Cross-posted to [email protected]

It is not possible to read all the Sci-Fi books out there. So you must have a process for selecting what you do read. Reading a book is an investment in your time. Your time is valuable. No one wants to waste that time reading unworthy books.

I have never codified my criteria. And it has changed and evolved over time. I suspect it will continue to change moving forward, as who I am tomorrow is not who I was yesterday.

What is your criteria to date?

Mine is that it must meet ALL the following criteria, some objective and some subjective.

  • it must have at least 1,000 reviews
  • it must have at least 70% 5-star reviews
  • if after reading about it I get the suspicion that it’s a romance disguised as Sci-Fi, I automatically reject it no matter what
  • if it’s YA, it really needs to be exceedingly compelling to choose it
  • Space Opera also needs to be exceedingly compelling
  • if I get the feeling it’s trying to preach I’ll reject it
  • if i get the feeling it has (messaging, strong opinions, or political overtones) about today’s societal issues, I probably won’t choose it. Not judging; I primarily read for escapism.

I guess that’s about it. There’s probably more but I just haven’t put that much thought into it yet.

I’m very interested in how y’all decide to choose a book to spend your valuable time reading.

  • @nieceandtows
    2•10 months ago

    Yeah there’s like half a dozen books. I only read the first two though. The author Steve Alten has written a lot of off the wall concept books. He has a Loch series which is about the Loch Ness monster. I think there is even a crossover novel with the loch and the meg. There is even a novel about a human given shark genes. Most of the books have intriguing concepts but mediocre writing (I’ve read I think 5 books of his), but his Omega Project is a pure science fiction that was awesome. I can’t even give you a one line story. It’s very complex. That is his first book I listened by chance and all the others were to see if he wrote anything else comparable.