Top 8 Reading Experiences Featuring Neurodivergent Characters That I Read in 2024
Dr. Alicia Hart -Clockwork Botanicals Integrated Health Care
I basically grew up in the library, and that means I have always been the sort of person who isn’t allowed to enter reading competitions anymore. I read a lot; I listen to audiobooks, page through paper copies, and have library cards for 4 different counties in my wallet. If you are looking to get some increased neurodivergent character representation, here’s my top 8 recommendations in no particular order:
Each link redirects to the goodreads page for that series or novel
1. The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Murderbot continues to top my neurodivergent character list. If you’ve never read any of Martha Well’s novellas featuring a SecUnit who would much rather be watching their media than rescuing humans, this should be your sign to stop reading my reviews of neurodivergent books right now and go pick up the first novella, All Systems Red.
The narrator, Kevin R. Free, has captured the emotional expressions exactly right and I spend time relistening to Murderbot any time my brain needs a comfort read. I should give you a content warning for everything- slavery, emotions, capitalism, violence, trauma, exponential increase in swearing throughout the books, etc- but in the end, most things can get better, systems can be better, humans can actually be great kind of way. Excellent autism spectrum/twice exceptional representation in every book.
2. Alchemical Journey’s Series by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire continues to be a bastion of neurodivergent characters, but I’ve particularly enjoyed her Alchemical Journeys series as a highlight of Seanan’s folklore background. The twin dynamic of divided skills, trauma impact to characters, and clear depiction of both ADHD, ASD, and AuDHD throughout is compelling.
Start with Middlegame in the Alchemical Journey if you can handle a touch of horror- Seanan McGuire also writes horror novels as Mira Grant, and this series can get pretty intense.
If you need to have less horror but are still cool with trauma, check out their Wayward Children’s series. Some of you have heard me quote McGuires' Down Among the Sticks and Bones in my Parenting for ADHD when you have ADHD class and I maintain it’s the best passage on parenting I’ve ever read. Wayward Children deftly navigates the othered sensation neurodivergent children/teens often experience while looking at the gifts and struggles of neurodivergent kids.
3. Shadow of the Leviathan Series by Robert Jackson Bennett
Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup is a brilliant Sherlock and Holmes take with a main character with relatively severe dyslexia. Bennett does a fantastic job illustrating such a clear disability with all of the tradeoffs that often entails- heightened senses in other domains, a deft way to work around the written words- all in a story that is very much focused on some devious murders. The Sherlock character is heavily autism coded and also shares the original Sherlock’s devotion to mind-altering substances. There’s quite a lot of violence and body horror, which does match the inspiration material- but I can bet you’ve never seen a world built like this.
I thought it was unique and compelling enough to try out some of his other work, but that stopped pretty abruptly as there’s more sexual violence in his other books.
Still, I do recommend The Tainted Cup and still think that the depiction of disability is really well done- and I’ll be looking forward to A Drop of Corruption when it comes out next year.
4. Light from Other Stars by Erika Swyler
Erika Swyler’s Light from Other Stars is a beautiful prose novel with sci-fi leanings- perhaps you’re seeing a theme here in the sci-fi and fantasy recommendations but this has more of a high literature feel to it. The deliberate poetic level of word choice will have you following Nedda Papas through the familial imprints we often must resolve to go forward, while building a hope-punk narrative that perhaps we can all become better.
I don’t see as much love from the community for Erika’s work- all of which has been fantastic- and I think that some of that is for the same reason I find myself with here: that this book must be experienced for us to discuss it further, and that the beauty of the prose seems like something so honed that I might break it with callous discussion. Go check it out, and then read everything she’s written. I can’t wait for her upcoming January 2025 book, We Lived On The Horizon
(Tiny side note, I discovered Swyler because her husband is a pediatrician! Her next book has a bit more intersectionality with medicine and I am very interested to see how that will play out with her background.)
5. Detroit Free Zone Series by Rachel Aaron
I’m currently winding my way through Hell for Hire by Rachel Aaron, an author that I discovered through her Detroit Free Zone books that I read through in the spring or perhaps last autumn, and have reread this year as well.
Rachel Aaron did a particularly lovely job in weaving in some of the core wounds of ADHD throughout her Detroit Free Zone books, with Opal Yong-ae wrestling with hyper-independence, constant time pressure to function, and of the struggle of being “too much” leading to her perception of both being damaged and of not being worthy enough- all wrapped up in a hyper capitalistic future Detroit with the real take on what deregulation looks like. There’s also dragons and a fun magic system, so if you’re into fantasy that might make you cry about your own internalized damage while mostly transporting you to escapist fiction, give the Detroit Free Zone a try.
6. The Scholomance Series by Naomi Novik
The Scholomance series is everything you ever wanted from a portal fantasy set in a British boarding school. Naomi Novik has always been a favorite of mine, but there’s just something exquisite about centering a very angry, talented and gifted kid (who I’m 100% sure would end up with some alphabet soup in the traditional DSM diagnostic criteria) and then letting them stay that way while maturing and developing real friendships. This is a YA fantasy/horror series, so while there are some deeper elements that might bother some readers, it is aimed at teens and stays in that range of intensity.
Note: I could not put this book down and lost sleep every time one of the series came out. Be aware that bedtime is still very real and sleep deprivation will decrease your executive function skills.
7. T. Kingfisher- specifically for this list, looking at Swordheart & A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
Of course any list featuring neurodivergent characters has to have books by T.Kingfisher, the nom de plume of Ursula Vernon. Ursula went on to make some very important diagnostic discoveries about herself as she kept getting feedback from fans about how well she ADHD-coded her characters.
If I recall correctly, the exact book that got her an ADHD diagnosis was Swordheart, and the main character Halla is indeed very ADHD in presentation.
You can’t go wrong with any of her books though I’ll give the caution that Vernon does edge into horror and does write horror. Typically in her guise as T. Kingfisher, all's well in the end.
Consider giving A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking a go if you’d like to stay on the lighter side- it is marketed as a children’s book, and my oldest child did love it, but I also loved it and there’s some debate on which shelves it should be on.
8. Monk and Robot Series by Becky Chambers
Becky Chambers is another of my comfort read-again authors, particularly the Monk & Robot series. Both A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy take a hope-punk cozy step into what it means to be human, what it is to be different, and what rebuilding a life looks like.
There’s a very lovely look at burnout in the Monk & Robot series in a way that I don’t think many other books are capturing the exhaustion and transformation, along with clear nods to the diagnostic criteria of other conditions.
______________________
I am always looking for my next read, and would love to hear what you're reading- drop me a comment on instagram and tell me what to read next!
Each link redirects to the goodreads page for that series or novel
1. The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Murderbot continues to top my neurodivergent character list. If you’ve never read any of Martha Well’s novellas featuring a SecUnit who would much rather be watching their media than rescuing humans, this should be your sign to stop reading my reviews of neurodivergent books right now and go pick up the first novella, All Systems Red.
The narrator, Kevin R. Free, has captured the emotional expressions exactly right and I spend time relistening to Murderbot any time my brain needs a comfort read. I should give you a content warning for everything- slavery, emotions, capitalism, violence, trauma, exponential increase in swearing throughout the books, etc- but in the end, most things can get better, systems can be better, humans can actually be great kind of way. Excellent autism spectrum/twice exceptional representation in every book.
2. Alchemical Journey’s Series by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire continues to be a bastion of neurodivergent characters, but I’ve particularly enjoyed her Alchemical Journeys series as a highlight of Seanan’s folklore background. The twin dynamic of divided skills, trauma impact to characters, and clear depiction of both ADHD, ASD, and AuDHD throughout is compelling.
Start with Middlegame in the Alchemical Journey if you can handle a touch of horror- Seanan McGuire also writes horror novels as Mira Grant, and this series can get pretty intense.
If you need to have less horror but are still cool with trauma, check out their Wayward Children’s series. Some of you have heard me quote McGuires' Down Among the Sticks and Bones in my Parenting for ADHD when you have ADHD class and I maintain it’s the best passage on parenting I’ve ever read. Wayward Children deftly navigates the othered sensation neurodivergent children/teens often experience while looking at the gifts and struggles of neurodivergent kids.
3. Shadow of the Leviathan Series by Robert Jackson Bennett
Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup is a brilliant Sherlock and Holmes take with a main character with relatively severe dyslexia. Bennett does a fantastic job illustrating such a clear disability with all of the tradeoffs that often entails- heightened senses in other domains, a deft way to work around the written words- all in a story that is very much focused on some devious murders. The Sherlock character is heavily autism coded and also shares the original Sherlock’s devotion to mind-altering substances. There’s quite a lot of violence and body horror, which does match the inspiration material- but I can bet you’ve never seen a world built like this.
I thought it was unique and compelling enough to try out some of his other work, but that stopped pretty abruptly as there’s more sexual violence in his other books.
Still, I do recommend The Tainted Cup and still think that the depiction of disability is really well done- and I’ll be looking forward to A Drop of Corruption when it comes out next year.
4. Light from Other Stars by Erika Swyler
Erika Swyler’s Light from Other Stars is a beautiful prose novel with sci-fi leanings- perhaps you’re seeing a theme here in the sci-fi and fantasy recommendations but this has more of a high literature feel to it. The deliberate poetic level of word choice will have you following Nedda Papas through the familial imprints we often must resolve to go forward, while building a hope-punk narrative that perhaps we can all become better.
I don’t see as much love from the community for Erika’s work- all of which has been fantastic- and I think that some of that is for the same reason I find myself with here: that this book must be experienced for us to discuss it further, and that the beauty of the prose seems like something so honed that I might break it with callous discussion. Go check it out, and then read everything she’s written. I can’t wait for her upcoming January 2025 book, We Lived On The Horizon
(Tiny side note, I discovered Swyler because her husband is a pediatrician! Her next book has a bit more intersectionality with medicine and I am very interested to see how that will play out with her background.)
5. Detroit Free Zone Series by Rachel Aaron
I’m currently winding my way through Hell for Hire by Rachel Aaron, an author that I discovered through her Detroit Free Zone books that I read through in the spring or perhaps last autumn, and have reread this year as well.
Rachel Aaron did a particularly lovely job in weaving in some of the core wounds of ADHD throughout her Detroit Free Zone books, with Opal Yong-ae wrestling with hyper-independence, constant time pressure to function, and of the struggle of being “too much” leading to her perception of both being damaged and of not being worthy enough- all wrapped up in a hyper capitalistic future Detroit with the real take on what deregulation looks like. There’s also dragons and a fun magic system, so if you’re into fantasy that might make you cry about your own internalized damage while mostly transporting you to escapist fiction, give the Detroit Free Zone a try.
6. The Scholomance Series by Naomi Novik
The Scholomance series is everything you ever wanted from a portal fantasy set in a British boarding school. Naomi Novik has always been a favorite of mine, but there’s just something exquisite about centering a very angry, talented and gifted kid (who I’m 100% sure would end up with some alphabet soup in the traditional DSM diagnostic criteria) and then letting them stay that way while maturing and developing real friendships. This is a YA fantasy/horror series, so while there are some deeper elements that might bother some readers, it is aimed at teens and stays in that range of intensity.
Note: I could not put this book down and lost sleep every time one of the series came out. Be aware that bedtime is still very real and sleep deprivation will decrease your executive function skills.
7. T. Kingfisher- specifically for this list, looking at Swordheart & A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
Of course any list featuring neurodivergent characters has to have books by T.Kingfisher, the nom de plume of Ursula Vernon. Ursula went on to make some very important diagnostic discoveries about herself as she kept getting feedback from fans about how well she ADHD-coded her characters.
If I recall correctly, the exact book that got her an ADHD diagnosis was Swordheart, and the main character Halla is indeed very ADHD in presentation.
You can’t go wrong with any of her books though I’ll give the caution that Vernon does edge into horror and does write horror. Typically in her guise as T. Kingfisher, all's well in the end.
Consider giving A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking a go if you’d like to stay on the lighter side- it is marketed as a children’s book, and my oldest child did love it, but I also loved it and there’s some debate on which shelves it should be on.
8. Monk and Robot Series by Becky Chambers
Becky Chambers is another of my comfort read-again authors, particularly the Monk & Robot series. Both A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy take a hope-punk cozy step into what it means to be human, what it is to be different, and what rebuilding a life looks like.
There’s a very lovely look at burnout in the Monk & Robot series in a way that I don’t think many other books are capturing the exhaustion and transformation, along with clear nods to the diagnostic criteria of other conditions.
______________________
I am always looking for my next read, and would love to hear what you're reading- drop me a comment on instagram and tell me what to read next!