[Complete] [78k] [Science Fiction] When the Ships Came Down — An Oral History of the Contact War and the Reconstruction of Earth
Hi! I’m looking for beta readers for my completed science-fiction novel, When the Ships Came Down, currently about 78,000 words.
The novel is presented as an oral history compiled fifty years after the Contact War, when an extraterrestrial invasion devastated Earth and permanently altered humanity and its place in the universe. The story is told through interviews, journals, government transcripts, military accounts, and survivor testimony from around the world.
It begins as a first-contact/invasion story, but eventually expands beyond the war itself into the aftermath: reconstruction, humanity’s relationship with other civilizations, and what kind of future can emerge after the old world has been destroyed.
The tone is generally serious and grounded, with a mixture of military science fiction, disaster fiction, first contact, speculative history, with messages of optimism for uncertain times and meditations on humanity’s future.
Content warnings: Large-scale warfare, mass death, starvation, societal collapse, violence, descriptions of human remains, and some discussion of suicide.
What I'm looking for
I'm primarily interested in big-picture beta-reader feedback rather than proofreading or line editing. Please feel completely free to be critical—I would much rather know something isn't working now than after publication.
In particular, I'd love to know:
- Where did you start losing interest or feel tempted to skim? If possible, mark the exact chapter or passage where it happened.
- Where did you feel confused or need more explanation?
- Where did I explain too much? Were there places where you understood the point and wished the book would move on?
- Are there any chapters, scenes, characters, ideas, or passages you think I should simply "kill"? I'm open to cutting material that isn't earning its place.
- Which chapters or scenes were the strongest?
- Which were the weakest?
- Did the different narrators feel like distinct people, or did too many of them sound alike?
- Did the transitions from invasion → war → reconstruction → humanity's postwar future feel natural, or did the novel ever feel like it had turned into a different book?
- Were there moments where you wanted more character/emotional material and less history/worldbuilding?
- Did any scene feel repetitive because an earlier chapter had already accomplished essentially the same thing?
- Which characters or stories stayed with you after reading?
- Did the ending feel earned and satisfying?
- Most importantly: if you had bought this book rather than agreeing to beta read it, would you have finished it? If not, where would you have stopped?
You definitely don't need to answer every question. Even a handful of detailed reactions would be extremely useful.
I'm interested in uncensored reactions while reading—things like "I got bored here," "I didn't believe this," "I wanted to know more about this person," or "this chapter should be half as long." Don't worry about hurting my feelings.
Timeline: I'm flexible, but ideally I'd like feedback within 3–5 weeks.
Critique swap: Not available at this time due to wedding/honeymoon
If you're interested, comment or send me a message and I can share the manuscript.