Delta-v

By: Daniel Suarez

Narrated by: Jeff Gurner

Length: 16 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

The best-selling author of Daemon returns with a near-future technological thriller, in which a charismatic billionaire recruits a team of adventurers to launch the first deep space mining operation - a mission that could alter the trajectory of human civilization.

When itinerant cave diver James Tighe receives an invitation to billionaire Nathan Joyce's private island, he thinks it must be a mistake. But Tighe's unique skill set makes him a prime candidate for Joyce's high-risk venture to mine a near-Earth asteroid - with the goal of kick-starting an entire off-world economy. The potential rewards and personal risks are staggering, but the competition is fierce, and the stakes couldn't be higher.  

Isolated and pushed beyond their breaking points, Tighe and his fellow 21st-century adventurers - ex-soldiers, former astronauts, BASE jumpers, and mountain climbers - must rely on each other to survive not only the dangers of a multi-year expedition but the harsh realities of business in space. They're determined to transform humanity from an Earth-bound species to a space-faring one - or die trying.

©2019 Daniel Suarez (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

A Prometheus Award Best Novel Nominee

"Daniel Suarez has slowly gotten quite a reputation as a master of high-tech, sci-fi thrillers. Not only is Delta-v no exception, it very well may be his finest work to date.... Throughout his career, Suarez has found consistent comparison to the late, great Michael Crichton. I can assuredly support that he is in a very small group of current writers who can carry that weighty mantle forward." (BookReporter)

“A cut above most tech novels, Suarez's latest benefits from his attention to detail, which boosts the believability of his futuristic vision.” (Kirkus)

 "A gripping and realistic near-future thriller." (Booklist) 

Daemon Deja Vu in Deep Space

The story follows the basic Daemon pattern ... a brilliant, seemingly evil billionaire has an elaborate plan to change the world. In this case, it's deep space rather than MMO.
The good: Suarez is brilliant at weaving near-future technology into an interesting story that stretches the mind. Jeff Gurner did his usual great job at narration.
The bad: The writing and story are sloppy compared to his prior books. The first 75% of the book could have been cut in half, and the character development wasn't up to Suarez's usual standard.
The inevitable: Clearly this book is screaming for a sequel.
Overall: Worth the credit and glad I spent the time, though I'm hoping the sequel will be more tightly written.

Not Daniel's Best Work

I've listened to all of Daniel's book and this book does not measure up to his other books. The book is an okay listen, the ending was lacking. Jeff did another amazing job reading.

Nothing special here

Having read every book by this author this book lacks the twists and turns of his other books.

This book is more like an outline of a good book.

I have really enjoyed Suarez's other books but this one is pretty bad. The concept is fantastic but the execution is painful. Imagine reading a book about the building of some magnificent skyscraper and all you find inside is a bunch memos from the HR department of the construction company. The author goes to great effort to tell us how diverse the group astronauts are and how the selection process includes people of all sexual orientations but as soon as something interesting happens in the story you get a wave of the hand explanation (lots of problems get solved while characters are passed out) and then right back to pure boredom. I wouldn't be this harsh but I know this author is capable of much more and I'm hopeful the next book will be better.

Unsatisfactory second half to promising story.

The opening half of the book is much better than the resulting second half which leaves a great deal in the air and largely ignores it's own premise.

"The Martian" on Steroids

Great book about a very Elon Musk type billionaire funding a secret asteroid mining project. However the story is mostly about the adventurous crew that has to survive the hostile challenges of space far away from any help. Great characters and a lot of info on the challenges of space beyond Earth. Plenty of action and, to me, a much more enjoyable and believable listen than "The Martian". I'm a big fan of Daniel Suarez's books and this one is one of his best. Love the reader too.

Disappointed it was not as good as his other books

I’ve listened to all of Daniel Suarez’s books & am a big fan of his work. However, while entertaining, in my opinion, this book isn’t nearly as good as his previous books.

Not Suarez's best

I usually enjoy the high level of technical detail in Daniel Suarez's books, however this one read more like a mission log. I never got connected to the characters, and I did not find it as engrossing as previous books. There were aspects I definitely enjoyed, and I finished it, but it just wasn't as engaging.

Disappointing

I’m a huge fan of his other books but this one seemed half baked. I kept on looking at the time left and saying to myself, “this can’t be it, there has to be a twist coming.” But it never came. There were a bunch of plot elements that didn’t pay off, a bunch of characters that never got a comeuppance, a bunch of skipping over large sections of the timeline. I can’t help but think this was a good idea that didn’t get the authors due attention.

Uncreative and Predictable

Because I've enjoyed Suarez's previous novels and the publisher's summary of Delta-V sounded compelling, my expectations were high. But unfortunately, it was about as predictable, myopic, and cliché as most Michael Bay flicks, e.g. Armageddon, Deep Impact, etc. (In fact, Ben Affleck would be a great guy to cast as James Tighe if Mr. Bay were to bring Delta-V to the big screen.)

I've not the time to write a comprehensive review. So... The plot line is uncreative, predictable, and hackneyed. There are far too many lead characters (a baker's dozen), all of whom are poorly developed and colorless. The writing and dialogue is rather bland. And Jeff Gurner's narration is neither good nor bad; it's just meh. It's gotta be difficult for a solid narrator to narrate at his best when the novel he's narrating is a mess, so can't blame Jeff.

Even though I do not recommend Delta-V, I'm still a fan of Daniel's work...just not this time.

Story: 2.0
Narration: 3.5
Overall: 2.5

Deep space adventure at its best

A very exciting book really well performed. If you enjoyed Andy Weir’s The Martian then you will enjoy this.

Great book

Really enjoyable story. Clever, well written and a great performance from the reader. Well done all.

Left yearning for more

I don’t remember any book/audiobook playing with my emotions quite like this did. A striking contrast between humanity at its very best, and at its very corrupt and greedy worst, all at once. Goosebumps, joy, tears, and wanting to fight every billionaire in the world. You will experience it all throughout this book. Sometimes simultaneously.

The author’s way of depicting setting, emotion, human sense and instinct is absolutely fantastic, and Jeff Gurner’s ability to bring it all to life and convey the story as if it is happening right in front of you is truly second to none.

The science in this is very advanced at times, but portrayed in a way that makes it easy to understand at least enough to follow the story. My scientific knowledge goes no further than the odd article, sci-fi book/movie, or documentary - but at no point did I feel lost.

I absolutely believe that anyone, from any background would enjoy this book (particularly those who are fans of The Expanse series or The Martian). I cannot recommend it enough.

Deep space science and human nature

This story has a lot of layers to it. There are some believable and achievable elements to space travel but it’s also a study on what drives the entrepreneurs pushing boundaries and roping in those tuned for adventure. The danger and claustrophobia comes across and the resilience and inventiveness of people does too. Even the politics of who has root access to the machinery is a feature. Loved it.

Perfect Book for anyone interested in Space & Asteroid Mining

Amazing book that I got recommended, it’s perfect, with real life events and characters (under different names) that are pioneering our current space exploration.

A must read for fans of “The Expanse” and the like.

Really fantastic. Best Suarez yet!

Narrative , brilliant. Characters, brilliant, Story, gripping. When will the next one be? There is still so much more to be told. Please don't leave it too long Daniel!!!

Another great book by the author

Yet another great story and reading by these two. If you enjoyed his other books such as kill decision, etc. You will really enjoy this one.

Brilliant as always

Well written and well read by Jeff. Great pace as always. If you are just starting with Daniel Suarez then I suggest that you start with Daemon and Freedom, then influx and change agent. You'll be completely hooked at that point.

His best since Deamon

Absolutely brilliant book, Suarez is back on form with this space adventure. It is very thought provoking, even inspiring.

hard work

While I have enjoyed most of Daniel's work this book was a real struggle to get into. The 1st 30 chapters were a drag. I even listened to 2 other books in the middle. The 2nd third of the book was better.. but even the last 3rd was not that great. meh