The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters

As someone who enjoys experimenting with genres and exploring diverse perspectives, The Neurodiversiverse immediately piqued my interest. This anthology largely focused on sci-fi and intergalactic themes and is a standout collection for its thoughtful and authentic approach to neurodivergent experiences. What I found particularly compelling is that it's an OwnVoices anthology, meaning the stories are written by neurodivergent authors themselves.

Half of the stories resonate with a powerful message: neurodivergent individuals may be the key to communicating with otherworldly civilizations—a concept that aligns with my own belief that every trait and difference exists for a reason. The other half of the anthology delves into unique and show more imaginative depictions of life on other planets, from sentient plants to mist-like lifeforms. These cosmic odysseys were a delight to read, giving a fresh perspective on the vast possibilities of existence.

The anthology is also a well-rounded mix of poems, short stories, and even artwork. Content warnings before each piece reflect the care taken by both the editors and authors, ensuring readers feel supported.

Some of my favorite stories include Scary Monsters, Super Creeps, a humorous and poignant take on superpowers emerging from trauma, and The Pipfitter, a tense, empowering story about relying on instinct in the face of a spaceship crash.

Overall, The Neurodiversiverse is an empowering and heartening read, highlighting that uniqueness should be celebrated rather than "fixed." It’s a beautiful testament to the value of neurodivergence, and I highly recommend it. show less

This is not really a prose anthology; it has poetry and art as well as stories. Whether this increases or decreases the value will depend on what you like; to me -- as someone who has aphantasia (impaired visual imagination), the cover looks ugly and the interior art is... meh. It should also be noted that some of the poetry is free verse.

If you want such a mixed anthology, there are several things to like. Most of the stories here (not all, but most) are genuine short stories, less than 10,000 words (often much less), such that you can easily read them in one sitting.

I also like the fact that there are trigger warnings on stories for which they are relevant. That's a great feature. Too bad no one tattooed those sorts of things on S. M. show more Stirling's forehead before he got started....

On the other hand, the introduction is... more of a back cover blurb than a true introduction. I can understand why the cover would promote the well-known authors, but the introduction should be plugging everyone -- perhaps highlighting the newcomers and the new things they bring to the table. If I were the less famous authors, I'd be pretty irked. Also, the introduction claims that Hans Asperger was a Nazi collaborator. The evidence for this is much more complicated than is usually claimed, and the claim derives from two people who (without saying so) clearly wanted those with "Asperger's Syndrome" to not be considered truly autistic. I'm autistic, and I don't use "Asperger's Syndrome," but it's not because of the controversy about Asperger; I don't use it because it's not a useful term. As I read the evidence, it is extremely unlikely that Asperger was a Nazi (he ended up forced to the Russian Front), and he devoted far more efforts to saving children than killing them. This was a controversy best not waded into.

The list of conditions covered bothers me, too. Autism and ADHD are diagnoses rooted in biology (genetics). Synesthesia is biologically-based but is not considered a disorder. PTSD is an acquired condition. Dissociated Identity Disorder is a DSM diagnosis, but one whose very existence has been questioned -- certainly extremely rare and very badly misunderstood. "Avoidant attachment disorder" is not a DSM diagnosis. I really don't think unquestionably real but biological conditions, unquestionably real but acquired conditions, and non-verified conditions present any sort of unity.

At least one of the poets should be reminded that great writers use simple words.

Some of the stories, like "Music, Not Words," are flatly trying too hard. This isn't science fiction with autistic characters; I'd frankly call it gadget fantasy with autistic stereotypes. Yes, I know, autistic people don't fit in very well -- as I said, I'm autistic. But this is just too blatant. "The Grand New York Welcome Tour" assumes aliens can be afflicted by our diseases. Oy. Alien chemistry. (I actually liked that story pretty well once I got past that -- in fact, it may have been my favorite -- but... Oy.) "The Pipefitter" -- you don't survive a kinetic impact when you're on a hyperbolic orbit around a gas giant. "Impact" -- a creature that lives on Vesta cannot live on earth; the gravity is too high, the air too reactive. A creature on Vesta wouldn't even have reason to make sound, because there is no air. And so it went.

Also, the same plot happened too many times: "Neurodiverse person understands the aliens best as a result of neurodiversity." Good plot -- thirty years ago. Today... been there, done that. Got any new ideas?

Here's my bottom line: Good neurodiverse Science Fiction must first be good science fiction. If it fails that, it doesn't matter how many neurodiversity points it gets. And I don't think this is science fiction. Much of it is not, by my definition, science fiction at all; it's too bleeping sloppy with science. Gadget fantasy gets marketed as science fiction, but... not for me.

Now it should be noted that I have a degree in physics. I am probably more attuned to scientific errors than most. On the other hand... is there any population with more physicists and engineers in it than the autistic population? I fear many of the target readers will be as irritated as I am. Or if they aren't, they should be. show less

I am very grateful to LibraryThing and Thinking Ink Press for my copy of The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters as part of the Early Reviewers program. As a neurodiverse individual (Autistic and multiple other differences), it is not often that I find representation in stories that make me feel seen; I did in this book. I always say that I feel like an alien put on the wrong planet as I know others who are neurodivergent do. I think creating a collection of stories, poems and art that center around both individuals feeling different and aliens in genius. There is a balance of emotions in these pieces, from sadness, longing, pain and grief, to acceptance, hope, and contentment. I genuinely enjoyed this entire book, but some of my show more favorite highlights are the following:


Stories:
- The Interview
- Someone Different, Like Me
- These Things Never End Well
- Cadre
- Our Connected Space
- Be Our Own Universe
- Trading Partners
- Greetings From Earth


Poems:
- When the Aliens Came
- A Conversation with Xotiran
- MCCARTHY KNEW
- Close Encounter In The Public Restroom


Art:
- LoveHEART
- Skeleton in Roses


My ultimate favorite piece in this book was: Close Encounter In The Public Restroom, a story poem by: Keiko O’Leary. I found this to be incredibly relatable as I struggle with contamination anxiety and hand washing compulsions. I found the descriptions to be accurate and feel so real and I appreciate the hope that the aliens brought in this story.


I thoroughly enjoyed this book and feel truly seen within these pages. Thank you to all the creators who made this book possible and for the free copy.


If there is another volume in the future, I would be happy to contribute some art/poetry as I create both. show less

As someone that falls under the neurodiverse umbrella (OCD, Autistic), I’m bummed to say I was not as satisfied with this book as I hoped to be. I have referenced feeling like an alien for some time so, when I saw this book, I hoped it would appeal to that part of me and give feelings of solidarity. While I commend the action of bringing neurodiverse people’s stories and offering representation, the book itself I just still couldn’t get into. I am sure our special interests play a role. This might be a good read for someone whose special interest centers around science fiction or fantasy. It wasn’t my cup of tea. I enjoyed the introduction of whatever, and I enjoyed the first poem. The first poem had me feeling like I was about show more to be immersed and not want to put the book down. Then the stories came. I didn’t hold interest. I kept trying to continue and it seemed so repetitive and cliche. I also found the cover art underwhelming. show less

The Neurodiversiverse is a new anthology of original sf; the subtitle "Alien Encounters" makes me think it might be the first in a series, but I'm not sure. The premise of the anthology, as the ungainly title indicates, is to look at neurodiversity in an sfnal context. The stories here are largely (entirely?) #ownvoices one, being written by neurodiverse people about situations where neurodiversity is an asset to encountering the alien. So there are stories about people with autism, OCD, ADHD, and so on. I received a free review copy from LibraryThing's EarlyReviewers program.

The problem with the book is that the basic premise sets up a basic formula that is hewed to pretty consistently without variation and without—on my part show more anyway—much of interest. A neurodiverse person applies to work with aliens or is contacted by aliens, and then it then turns out that their special way of seeing the universe is matched by the aliens and/or a boon for speaking with aliens. Unfortunately, many of the stories feel short: we meet our protagonist, the aliens reach out, boom done. We don't really get to explore the actual diversity of neurodiversity, the stories have little conflict. Now it may be that this all isn't for me, that the kind of people who are represented here would get more out of it, I don't know. I can only tell you how I reacted to it. But fundamentally, I felt like these stories were mostly superficial representations of both neurodiversity and alien intelligence, and they quickly grew repetitive. Too many of the stories also depict the alien encounters as kind of boringly utopian; our neurodivergent protagonist meets aliens, things are now great. I suspect fewer longer stories could have been more interesting.

There were two exceptions that worked much better for me than the rest of the volume. The first was "The Grand New York Welcome Tour" by Kay Hanifen, which is about a tour guide for aliens. The protagonist has OCD, and their job is to escort alien delegates around; the story benefits from taking place much later than first contact, from focusing on the actual interactions in detail, and from showing us diversity among the aliens. It's not super deep but I did enjoy it. The other is "The Pipefitter" by Tobias S. Buckell. This one seemed to me to ignore the anthology remit a bit (not much from the aliens) and was all the better for it, a problem-solving, action-adventure story about a maintenance worker on a giant colony ship during a crisis situation. It deftly employs one of my favorite tropes, the seemingly insignificant person who proves their importance when they come through while others don't. If the stories had all been this good, I would have enjoyed the book much more.

I also enjoyed Cat Rambo's story about superheroes, but its connection to the anthology premise seemed even more minimal than Buckell's. Well done take on realistic heroes, though.

Also there are some poems, if you're into that kind of thing. I can be, but I wasn't into these. show less

Let me start off by saying that I'm so glad that this book exists. Neurodiverse voices and experiences are definitely not common enough in publishing. And it wasn't a bad collection. I really enjoyed some of the works (I think my favourites were Meaning Green, Unclear (although I think it could have had at least an extra paragraph or two), Someone Different Like Me (that I also wished was longer) and Close Encounter in the Public Bathroom) but as with all anthologies it was a bit of a mixed bag.

Although I loved seeing people write characters who feel different to those around them and loved experiencing things through their eyes, a lot of the stories began feeling a little formulaic after a while. A lot had the same pattern of someone show more who feel like an outsider meeting an alien who's culture just happens to perfectly line up with their particular neurodiverse brain (eye contact being considered rude came up a few times), even if the exact circumstances may have been different. I very much related to that feeling of wanting to fit in somewhere but I wish there had been a bit more diversity in the types of stories being told. This is amplified by how short most of the stories are (even two of my favourites were too short and not only because I was enjoying them). I think the topic was maybe also too narrow for the number of stories being shared. Maybe a general scifi anthology would have allowed for a greater variety of stories.

I think this is best enjoyed by hopping in and out, reading only a story or two at a time, spacing them out more than I did. There are some lovely stories after all! show less

I love the evident care, consideration, and joy that went into creating this collection - the editors introductory and concluding material genuinely augments the stories, poems and artwork.

As with any anthology, there are pieces that will work more or less well for any particular reader, but there were far more hits than misses for me personally. Some particular standouts (in their order of appearance) would be The Pipefitter, Shadows of Titanium Rain, The Interview, The Cow Test, Heart-Side Sometimes-Table, Primordial Voices, Meaning Green, Unclear, and The List Making Habits of Heartbroken Ships. If I were to offer a criticism, it's that some of the stories are very short - more sketches than stories in some cases - and that, show more combined with the very specific theme of the collection, did end up feeling quite "samey" at times, although looking back at the sheer range of tone and sub-genre of the pieces I list above, there is also significant diversity here.

I am neurodivergent myself, and am very glad to have received this book through the Early Reviewers program - I have several new authors to follow up on as a result. show less