There’s no shortage of sci-fi books with incredible creativity about what could come about in the future…and little care placed in creating realistic dialogue or character development.
I get where the OP is coming from. If you’re coming from the modern world of well-rounded fantasy sci-fi storytellers of Sanderson and Rothfuss, then reading stories of the past can be very frustrating.
That is such an arbitrary phrase to have such a visceral reaction to.