**Looking for Sci-Fi Beta Readers - Technical/Engineering Feedback**

I've completed a sci-fi adventure novel called *Starling* and I'm looking for a few advance readers from the community who can help spot technical issues.

**What I'm looking for:**

This isn't hard sci-fi like *The Expanse*. It's more in the style of Star Trek TOS—adventure-focused with hand-waved tech where needed. But I want to make sure the science that *is* there holds up to basic scrutiny and doesn't break immersion for readers who know their stuff.

Specific feedback needed:

* Orbital mechanics that seem wildly off
* Travel times/velocities that don't make sense (in-system travel at X g's, etc.)
* Tech descriptions that contradict themselves or violate basic physics in distracting ways
* Anything that stands out as "wait, that's not how that works" in a way that pulls you out of the story

I'm not looking for debates about FTL theory or whether my inertial dampers are plausible. I'm looking for the stuff that's glaringly wrong or internally inconsistent.

What it's NOT about: Grammar, formatting, prose, plot (unless something is structurally broken). This is specifically for the sci-fi engineering/worldbuilding layer.

Length: \~63,500 words. Epub file.

If you're interested and have time in the next couple weeks I'd appreciate the help. Happy to return the favor if you have a project that needs eyes.



Starling, Neal Stevens. Sci-fi adventure. Mar 2026: Looking for sci-fi advance readers