Marxist telling me Marxism is Empirical

I’ve always tried to be open minded too the dozens of proposed socialist economic and ideologies including none socialist capitalist ideologies of libertarianism and anarcho capitalism  . Sticking with Marxism for right now. I always felt it Has some interesting concepts and idea but it seems at is root too work backwards from its conclusion. Things like Historical materialism and the general Historicism that Marx himself apparently didn’t like. And around it allot of unfalsifiable claims and economic ideas that just for the life of me seem too be incorrect. Getting any real criticism or critiques of it is so hard. It seems all you get are Endless Right wing talking points that seem too have never read anything in Marxism, never read a single thing about Marxism more then maybe a Wikipedia page or a 5 minute YouTube video.  and just talk about the Soviet Union which while fair many Marxists despised the Soviet Union. And at least from what I understand about Marx would think it was a nightmare. If anybody wants me too reference specific Marxist ideas I’ll be glad too. I just want to understand more about it with real criticisms or counter points. Any books I should read about this subject besides Marx himself. 

You are supposed to think the Soviet Union is a nightmare.  You exist in Capitalism, embedded in Capitalist ideology and morals, if the actual nature of Socialism was too pleasing to conventional morals we would have grounds to doubt it was actually Socialism at all.  Having a different economic base, they have to have a culture that is abhorrent to yours. 

In Marxism the Superstructure (stuff like ideological beliefs, morals, religion, philosophy, what we consider a logical fallacy,), is a consequence of the Structure, which is the manner in which the production of the society's demands is met.  Understanding this is key to understanding Marxism, people change the mode of production and then they change their ideas, they do not change their ideas then change the mode of production.