Hello! I'm looking for critique for my sci-fi manuscript. It has already been read a handful of times by different readers and I just finished a wave of revisions. I was hoping to start querying this to agents this year. At this stage, I'm mainly looking for comments on characters, their development, and the pacing/readability of the story, though I'm open to reading any comments you'd like to make. Here's a quick blurb about the story: Famed inventor Deborah can’t step outside without the haze searing her eyes. That’s life on Earth in 18,000 AD. Her son deserves better but new worlds are out of reach. Until Deborah unveils her latest masterpiece: a theoretical faster-than-light starship. And with a lofty grant from the government, she’s ready to make it a reality. But her innovation is deemed a threat by political powers with their own vision for humanity. To protect herself, her family, and her project, Deborah will have to navigate political and industrial intrigue and uncover secrets hidden by the aftermath of a recent war. A war not everyone agrees is finished. I'm open to doing a swap for a work of similar length. I mostly enjoy sci-fi and fantasy, but I'll consider any genre/age group outside of: middle-grade, historic, or romance (romance subplots are fine). Post or message me if you're interested or if you have any questions!
I don't have a full synopsis for the story, but since I forgot to actually describe my book when making this thread, I just added a premise/main concept blurb to my original post.
How about I do the first chapter. I'll do a full review of it, and if it's intriguing, I'll continue with the whole thing. You don't need to review anything for me, I'm just practicing my reviewing abilities anyways. Sound okay?
I'm going to give this a bump. I am once again looking for beta readers, having just finished another round of revisions. The word count of this book is now up to 89.4k, though I don't know how to change thread titles on this board.
I’d be happy to give it a go - although I doubt I’ll read it all I’d certainly be happy to skim through and do my best. I’d certainly focus on the opening. If there is any specific critique you’re looking for please say so AND tell me if you want me to go easy or not - I can be a little blunt sometimes (so I’ve been told!).