User:O/Biases

Here I describe what kind of story I am biased towards. If you like different types of stories, you may not find my reviews helpful.

I like stories with a complicated plot that fits together nicely. Generally this means, in the case of a TV show, that the entire story had to be planned before work began on the first episode. A good example of this is the five-season science fiction series Babylon 5.

I enjoy hard science fiction the most. I dislike any supernatural elements that are not, in my view, consistent with the universe of the story. In effect, this means that a story set on Earth should have normal humans with normal powers. Minor enhancements like certain types of telepathy are fine, but stranger things like ghosts and vampires detract from my enjoyment. On the other hand, non-humans in different universes can have powers that are farfetched, like a being from a higher dimension that is able to manipulate our universe, or a story set completely in a different universe.

My main interest when experiencing a work of fiction is the overall plot and story arcs. Other elements, such as music, acting, and writing quality are secondary; I may not even mention them if they did not affect my enjoyment of the work.

Finally, my writing isn't that great, though my grammar and spelling usually is. Maybe that's one reason I don't mind bland writing as long as the story is good.