WHAT I LOOK AT IN SCIENCE FICTION

World-Building

Science-fiction worlds need to feel lived in rather than constructed solely for the plot. I consider how effectively readers understand the physical, political, technological, economic, environmental, and social realities of your setting, as well as whether those elements meaningfully influence the characters who live within it.

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I may comment on areas such as:

• societies and cultures

• governments and political systems

• economics and class structures

• geography and planetary environments

• cities, colonies, stations, and settlements

• military structures

• corporations and institutions

• religion and ideology

• communication and transportation

• everyday technology

• environmental conditions

• terminology

• world-building continuity

• whether the setting meaningfully affects the plot and characters

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Science, Technology & Speculative Logic

Science fiction does not always need to predict the future accurately, but the speculative elements should follow the rules established by the story. I look at what your technology or scientific concepts can and cannot do, how consistently those limitations are applied, and whether their consequences have been considered beyond their immediate usefulness to the plot.

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This can include:

• artificial intelligence

• robotics

• genetic engineering

• biotechnology

• cybernetics

• space travel

• faster-than-light travel

• weapons and military technology

• virtual or augmented reality

• surveillance technology

• climate technology

• terraforming

• medical advancement

• cloning

• time travel

• technological limitations

• internal consistency

• unintended consequences

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For hard science fiction, I can also flag areas where an explanation appears inconsistent, unclear, or in need of further research. For softer or more speculative science fiction, the focus may be less on strict scientific plausibility and more on whether the rules remain coherent within the world you have created.

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Character Development

A compelling premise may attract readers to science fiction, but characters give them a reason to care about what happens. I consider your characters' motivations, emotional arcs, internal conflicts, relationships, decisions, and how the world around them shapes who they are.

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Feedback may cover:

• protagonist agency

• motivations

• internal and external conflict

• emotional development

• character arcs

• backstory

• relationships

• moral dilemmas

• supporting characters

• antagonists

• ideological conflict

• character consistency

• whether characters feel grounded within the speculative setting

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For ensemble casts and multi-POV novels, I also consider whether each viewpoint feels necessary, distinctive, and contributing meaningfully to the wider story.

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Plot, Structure & Pacing

Science fiction often carries several narrative layers simultaneously: the central plot, political conflict, technological developments, mysteries, philosophical questions, world-building, and individual character arcs. I look at how those elements interact and whether the story maintains momentum without sacrificing clarity.

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This may include:

• plot structure

• pacing

• scene purpose

• escalation

• stakes

• conflict

• mysteries and reveals

• midpoint development

• subplot integration

• climactic build-up

• resolution

• chapter placement

• transitions

• action-to-reflection balance

• whether exposition interrupts momentum

• whether major discoveries arrive at the right time

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I also pay attention to common science-fiction pacing issues, particularly exposition-heavy openings, prolonged setup, dense middle sections, repeated explanations, and climaxes that move too quickly after extensive world-building.

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Exposition & Reader Comprehension

Science fiction inevitably requires readers to learn things they cannot already know. The challenge lies in deciding what they need to understand, when they need to understand it, and how that information reaches them. I look for places where explanation enhances the story and places where it begins to compete with it.

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This includes:

• information dumping

• technical explanations

• scientific terminology

• unfamiliar acronyms

• invented vocabulary

• historical background

• political exposition

• technological explanations

• unnatural explanatory dialogue

• repeated information

• concepts introduced before the reader has enough context

• concepts introduced too late for an important scene to make sense

• whether readers can visualise unfamiliar environments or technology​

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Themes, Ethics & Consequences

Many of the strongest science-fiction stories begin with a speculative question and then explore what that possibility would mean for actual people. I look at how effectively the manuscript develops its larger ideas without allowing the characters or plot to become vehicles for delivering a message.

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Feedback may include:

• artificial intelligence and consciousness

• technological dependence

• surveillance and privacy

• authoritarianism

• class and inequality

• environmental collapse

• colonisation

• identity

• bodily autonomy

• genetic modification

• mortality

• transhumanism

• warfare

• corporate power

• scientific responsibility

• freedom and control

• the social consequences of technological change

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I also consider whether the consequences of your speculative premise extend naturally through the world.