Critical Mass

A Novel (A Delta-v Novel, Book 2)

By: Daniel Suarez

Narrated by: Jeff Gurner

Length: 18 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

In New York Times best-selling author Daniel Suarez's latest space-tech thriller, a group of pioneering astropreneurs must overcome never-before-attempted engineering challenges to rescue colleagues stranded at a distant asteroid—kicking off a new space race in which Earth's climate crisis could well hang in the balance.

When unforeseen circumstances during an innovative—and unsanctioned—commercial asteroid-mining mission leave two crew members stranded, those who make it back must engineer a rescue, all while navigating a shifting web of global political alliances and renewed Cold War tensions. With Earth governments consumed by the ravages of climate change and unable to take the risks necessary to make rapid progress in space, the crew must build their own next-gen spacecraft capable of mounting a rescue in time for the asteroid's next swing by Earth.

In the process, they'll need to establish the first spin-gravity station in deep space, the first orbiting solar power satellite and refinery, and historic infrastructure on the moon's surface—all of which could alleviate a deepening ecological, political, and economic crisis back on Earth, and prove that space-based industry is not only profitable, but possibly humanity's best hope for a livable, peaceful future.

©2022 Daniel Suarez (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Hard science fiction has a new virtuoso, and Critical Mass is a fine piece of futurism, startlingly entertaining and exceptionally thought provoking.” —New York Journal of Books

"Critical Mass is a thought-provoking read, whether you’re a space nerd who eagerly followed the real-life mission to Ryugu in 2018 or a fan of the “The Expanse” wondering how the Belters might have come to be. Daniel Suarez is the 21st century champion of space we desperately need." —Wall Street Journal

"This novel has it all for readers who enjoy hard science fiction. It’s gripping, vivid, suspenseful, and filled with thrills and chills that feel credible and believable.... Overall, this science fiction techno-thriller was entertaining, convincing, and felt terrifyingly realistic. The tension was so thick I could feel it. The novel also had suspense, compelling and diverse characters, and a thought-provoking story line. This emotional rollercoaster kept me rapidly turning the pages. If you enjoy high-octane science fiction, then this may be the series for you." —Mystery and Suspense Magazine

Wanted to love it, but was somewhat disappointed

There are some strong ideas, technical information, and amazing concepts in this book, like all of Daniel Suarez’s books. But the story just didn’t deliver for me this time. It did get better toward the ending, but it just felt too tedious of a journey to get there with 40 chapters of set up. I just didn’t care enough about the characters, like I did in the previous book. I think it needs another edit.

Too Much Climate Change Religion

The story was good(ish) but was continually bogged down with Suarez’s side-track homage to the dogmatic religious cult of “climate change”, and the pedantic chapter on crypto currency saving the world was numbing. Love the key story arc though, so I was torn on how much I enjoyed this book - not as spectacular as his previous ones, but they can’t all be home runs I guess.

A template for our future in space!

Throughout time,we earthlings have looked to the sky, wondering how we will move into space. this book provides a framework to creating the future --- Thank you, Daniel! looking forward to your next book!

Not as exciting as the first book

This sequel is not as exciting as the first book. The sources of tension and big ideas feel recycled. There's a whole chapters about cryptocurrency which was, frankly, hatable. I'm less interested in space politics, and more interested in space exploration! The only character doing hard core exploration did so outside the narrative, and this was only revealed at the end. Pretty disappointing.

Too much superfluous detail

This story suffers from the author adding too much superfluous detail to the story. There is a tremendous amount of effort in explaining how things work in ways that don't contribute to the story or plot. It is one thing to have a well thought out world, but another to spend a large percentage of the book trying to prove it.

The plot was ok. I wasn't addicted to it, but it wasn't bad either. Despite their tribulations, I'm surprised at how well things went for them, though. This is probably my least favorite of Suarez's books (which is not saying much, as I have really enjoyed them so far). There are still plenty of interesting ideas in there.

The narrator did a good job making characters distinct and covering a wide range of accents. It was a pleasant listen.

Love Daniel Suarez

I’ve read all of his work probably 5 times, and Critical Mass will Bo no exception.

Tangible, exciting, and worth experiencing

It just feels so tangible the way the story is written. I hope I get to see the day when humans actually mine asteroids. For now, this story is a pleasure to read and is an experience better than a movie. Excellent character development and dynamics throughout. I am looking forward to book #3 with excitement.

Can't wait for book 3

Went thru this one like butter too. For anyone hoping the series is over, simply not purchasing the next one is always an option. I however will be preordering #3 as soon as I hear about it. :)

Hard to put down after you start it!

I love this author and as a follow up to Delta V it does a great job of expanding on the ideas and concepts while treating the character arcs with respect.

The Decentralized future of space and blockchain!

Loved this story about space, and then lived it even more when the author delivered into the world of decentralized commerce powered by blockchain!