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A review by anniekslibrary
Changelings: An Autistic Trans Anthology by Ryan Vale, Ocean Riley
4.0
I read this anthology in a day, and that's a testament of how good and engaging the stories are, because it usually takes me ages to finish an anthology, mainly because there are always stories that just don't work for me. In this anthology, I really enjoyed almost all of the stories, and I thought all of them were good. I especially loved the sci-fi stories, which just worked for me the best, but I'm really impressed with the variety in genres.
Being both trans and autistic myself, it's not easy to find stories that represent me, so I've been excited for this anthology since I first heard about it, and it exceeded my expectations. I absolutely flew through this, and had such a good time reading this.
I do have to say I wish transfem authors had been included, because as it is, this anthology is not a good representation of the full trans spectrum. I've seen the editors address this as well, but I did want to mention it.
Many thanks to the editors for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
You can read my short reviews of the individual stories below.
Laurie Doyle - The Door 4/5
This story's opening piqued my interest right away. The writing felt solid, engaging, and I liked the little bit of suspense. The metaphor of opening a door to realize something about your identity felt a little too "in your face" though, I could have done with a little more subtlety on that front.
Mary Buffaloe - Vanishing Names 4/5
I thought this was a very interesting, well written story. It took me a while to figure out where it was going, but I was still engaged all throughout. I ended up really loving August and Lily (and Linus!!).
Rafaella Rul - Fate Turns the Light On 5/5
This was my favourite story in the anthology so far, and it's exhibit 182828 of why I should read sci-fi more often. I loved the setting of this (a boarding school on a space station!), the writing, but most importantly, the main character. Dax stole my heart immediately, and I found him so relatable.
Briar Ripley Page - A Chrysalis For the Emperor 4/5
This story was off to a rocky start for me, because of the opening scene, but once it really got started, I thought it was really good. It was a hard story to read because of the ableism, but I really liked the way this was approached.
Ray Rhys Phillips - Don't Play With My Heart 4/5
I knew I was going to enjoy this when I read the author's note, which talks about gatekeeping in nerd spaces and gatekeeping when it comes to special interests, and how having a special interest is about the intensity, not how much you know about it. I thought the story did a great job of communicating this message, and it was also just really fun to read.
Jennifer Lee Rossman - The Doll in the Ripped Universe 5/5
Wow, this was amazing. The sci-fi stories in this anthology are really my favourites so far. This was so incredibly well written and well paced, and even though I quickly understood who the mysterious person was, that never diminished the story's impact. Truly beautiful.
Ryan Vale - On Belonging 4/5
A trans autistic magic boarding school story? THANK YOU! This was a great story, and one that I would love to read a full novel about.
Miles Nelson - Those That Came First 3/5
This story is undeniably well written, but having no prior knowledge about the existing world and characters, it didn't work for me. I didn't feel invested in the story, and didn't get a good grasp on the characters and world building.
Dorian Yosef Weber - Mizmor L'David 4/5
I'm honestly impressed with how well written every single story in this anthology has been so far, and this was no exception. It follows a Jewish main character, which adds some more inclusivity to the anthology and was interesting to read.
Riley Swan - The Ghost on Oxford Street 5/5
This was a beautiful story about queer history and accepting yourself as queer enough. It wae so heartbreaking, but so beautiful.
Alex Lakej - Hyacinths & Other Purple Plants 4/5
I always love an academic rivals to lovers story, and this was no different. It had so many cute moments, and I loved the focus on Greek mythology.
Andrew Joseph White - Who Were You, What Are You 3/5
I'd fully expected this to be my favourite in the anthology, but unfortunately it didn't really work for me. There was just so much bigotry, and where I feel like that's extremely balanced out in Andrew Joseph White's novels, I didn't feel the same way here.
Isa Boog - Wandering Stars 5/5
Another sci-fi story, and another favourite. I loved the writing, and I think it's super impressive to be able to take existing world building from a roleplaying game, with your own original character that's not exclusive to the story, and make the story inviting and accessible for new readers. I absolutely loved the focus on animals in this setting.
Being both trans and autistic myself, it's not easy to find stories that represent me, so I've been excited for this anthology since I first heard about it, and it exceeded my expectations. I absolutely flew through this, and had such a good time reading this.
I do have to say I wish transfem authors had been included, because as it is, this anthology is not a good representation of the full trans spectrum. I've seen the editors address this as well, but I did want to mention it.
Many thanks to the editors for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
You can read my short reviews of the individual stories below.
Laurie Doyle - The Door 4/5
This story's opening piqued my interest right away. The writing felt solid, engaging, and I liked the little bit of suspense. The metaphor of opening a door to realize something about your identity felt a little too "in your face" though, I could have done with a little more subtlety on that front.
Mary Buffaloe - Vanishing Names 4/5
I thought this was a very interesting, well written story. It took me a while to figure out where it was going, but I was still engaged all throughout. I ended up really loving August and Lily (and Linus!!).
Rafaella Rul - Fate Turns the Light On 5/5
This was my favourite story in the anthology so far, and it's exhibit 182828 of why I should read sci-fi more often. I loved the setting of this (a boarding school on a space station!), the writing, but most importantly, the main character. Dax stole my heart immediately, and I found him so relatable.
Briar Ripley Page - A Chrysalis For the Emperor 4/5
This story was off to a rocky start for me, because of the opening scene, but once it really got started, I thought it was really good. It was a hard story to read because of the ableism, but I really liked the way this was approached.
Ray Rhys Phillips - Don't Play With My Heart 4/5
I knew I was going to enjoy this when I read the author's note, which talks about gatekeeping in nerd spaces and gatekeeping when it comes to special interests, and how having a special interest is about the intensity, not how much you know about it. I thought the story did a great job of communicating this message, and it was also just really fun to read.
Jennifer Lee Rossman - The Doll in the Ripped Universe 5/5
Wow, this was amazing. The sci-fi stories in this anthology are really my favourites so far. This was so incredibly well written and well paced, and even though I quickly understood who the mysterious person was, that never diminished the story's impact. Truly beautiful.
Ryan Vale - On Belonging 4/5
A trans autistic magic boarding school story? THANK YOU! This was a great story, and one that I would love to read a full novel about.
Miles Nelson - Those That Came First 3/5
This story is undeniably well written, but having no prior knowledge about the existing world and characters, it didn't work for me. I didn't feel invested in the story, and didn't get a good grasp on the characters and world building.
Dorian Yosef Weber - Mizmor L'David 4/5
I'm honestly impressed with how well written every single story in this anthology has been so far, and this was no exception. It follows a Jewish main character, which adds some more inclusivity to the anthology and was interesting to read.
Riley Swan - The Ghost on Oxford Street 5/5
This was a beautiful story about queer history and accepting yourself as queer enough. It wae so heartbreaking, but so beautiful.
Alex Lakej - Hyacinths & Other Purple Plants 4/5
I always love an academic rivals to lovers story, and this was no different. It had so many cute moments, and I loved the focus on Greek mythology.
Andrew Joseph White - Who Were You, What Are You 3/5
I'd fully expected this to be my favourite in the anthology, but unfortunately it didn't really work for me. There was just so much bigotry, and where I feel like that's extremely balanced out in Andrew Joseph White's novels, I didn't feel the same way here.
Isa Boog - Wandering Stars 5/5
Another sci-fi story, and another favourite. I loved the writing, and I think it's super impressive to be able to take existing world building from a roleplaying game, with your own original character that's not exclusive to the story, and make the story inviting and accessible for new readers. I absolutely loved the focus on animals in this setting.