user to see meaningful patterns in large amounts of disparate information. However, he experiences drug dependence and mental instability. On the run from police and creditors, facing death due to withdrawal from the drug, which he can no longer afford, his new career in high finance cut short by his increasingly erratic behavior, Eddie notices the President
on television and recognizes the "alert, gorged MDT expression in his eyes."
and starred Bradley Cooper
, Abbie Cornish
, and Robert De Niro
. It was released in the United States and Canada on , 2011.
Techno-thriller
Techno-thrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from spy/action thrillers, fantasy/war novels, and science fiction...
novel by Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
writer Alan Glynn
Alan Glynn
Alan Glynn is an Irish writer born in 1960 in Dublin.Glynn was born in 1960 in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and studied English literature at Trinity College Dublin. He has written four novels: The Dark Fields , 2001; Winterland, 2009; Bloodland, 2011; and Stoff , 2006...
. It was re-released in March 2011 under the title Limitless, in order to coincide with its 2011 film adaptation
Limitless
Limitless is one of the world's largest private superyachts. She was built in 1997 by German shipmaker Lürssen, designed under the direction of Jon Bannenberg. The overall length is 96,25 m , the width 12,50 m...
.
Publication details
The Dark Fields was first published in the UK by Little, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
in 2001, and in the US by Bloomsbury USA in 2002. Macmillan
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
in the US and Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
in the UK later republished the novel under the title Limitless to coincide with the novel's film adaptation of that name.
Plot
Eddie Spinola is a copywriter at a small publishing house in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He starts using MDT-48, a fictional experimental drug
Experimental drug
An experimental drug is a substance that has been tested in a laboratory and has got approval from regulatory authorities to be tested on people. In the United States, the body responsible for approval is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...
granting heightened intellectual, creative, and learning powers, and enabling its user to see meaningful patterns in large amounts of disparate information. However, he experiences drug dependence and mental instability. On the run from police and creditors, facing death due to withdrawal from the drug, which he can no longer afford, his new career in high finance cut short by his increasingly erratic behavior, Eddie notices the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
on television and recognizes the "alert, gorged MDT expression in his eyes."
Film adaptation
Limitless is a 2011 American thriller film based on The Dark Fields. The film was directed by Neil BurgerNeil Burger
Neil Burger is an American film director who has filmed the pseudo-documentary, Interview with the Assassin , the period drama, The Illusionist, and the 2011 thriller Limitless.-Life and career:...
and starred Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper is an American film, theater, and television actor. He is known for his roles in the films The Hangover, The A-Team, and Limitless. In 2011, People magazine named Cooper "Sexiest Man Alive".-Early life:...
, Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
, and Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
. It was released in the United States and Canada on , 2011.
Works with similar themes
- Flowers for AlgernonFlowers for AlgernonFlowers for Algernon is a science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel Keyes. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960...
, a novel by Daniel KeyesDaniel KeyesDaniel Keyes is an American author best known for his Hugo award-winning short story and Nebula award-winning novel Flowers for Algernon. Keyes was given the Author Emeritus honor by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2000.-Early life and career:Keyes was born in Brooklyn, New... - The Lawnmower Man, a movie named after the Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
short story (although with a substantially different storyline) - Lest We RememberLest We RememberLest We Remember is a science fiction short story written by Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in the February 1982 Asimov's and was reprinted in the collections The Winds of Change and Other Stories and Robot Dreams .-Plot summary:...
, a short story by Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, which involves a total recall drug - UnderstandUnderstand (story)Understand is a science fiction novelette published in 1991 by Ted Chiang. It was nominated for the 1992 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, and won the 1992 Asimov’s Reader Poll...
, a novelette by Ted ChiangTed ChiangTed Chiang is an American speculative fiction writer. His Chinese name is Chiang Feng-nan.He was born in Port Jefferson, New York and graduated from Brown University with a Computer Science degree. He currently works as a technical writer in the software industry and resides in Bellevue, near... - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a novella by Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
about a man whose personality and life changes when he uses an experimental drug - FaustFaustFaust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
, a figure of German folklore who bargained with the devilDevilThe Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
for ultimate knowledge. Popularized by Goethe and several other authors and composers.