What are yours Best have thing(s) that you, as a reader, want in a book?
Being it fantasy or sci-fi ones.
Is it world building, level of details of characters/things/places, the story itself, how you can relate to a (main) character, other?!
And if possible, why?
For me it tends to be the story itself, of course I can relate to a character, or to the incredible details of a place somewhere. But generally speaking, i’m more intrigued to know the context and the plots of the story the author wanted to give me.
When there is deep insight intro intricacies of a culture I was not previously familiar with.
Indian culture in Midnight’s children.
Chinese culture in Three body problem.
It really draws me in.
I’m just finishing the House of Rust, which is set in Mombasa among Hadrami (a Muslim diasporic people). It’s amazing and beautifully written! Magic realism, though, which some people don’t like. It won the Ursula Le Guin Award. Maybe your kind of thing?