Divergent Realms

Such a quick and fun read! The representation seems genuinely good and thought out, although I can only really speak on the LGBTQ and ADHD rep in this book. Overall, I think that I would recommend this to many people that wanted to just have something to breeze past and keep thinking about again and again!

This is a fantastic collection of fourteen short stories written by neurodivergent authors and featuring neurodivergent characters with a good mix of both scifi and fantasy stories. The short stories were consistently well written and enjoyable, and though I’m not neurodivergent myself, I found it really interesting to get an insight into various forms of neurodivergence. The stories were well paced and very readable, and I particularly enjoyed Escape Choice and Defrosting Merlin. Highly recommend this for those looking for something a bit different, to learn more about neurodivergence or even just a fun collection of well written short stories.

Every short story in this collection was a home run. From an autistic kid on a spaceship dealing with the reality that she will not survive to the new planet they're going to, to an anxious android facing her worst fears to save the world, to a man using his ADHD to find both his boyfriend and a better future for everyone, this book was filled with characters dealing with and using their neurodivergencies in a wild variety of situations. It spanned the gauntlet from horror to space opera to paleolithic fantasy. Even if not every story is your cup of tea, at least one or two will absolutely be the story you need to read.

I'm so glad I decided to try this book. I wasn't familiar with the editor, and anthologies can be very hit or miss, so I wasn't sure how this one would land for me. I was surprised and pleased by this book and I'm glad I read it.

This is an anthology of stories about neurodiverse characters, all written by neurodiverse authors. I love this theme and thought the editor did a great job showcasing stories reflecting a wide range of ND experiences. A hallmark of moving through the world as a ND person is constantly seeing ND conditions/symptoms described in terms of how they impact "normal" or neurotypical people, rather than how they impact the individual with the condition. This anthology was incredibly refreshing in how it centered ND people and their experiences.

While there were a handful of stories that didn't work for me at all - something that's very common for me when reading anthologies - overall I was happy with the quality and depth of the stories. I found several authors whose work I will seek out in the future, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for more work from editor Riley Odell also.

Highlight stories for me:
- A Place to Belong by R.B. Kelly
- All In my Head by Gerri Leen
- Trip of a Lifetime by Holly Schofield
- Nelly's World by Arthur H. Manners

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review!