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A review by jakegreyxx
Changelings: An Autistic Trans Anthology by Ryan Vale, Ocean Riley
3.0
I received a digital ARC of this book to review. I've broken it down into individual stories for a more accurate review.
This is a collection of thirteen stories by authors who are both trans and autistic. The stories (mostly) feature characters who are trans and autistic, showing how the overlap of these things affects them.
The Door by Laurie Doyle
This was one of my favourites.
A door has mysteriously appeared in the character’s bedroom, but it’s locked and they can’t find a key to open it.
This story starts off strong and intriguing and runs with that intrigue the whole way through. I was invested. I needed to know what was happening.
Vanishing Names by Mary Buffaloe
This one was spooky and sweet.
A babysitter is hired to look after a kid they used to watch. But there’s something different about her. She doesn’t seem to get along with anyone else. She’d rather be outside, in the water and climbing trees, talking to snakes.
Fate Turns the Light On by Rafaella Rul
This one was a fun little sci-fi piece featuring a school in space and spaceships.
There’s an attack on the school and Dax has to fight through sensory overload from the alarms going off and the feeling of his new binder while trying to defend the school he’s called home for the last five years.
A Chrysalis for the Emperor by Briar Ripley Page
This was definitely another favourite for me. I absolutely loved it.
The bug analogy was very cool and clever, using differences and features typically attributed to insects to show this character’s differences with being trans and autistic.
Don’t Play With My Heart by Ray Rhys Phillips
Board games for a special interest, so he’s thrilled to get a job in a game cafe. There’s a wide variety of games for people to come in and play while they drink hot drinks.
And then an artist starts coming in, sitting to draw at the same time every time. One day, accompanied by his friend, the artist invites our main character, Skylar, to a game night.
(Skylar is a trans guy. This is a good reminder that trans people don’t necessarily have to change their name to something that stereotypically aligns with their gender. Society doesn’t get to decide who you are based on a combination of letters and sounds. Only you do.)
The Doll in the Ripped Universe by Jennifer Lee Rossman
This story is beautiful. It’s short and sweet and filled with feelings.
The main character meets his future self through a crack in time in his Aunt’s yard.
On Belonging by Ryan Vale
A secret boarding school for magical beings that you can only get to through a portal? Heck yeah.
Eli is excited to go to the same school his dad had gone to. Until he gets through the portal and finds himself immediately overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise. He just wants to go home. But maybe the right friends will make everything worth it and allow him to find ways to manage the things he finds difficult.
Those That Came First by Miles Nelson
This story felt out of place. When slipped in with the rest of the book, this one doesn’t feel like it belongs. It feels less like a short story, and more like a snippet from a novel we don’t have context for. While there is a slight explanation in the author’s note, it still feels off.
Those That Came First follows Bailey and his mentor, the Riftmaster, as they explore an abandoned city.
Mizmor L’David by Dorian Yosef Weber
This one contains a lot of very specific Jewish references you might need to look up to fully understand the story, but it was definitely a fun read.
The main character really just wants to look after the sheep and read.
The main character’s dad has died, and they’d promised to marry Ezra, but now Ezra has found someone else (with the same name). Ezra’s new partner invites the main character to their wedding. She seems lovely, but something is off about her…
The Ghost on Oxford Street by Riley Swan
Neopronoun rep!
Excuse me this was so cute and suddenly I was bawling.
Soul-crushing, gut-wrenching, uplifting. Just beautiful.
Time travelling and learning about Australia’s history with pride and the AIDS crisis.
Hyacinths & Other Purple Plants by Alex Lakej
Two very different characters, both autistic, discovering friendship and learning about each other’s special interests.
This was very sweet, and I really enjoyed reading this one.
I also think this was a very important story because it shows that not every autistic person is the same. There are different struggles, different ways of experiencing things, and different understandings. There’s a misconception that autistic people have a type, but in reality, there are so many variations.
Who Were You, What Are You by Andrew Joseph White
I expected more from this, honestly. I haven’t read his books yet (waiting desperately for Hell Followed With Us to be released in Australia later this month), but I’ve seen the hype they get. Given how much people love his books, I went into this expecting something brilliant, life-shattering, crawling into my soul… but it… wasn’t that great.
Following a main character who recently came out as trans, got outed for cheating on his boyfriend, and is now recovering from a violent attack from his ex, on a trip to dog-sit for Mamaw… with his ex-boyfriend’s best friend, who he’d been cheating with.
Wandering Stars by Isa Boog
Neopronoun rep, physical disability rep
Set in a future heavily affected by a climate disaster, Aster is out walking xyr dog when they find a seal. Aster, who has always wanted to zoology, knows seals are thought to be extinct, and contacts a friend for help.
I really liked the concept for this one. It’s always interesting to see what people do with a climate-affected future.
Note: This book was hard for me to read for a few reasons. I find digital reading to be quite difficult, and it tends to take me twice as long to read something digital. Short stories are also something I struggle with.
On top of these personal struggles, the copy I received was riddled with errors, so I was constantly having to reread sentences or paragraphs to make sense of them, and stopping to take down notes. Because of this, I did struggle to connect with the work as well as I might have done had it been properly edited prior to being sent out.
I am writing this review despite these struggles, and doing my best to navigate my thoughts separately to these issues.
This is a collection of thirteen stories by authors who are both trans and autistic. The stories (mostly) feature characters who are trans and autistic, showing how the overlap of these things affects them.
The Door by Laurie Doyle
This was one of my favourites.
A door has mysteriously appeared in the character’s bedroom, but it’s locked and they can’t find a key to open it.
This story starts off strong and intriguing and runs with that intrigue the whole way through. I was invested. I needed to know what was happening.
Vanishing Names by Mary Buffaloe
This one was spooky and sweet.
A babysitter is hired to look after a kid they used to watch. But there’s something different about her. She doesn’t seem to get along with anyone else. She’d rather be outside, in the water and climbing trees, talking to snakes.
Fate Turns the Light On by Rafaella Rul
This one was a fun little sci-fi piece featuring a school in space and spaceships.
There’s an attack on the school and Dax has to fight through sensory overload from the alarms going off and the feeling of his new binder while trying to defend the school he’s called home for the last five years.
A Chrysalis for the Emperor by Briar Ripley Page
This was definitely another favourite for me. I absolutely loved it.
The bug analogy was very cool and clever, using differences and features typically attributed to insects to show this character’s differences with being trans and autistic.
Don’t Play With My Heart by Ray Rhys Phillips
Board games for a special interest, so he’s thrilled to get a job in a game cafe. There’s a wide variety of games for people to come in and play while they drink hot drinks.
And then an artist starts coming in, sitting to draw at the same time every time. One day, accompanied by his friend, the artist invites our main character, Skylar, to a game night.
(Skylar is a trans guy. This is a good reminder that trans people don’t necessarily have to change their name to something that stereotypically aligns with their gender. Society doesn’t get to decide who you are based on a combination of letters and sounds. Only you do.)
The Doll in the Ripped Universe by Jennifer Lee Rossman
This story is beautiful. It’s short and sweet and filled with feelings.
The main character meets his future self through a crack in time in his Aunt’s yard.
On Belonging by Ryan Vale
A secret boarding school for magical beings that you can only get to through a portal? Heck yeah.
Eli is excited to go to the same school his dad had gone to. Until he gets through the portal and finds himself immediately overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise. He just wants to go home. But maybe the right friends will make everything worth it and allow him to find ways to manage the things he finds difficult.
Those That Came First by Miles Nelson
This story felt out of place. When slipped in with the rest of the book, this one doesn’t feel like it belongs. It feels less like a short story, and more like a snippet from a novel we don’t have context for. While there is a slight explanation in the author’s note, it still feels off.
Those That Came First follows Bailey and his mentor, the Riftmaster, as they explore an abandoned city.
Mizmor L’David by Dorian Yosef Weber
This one contains a lot of very specific Jewish references you might need to look up to fully understand the story, but it was definitely a fun read.
The main character really just wants to look after the sheep and read.
The main character’s dad has died, and they’d promised to marry Ezra, but now Ezra has found someone else (with the same name). Ezra’s new partner invites the main character to their wedding. She seems lovely, but something is off about her…
The Ghost on Oxford Street by Riley Swan
Neopronoun rep!
Excuse me this was so cute and suddenly I was bawling.
Soul-crushing, gut-wrenching, uplifting. Just beautiful.
Time travelling and learning about Australia’s history with pride and the AIDS crisis.
Hyacinths & Other Purple Plants by Alex Lakej
Two very different characters, both autistic, discovering friendship and learning about each other’s special interests.
This was very sweet, and I really enjoyed reading this one.
I also think this was a very important story because it shows that not every autistic person is the same. There are different struggles, different ways of experiencing things, and different understandings. There’s a misconception that autistic people have a type, but in reality, there are so many variations.
Who Were You, What Are You by Andrew Joseph White
I expected more from this, honestly. I haven’t read his books yet (waiting desperately for Hell Followed With Us to be released in Australia later this month), but I’ve seen the hype they get. Given how much people love his books, I went into this expecting something brilliant, life-shattering, crawling into my soul… but it… wasn’t that great.
Following a main character who recently came out as trans, got outed for cheating on his boyfriend, and is now recovering from a violent attack from his ex, on a trip to dog-sit for Mamaw… with his ex-boyfriend’s best friend, who he’d been cheating with.
Wandering Stars by Isa Boog
Neopronoun rep, physical disability rep
Set in a future heavily affected by a climate disaster, Aster is out walking xyr dog when they find a seal. Aster, who has always wanted to zoology, knows seals are thought to be extinct, and contacts a friend for help.
I really liked the concept for this one. It’s always interesting to see what people do with a climate-affected future.
Note: This book was hard for me to read for a few reasons. I find digital reading to be quite difficult, and it tends to take me twice as long to read something digital. Short stories are also something I struggle with.
On top of these personal struggles, the copy I received was riddled with errors, so I was constantly having to reread sentences or paragraphs to make sense of them, and stopping to take down notes. Because of this, I did struggle to connect with the work as well as I might have done had it been properly edited prior to being sent out.
I am writing this review despite these struggles, and doing my best to navigate my thoughts separately to these issues.