Critical Mass

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

De: Daniel Suarez

Narrado por: Jeff Gurner

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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

Great Follow Up. I Loved It!

While it started out slow, I really enjoyed this one. I found the story enjoyable and loved the interpretation of how tech, crazy visionaries, and de-centralized crypto could result in a new space age. While it is not very believable, I still loved it because I do not expect science fiction to be believable (slightly plausible works for me). It's also funny how triggered others are getting just because a fictional book mentions climate change. I mean, how dare an author talk about a fictional, made-up, hoax in a science fiction book (?. I love it. I hope there is another follow-up.

Near future is now!

Near future has been redefined by his books - this last installment of the delta-v saga is a testament to that - blending current / near-current technology with a highly likely outcome for earth into an epic that should define the genre of near future. A must listen for anyone interested in what might happen in your lifetime! Thank you, sir for another great reminder of what our future holds and how we might get there!

Excellent second book!

Looking forward to book three of the series, thank you Daniel for the awesome space adventure!!

Great story, relatable characters

Interesting point of view about the future of the human race. Captivating story, spectrum of emotions during the listening.

A wonderful romp!

Daniel Suarez has delivered yet another action packed heart string pulling epic. I can’t wait for more!

A great follow up to Delta-V

An exciting journey that continues to push the boundaries of plausible space travel and life. Great for all fans of hard sci-fi and adventure. Holding for a book 3.

Intriguing vision but not enough story.

What I love most is how realistic the vision Suarez portrays is. He has a wonderful grasp of earth politics and how challenging working together for the common good can be. He also leaves you wondering, ‘hmmm….. maybe we could actually do this.” Which I love…. Though I have no doubt it would be every bit as challenging to accomplish as portrayed.

What is lacking, however, is an engaging faster paced story. I think he did a better job of this Vision / Story balance in Daemon/Freedom. The ‘boring’ tag some reviews have attached is too strong in my opinion but I understand that for some it may feel a bit draggy at times.

That said, I’d recommend this book as a nice follow up to Delta-V, particularly if you like to geek out on the technical possibilities Suarez explores.

Another great book.

Thanks for putting out another great book. You're books are informative and the stories are both interesting and have a lot of real technology, history, and pieces of legislature. I always seem to look up things going on or technology that I didn't know about. Who knew we have space laws (Artemis accords)! Keep writing fantastic books and I'll keep reading them. Also, Jeff Gurner's reading of this book was awesome as always. Thanks again!

Reminiscent of the science-fiction of the 50's.

This book is very tech intensive. Listening as opposed to reading made it easier for me to get through. The book does get a bit dry in spots but the narrator kept me engaged in the story.

A rescue plan for comrades (And the Earth!)

I highly enjoyed this audiobook, I listened to this and Delta-V in about a week. The story revolves around a few large-scale engineering projects in space. The author discusses these projects in detail, which was very interesting to me. Any fans of science/engineering heavy stories like the Martian or Seveneves would love this book. The pacing was overall very fun as well, there was never a slow part to the book. I can see myself revisiting these books again.

The first book was mainly about mining an asteroid. This book adds to that with some projects near Earth and the moon. Climate change is also accelerating in the story, as it is about 2040, and these projects were also planning to provide clean energy to the earth in order to help. At one point early in the story, they lay out a multi-step plan to create a space resource economy, while also providing abundant clean energy to earth. It was super interesting, and seems feasible. In looking at the author’s website, he must put in a lot of research into all of the aspects throughout the book.

I prefer to read hopeful stories about good futures versus dystopias, and this book falls into that category.

Some people may get turned off by the cryptocurrency plot points. My opinion is that It works in this context of the story, and it was one of the few financial options the characters had to work with. It is pretty well explained, and again seems well-researched.

Here is some praise for the narrator as well, they had to do a ton of different accents.

There are some top comments right now complaining about the climate angle. It’s almost 2040 in this story, and climate problems have accelerated. Climate was mentioned briefly in the first book, but this book talks about how problems have accelerated in the years the characters were away from Earth. I love the focus on the Earth’s climate in this book. If anything, I think it’s an inspiration to how we can help provide tons of clean energy, and help out the world in the process.