this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2023
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Science Fiction

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What makes a great sci-fi story? (self.sciencefiction)
submitted 1 year ago by grasshopper_mouse to c/sciencefiction
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I'm curious what users feel makes a great sci-fi story. What elements do you feel "make or break" the story specifically where sci-fi is concerned? For me, I really enjoyed the Expanse series, as it feels like there's a sort of "believability" to it all. The authors make everything seem very realistic, even if some of the descriptions and physics are made up.

What is it about your favorite sci-fi books and shows that make them your favorites?

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[–] RBWells 7 points 1 year ago

For me it's mostly the same as other genres - characters, great character development. World building. Storyline. Probably in that order.

My favorite sci fi books may actually be Neal Asher's space operas. The Prador are so scary and so well described, the AIs are also imaginative and well thought out, everything is so good. Love William Gibson's books too, the way he takes a few different stories and pulls them together is so cool. Neal Stephenson is hit or miss for me but mostly hit - he knows how to write engaging prose. But I think my favorite author may be Ian McDonald because his stories are beautiful, I fall into the worlds he writes.