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A review by xan_van_rooyen
Changelings: An Autistic Trans Anthology by Ocean Riley, Ryan Vale
4.0
This is a wonderful collection of stories that showcases the variety of trans masc autistic experiences in settings ranging from cozy cafes in the world we know well, to the distant future where people live underground as nanobots destroy the environment. The stories span a variety of genres from contemporary romance to sci-fi and fantasy with a dash of horror. Note on the rep though - unless I really missed something, I don't think there is any trans fem representation in this collection and I wish there had been.
As with every anthology, there were some stories that resonated more with me than others based on my own personal experiences. The stories that really stood out to me were Dorian Yosef Weber's examination of rural Jewish life and what it means to be trans and autistic within a traditional community. I learned so much about Jewish culture from this story. Andrew Joseph White's story about a messy teen dealing with an abusive ex while trying to figure who they want to be was a story I particularly enjoyed as it gave us a protagonist who teetered toward being more of an anti-hero.
I think this is an important collection of stories that will resonate with teen and adult readers, allowing trans masc autistic people to be seen in fiction. All stories are prefaced with an author's note and have trigger/content warnings, which I deeply appreciated.
As with every anthology, there were some stories that resonated more with me than others based on my own personal experiences. The stories that really stood out to me were Dorian Yosef Weber's examination of rural Jewish life and what it means to be trans and autistic within a traditional community. I learned so much about Jewish culture from this story. Andrew Joseph White's story about a messy teen dealing with an abusive ex while trying to figure who they want to be was a story I particularly enjoyed as it gave us a protagonist who teetered toward being more of an anti-hero.
I think this is an important collection of stories that will resonate with teen and adult readers, allowing trans masc autistic people to be seen in fiction. All stories are prefaced with an author's note and have trigger/content warnings, which I deeply appreciated.