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Delta-v #1
Delta-v
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 twenty-first 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.
Isolated and pushed beyond their breaking points, Tighe and his fellow twenty-first 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.
437 pages, Hardcover
First published April 23, 2019
1038 people are currently reading
9805 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Suarez
24 books4,591 followersDANIEL SUAREZ is the author of the New York Times bestseller Daemon, Freedom™, Kill Decision, and Influx. A former systems consultant to Fortune 1000 companies, he has designed and developed mission-critical software for the defense, finance, and entertainment industries. With a lifelong interest in both IT systems and creative writing, his high-tech and Sci-Fi thrillers focus on technology-driven change. Suarez is a past speaker at TED Global, MIT Media Lab, NASA Ames, the Long Now Foundation, and the headquarters of Google, Microsoft, and Amazon -- among many others. Self-taught in software development, he is a graduate from University of Delaware with a BA in English Literature. An avid PC and console gamer, his own world-building skills were bolstered through years as a pen & paper role-playing game moderator. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 866 reviews
June 5, 2022
If asteroid mining for space colonies isn´t your thing, try terraforming instead. Let´s see who´s first.
Subjective opinion confirmed
Terraforming and colonizing planets just suck in comparison to direct space manufacturing, using asteroid mining in combination with huge habitats that generate the perfect gravitation needed for healthy, longtime vacations in space. Not to speak of the easier build everywhere you want way.
Innuendos fangirls and fanboys might get
Some of the mighty billionaire players are pretty surely inspired by real prodigies, although I don´t get who is who. Readers who are more interested in the biographies (and real life of meatspace naked apes while not living under a rock) than in the science and tech part, like me, might be able to find the most possible candidates that could have inspired
Many little, perfectly dosed, multiple edutainment nerdgasms
Much distilled science that´s perfectly integrated into the plot, action, and characters' motivations, which has become kind of a trademark for Suarez´s work. In contrast to other sci-fi and technothriller authors, there is not a whiff of a length, infodump, or mental gray gooing worldbuilding, everything is perfectly dosed and mixed into the dynamic of an accelerating plot.
Robots are stealing our jobs
Well, no matter if it´s on earth with dangerous or repetitive jobs or in space or on hellhole planets, there is absolutely no reason to let weak meatbags do the work that is customized for automatization. Possibly also the most realistic way asteroid mining will work and whoever controls that technology will not only become the richest, but also most powerful nation of all time.
A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real life outside books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_...
Subjective opinion confirmed
Terraforming and colonizing planets just suck in comparison to direct space manufacturing, using asteroid mining in combination with huge habitats that generate the perfect gravitation needed for healthy, longtime vacations in space. Not to speak of the easier build everywhere you want way.
Innuendos fangirls and fanboys might get
Some of the mighty billionaire players are pretty surely inspired by real prodigies, although I don´t get who is who. Readers who are more interested in the biographies (and real life of meatspace naked apes while not living under a rock) than in the science and tech part, like me, might be able to find the most possible candidates that could have inspired
Many little, perfectly dosed, multiple edutainment nerdgasms
Much distilled science that´s perfectly integrated into the plot, action, and characters' motivations, which has become kind of a trademark for Suarez´s work. In contrast to other sci-fi and technothriller authors, there is not a whiff of a length, infodump, or mental gray gooing worldbuilding, everything is perfectly dosed and mixed into the dynamic of an accelerating plot.
Robots are stealing our jobs
Well, no matter if it´s on earth with dangerous or repetitive jobs or in space or on hellhole planets, there is absolutely no reason to let weak meatbags do the work that is customized for automatization. Possibly also the most realistic way asteroid mining will work and whoever controls that technology will not only become the richest, but also most powerful nation of all time.
A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real life outside books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_...
March 28, 2024
Exceptional!
If Robert A. Heinlein and Poul Anderson were alive today, this would be the kind of fiction they would produce: optimistic, resourceful, daring and fun as hell.
Poul Anderson published Industrial Revolution in 1963 about asteroid mining and modern writer Daniel Suarez takes this old idea and tells a similar story for the modern age. Eschewing government control, Suarez has as his mining leaders billionaire investors and multi-national corporations, playing fast and loose with international law to get things done.
To man the expedition, eccentric and dynamic tycoon Nathan Joyce finds a crew of adventurers: cave divers, mountain climbers, former astronauts and engineers to realize his dream of a fortune seeking way to supply up and coming space exploration and colonization. Joyce begs, borrows and steals amongst the global financial elite to bankroll his plans and gets his Swiss attorney to help keep bureaucrats at bay. Suarez sets up a narrative split between Joyce’s not always ethical machinations on Earth and the crew of his expedition millions of miles away, mining a fortune in water and other natural resources.
This gripping, fast paced story had the feel of a modern day gold mining prospector tale or a years long voyage around the world in the 1600s. One theme Suarez explores is the concept of the adventurer gene, that produces people who may not be the best for family or stability, but who are necessary for exploration and pushing boundaries.
If Suarez writes a sequel, I’ll be standing in line to buy.
*** 2024 - reread
This book has lost none of its potency and is probably more relevant now as we are watching in real time billionaires competing for a foothold in space
If Robert A. Heinlein and Poul Anderson were alive today, this would be the kind of fiction they would produce: optimistic, resourceful, daring and fun as hell.
Poul Anderson published Industrial Revolution in 1963 about asteroid mining and modern writer Daniel Suarez takes this old idea and tells a similar story for the modern age. Eschewing government control, Suarez has as his mining leaders billionaire investors and multi-national corporations, playing fast and loose with international law to get things done.
To man the expedition, eccentric and dynamic tycoon Nathan Joyce finds a crew of adventurers: cave divers, mountain climbers, former astronauts and engineers to realize his dream of a fortune seeking way to supply up and coming space exploration and colonization. Joyce begs, borrows and steals amongst the global financial elite to bankroll his plans and gets his Swiss attorney to help keep bureaucrats at bay. Suarez sets up a narrative split between Joyce’s not always ethical machinations on Earth and the crew of his expedition millions of miles away, mining a fortune in water and other natural resources.
This gripping, fast paced story had the feel of a modern day gold mining prospector tale or a years long voyage around the world in the 1600s. One theme Suarez explores is the concept of the adventurer gene, that produces people who may not be the best for family or stability, but who are necessary for exploration and pushing boundaries.
If Suarez writes a sequel, I’ll be standing in line to buy.
*** 2024 - reread
This book has lost none of its potency and is probably more relevant now as we are watching in real time billionaires competing for a foothold in space
January 6, 2023
Fantastic!
Honestly, I'm rather blown away. I've read a ton of great science-driven take me to space books but this one is pretty much perfect across the board. We're given the works, from picking the best people, the training, the politics (updated for today), massive amounts of capitalist chicanery, fraud, references to real people thinly veiled, as well as the full experience of getting out there, mining, running into tons of very realistic trouble, and finally coming back.
Let me just point something out, though:
It has the ambition of Kim Stanley Robinson, the cool characters of Heinlein and/or Andy Weir, the pacing of the tightest thriller, and tons of real surprises. None of it is hokey -- no alien surprises or egregious handwavium. But best of all, I was whooping for joy at the end of this novel. I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat.
For that, I have to announce.... I'm squeeing for joy!
I'm SO happy.
Honestly, I'm rather blown away. I've read a ton of great science-driven take me to space books but this one is pretty much perfect across the board. We're given the works, from picking the best people, the training, the politics (updated for today), massive amounts of capitalist chicanery, fraud, references to real people thinly veiled, as well as the full experience of getting out there, mining, running into tons of very realistic trouble, and finally coming back.
Let me just point something out, though:
It has the ambition of Kim Stanley Robinson, the cool characters of Heinlein and/or Andy Weir, the pacing of the tightest thriller, and tons of real surprises. None of it is hokey -- no alien surprises or egregious handwavium. But best of all, I was whooping for joy at the end of this novel. I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat.
For that, I have to announce.... I'm squeeing for joy!
I'm SO happy.
May 22, 2019
There’s gold in them thar asteroids!
In the near future commercial space exploration is growing, but not fast enough to suit billionaire Nathan Joyce who believes that humanity’s only chance of long-term survival is to immediately start mining asteroids. This will not only provide critical resources and advance the technologies to let people start living in space, but it also could create an entirely new and sustainable economy. Joyce is recruiting an multinational group of risk-takers like cave diver James Tighe who have the skills necessary to be the first asteroid miners. The mission will be unprecedented and dangerous, but not all the threats come from being in space.
I love Daniel Suarez’s books because he’s great at looking at where we’re at both technologically and as a society and then coming up with very plausible stories about what comes next. Here, he’s selling the idea that humanity’s future hinges not on colonizing the moon or Mars, but instead on coming up with ways of living in space using the resources we could get from the hunks of rock floating around out there. He’s very persuasive on this point, and his conclusions make a lot of sense. (I kept finding myself thinking that this could be the prequel to The Expanse series which finds humanity spread out through the solar system.)
It helps that this isn’t a tale filled with wide-eyed optimism, and there’s a lot of cynical pragmatism in how the plot unfolds. Suarez creates a world in which it’s greed as much as anything that would make this happen, and that getting this going would take the resources of the mega-rich. That certainly fits the direction we seem to be heading with guys like Elon Musk and Richard Branson putting big money into space. But when you get people driven by profit margins and massive egos involved you can’t really trust them to do the right thing for the greater good or even their own employees either. Throw in a bunch of murky laws related to this and competing national interests, and it’s probably inevitable that mining asteroids will be just as cutthroat and messy as business on Earth.
If you’re into space stuff, especially near future hard sci-fi, then there’s a lot to like here. Suarez is better at coming up with cool ideas and tech then he is writing about people, but he does an adequate job of creating a cast of characters and putting them in interesting and sometimes hazardous situations. While a lot is wrapped up here the book also ends on what seems to be a pure sequel set-up so I don’t think we got the whole story, but I’ll be happy to check out the next one, too. 3.5 stars.
In the near future commercial space exploration is growing, but not fast enough to suit billionaire Nathan Joyce who believes that humanity’s only chance of long-term survival is to immediately start mining asteroids. This will not only provide critical resources and advance the technologies to let people start living in space, but it also could create an entirely new and sustainable economy. Joyce is recruiting an multinational group of risk-takers like cave diver James Tighe who have the skills necessary to be the first asteroid miners. The mission will be unprecedented and dangerous, but not all the threats come from being in space.
I love Daniel Suarez’s books because he’s great at looking at where we’re at both technologically and as a society and then coming up with very plausible stories about what comes next. Here, he’s selling the idea that humanity’s future hinges not on colonizing the moon or Mars, but instead on coming up with ways of living in space using the resources we could get from the hunks of rock floating around out there. He’s very persuasive on this point, and his conclusions make a lot of sense. (I kept finding myself thinking that this could be the prequel to The Expanse series which finds humanity spread out through the solar system.)
It helps that this isn’t a tale filled with wide-eyed optimism, and there’s a lot of cynical pragmatism in how the plot unfolds. Suarez creates a world in which it’s greed as much as anything that would make this happen, and that getting this going would take the resources of the mega-rich. That certainly fits the direction we seem to be heading with guys like Elon Musk and Richard Branson putting big money into space. But when you get people driven by profit margins and massive egos involved you can’t really trust them to do the right thing for the greater good or even their own employees either. Throw in a bunch of murky laws related to this and competing national interests, and it’s probably inevitable that mining asteroids will be just as cutthroat and messy as business on Earth.
If you’re into space stuff, especially near future hard sci-fi, then there’s a lot to like here. Suarez is better at coming up with cool ideas and tech then he is writing about people, but he does an adequate job of creating a cast of characters and putting them in interesting and sometimes hazardous situations. While a lot is wrapped up here the book also ends on what seems to be a pure sequel set-up so I don’t think we got the whole story, but I’ll be happy to check out the next one, too. 3.5 stars.
September 21, 2020
I read a fair bit of sci-fi as a teenager, whereas now it’s only an occasional choice for me. I tend to limit those choices to “hard” sci-fi, of the type that was standard for the genre in the 1960s and 70s. This novel falls very much into that category. The author clearly put in a huge amount of research to keep the story scientifically plausible.
The first half of the book is taken up with the setup for the asteroid mission, much of it in a training camp where a large number of potential astronauts are whittled down to the small number needed. I found this section dragged, with the characters being part of the problem. Nobody reads a sci-fi novel expecting an in-depth character study, but the characters in this book were so thinly drawn as to be nearly invisible. The lead persona, James Tighe, resembled an automaton. He has a sort of romance with another trainee, but their relationship seems to take place without any emotion from either party. I didn’t care that much about who was going to be selected, and in any case it was fairly obvious who was going to get through.
I considered giving up on the book, but persevered in the hope the story would improve once the space mission started. Somewhat to my own surprise this is exactly what happened. The pace picked up considerably, and I read the second half of the book in a fraction of the time it took me to plough through the earlier part. Although this story featured a group of people rather than an individual, it did remind me a bit of “The Martian” in that it was based around individuals isolated in space facing multiple problems, and having to use their ingenuity to survive. I really enjoyed “The Martian” and ultimately I enjoyed this one too.
Two stars for the first half of the book and four for the entertaining second half.
The first half of the book is taken up with the setup for the asteroid mission, much of it in a training camp where a large number of potential astronauts are whittled down to the small number needed. I found this section dragged, with the characters being part of the problem. Nobody reads a sci-fi novel expecting an in-depth character study, but the characters in this book were so thinly drawn as to be nearly invisible. The lead persona, James Tighe, resembled an automaton. He has a sort of romance with another trainee, but their relationship seems to take place without any emotion from either party. I didn’t care that much about who was going to be selected, and in any case it was fairly obvious who was going to get through.
I considered giving up on the book, but persevered in the hope the story would improve once the space mission started. Somewhat to my own surprise this is exactly what happened. The pace picked up considerably, and I read the second half of the book in a fraction of the time it took me to plough through the earlier part. Although this story featured a group of people rather than an individual, it did remind me a bit of “The Martian” in that it was based around individuals isolated in space facing multiple problems, and having to use their ingenuity to survive. I really enjoyed “The Martian” and ultimately I enjoyed this one too.
Two stars for the first half of the book and four for the entertaining second half.
June 29, 2022
In 2032, various billionaires are competing with each other to monetize space exploration. One of the billionaires, Nathan Joyce, has started an asteroid mining company and wants to find a crew for the first manned expedition. A collection of 440 candidates is assembled. They have varying skills, but they are linked by their daredevil natures. Their number is to be winnowed down to 8 after rigorous training exercises and psychological evaluation. Those selected will go on a 4 year mission to mine an asteroid. Joyce shares the daredevil qualities of his candidates and, assisted by Lukas Rochat, a young lawyer specializing in space law, he bulldozes over all laws and restrictions that might slow down his project.
This book had an interesting premise and parts of it were very exciting. I especially liked the bootcamp-like training. Once on the asteroid, there was a fair amount of technobabble that I generally ignored, but I was fascinated by the concept of using the resources of the asteroid to create not only everything needed to sustain the lives of the crew but also to create the materials needed for the mining venture itself. Most of the focus of the book was on the crew, which was a good thing, because the parts that focused on Joyce were very sketchy. It felt like parts were left out. Joyce and/or Rochat would appear sporadically, but their story line always felt like it needed further explanation. There was also a chapter involving some of Joyce’s creditors. Their motives and actions made no sense and they were like cartoon characters. However, the crew was likable, the science was intriguing and the book was entertaining. There is room at the end for a sequel and I would read it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
This book had an interesting premise and parts of it were very exciting. I especially liked the bootcamp-like training. Once on the asteroid, there was a fair amount of technobabble that I generally ignored, but I was fascinated by the concept of using the resources of the asteroid to create not only everything needed to sustain the lives of the crew but also to create the materials needed for the mining venture itself. Most of the focus of the book was on the crew, which was a good thing, because the parts that focused on Joyce were very sketchy. It felt like parts were left out. Joyce and/or Rochat would appear sporadically, but their story line always felt like it needed further explanation. There was also a chapter involving some of Joyce’s creditors. Their motives and actions made no sense and they were like cartoon characters. However, the crew was likable, the science was intriguing and the book was entertaining. There is room at the end for a sequel and I would read it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
April 9, 2023
Image: The asteroid 162173 Ryugu and a chart showing organic molecules that a Japanese spacecraft found in a sample of it. Source
Finally! A newer science fiction novel worthy of the genre.
It's getting more and more difficult for me to find good sci-fi. The genre seems to have morphed into dumbed-down writing with no science, moronic characters who all seem like vapid teenagers even if they're adults (which isn't fair to all the mostly non-vapid teens or to readers), and silly, often overly sentimental romance.
Delta-V is none of those things. Instead, it is smart, inventive, and exciting. It has great writing, mature characters, and loads of scientific and technological explanations.
The story follows James Tighe, an adventurous cave diver, from the bowels of the earth to the asteroid Ryugu, over 300 million km (approx. 202 million miles) away.
He has been hired by an enterprising billionaire who wants to be the first to send manned missions to mine asteroids. Tighe must first go through a rigorous vetting process and then months of training before finding out if he will be one of the lucky(?) few to join the mission.
It's a given that he does - it says in the blurb, so it's not a spoiler, and anyway, what kind of book would have the main character not get to go on this mission of a lifetime?
Just like most or perhaps all real billionaires, Nathan Joyce doesn't give a shit about anything or anyone. What matters is getting more money, more power, and more fame for himself.
And if he has to put the lives of these asteroid miners on the line, so be it.
This is a thrilling story that had me on the edge of my seat many times. The descriptions of the ships and mining robots and the settings were all incredible.
I am so glad I waited until the second book Critical Mass was published because I'm so eager to jump right back into another spaceship with JT and the gang.
If you love hard sci-fi, you don't want to miss this one!
April 17, 2019
5 'Far Stars' for the Konstantin!
I should have been sleeping when I read this book but it was so good I had to stay up until the very end. I love reading anything about space, whether it's hard science or science fiction, a fun space opera or a serious article, it doesn't matter as long as it takes me to that otherworldly place in the sky that most of us can only dream about visiting. And this book did just that. From the beginning of the crew's training, through the laughter and tears, and every new 'first' on their four-year journey, all the way to that final edge of your seat, re-entry, I felt like I was right there with them the entire time. I worked as a NASA contractor for quite a few years and live just a few minutes from Marshall Space Flight Center so my passion for space exploration and all things space related runs quite deep so I love when authors take the time to write about space. Books like these not only allow me to live vicariously through the characters but more importantly, they get kids as well as adults, excited and interested in space science and exploration and the endless possibilities that our future holds.
So if you enjoy reading about space flight, space mining, astronaut training, cislunar orbit and/or deep space, give this book a try. Yes, other authors have written about space flight but each story is unique, including this one, 'especially' this one. And if you like space flight stories like I do, you can read about, as many space missions that you can get your hands on.
Lastly, I noticed that there were several threads left open for potential follow-up later which gives me great hope that this is the beginning of a series and not a standalone novel. At least, I got a pretty clear impression that the author has further plans for his characters, now whether the publishers are on board, I'm not sure. I really hope they are though because I'm as down for a cislunar and deep space rendezvous, as much as Tighe and Chindarkar are!
*I received this ARC from Penguin Random House' First to Reads, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
I should have been sleeping when I read this book but it was so good I had to stay up until the very end. I love reading anything about space, whether it's hard science or science fiction, a fun space opera or a serious article, it doesn't matter as long as it takes me to that otherworldly place in the sky that most of us can only dream about visiting. And this book did just that. From the beginning of the crew's training, through the laughter and tears, and every new 'first' on their four-year journey, all the way to that final edge of your seat, re-entry, I felt like I was right there with them the entire time. I worked as a NASA contractor for quite a few years and live just a few minutes from Marshall Space Flight Center so my passion for space exploration and all things space related runs quite deep so I love when authors take the time to write about space. Books like these not only allow me to live vicariously through the characters but more importantly, they get kids as well as adults, excited and interested in space science and exploration and the endless possibilities that our future holds.
So if you enjoy reading about space flight, space mining, astronaut training, cislunar orbit and/or deep space, give this book a try. Yes, other authors have written about space flight but each story is unique, including this one, 'especially' this one. And if you like space flight stories like I do, you can read about, as many space missions that you can get your hands on.
Lastly, I noticed that there were several threads left open for potential follow-up later which gives me great hope that this is the beginning of a series and not a standalone novel. At least, I got a pretty clear impression that the author has further plans for his characters, now whether the publishers are on board, I'm not sure. I really hope they are though because I'm as down for a cislunar and deep space rendezvous, as much as Tighe and Chindarkar are!
*I received this ARC from Penguin Random House' First to Reads, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
December 21, 2018
It felt very tired and the plot overdone. Characters were also very predictable and two dimensional.
October 1, 2023
Suarez has done his homework for this near-future asteroid-mining SF thriller. The book is set in the early 2030s, which seems very soon for some of the technology it extrapolates. It gets melodramatic at times, and the characterizations can be perfunctory. But it’s a good tale well-told, with some nice twists, and boy, do those pages turn. Strong 4 stars. Recommended, especially for hard-SF fans.
March 18, 2019
Boring. The plot is tired and the characters aren't great. I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't.
December 22, 2019
Ive read all of Suarez's books. This was by far the weakest. Not sure why every sci-fi author try's to be Weir (The Martian) and add all kinds of science figures in their books in an effort to make it more 'believable'. This book is divided into two sections. The first is a slow slog through what an astronaut training regimen might look like, with many new characters thrown in, none of which are really developed. The second half has a pretty good story, but still, it just feels quite labored. Its weird, but you spend the entire second half with five characters and only one ever really gets fleshed out. I was expecting something far better from Suarez as his previous books were blockbusters in action, tech and potential. In this case, I hate to say this, but the potential is there, the execution is not. .
August 16, 2024
4.5 stars
Political wrangling, power games, and secret mining of a deep space asteroid!
This was an exciting ride mostly from start to finish. I listened to the audiobook version, which was an excellent choice. My only complaint is that the narrator has a bit of a game show host voice at the start, but as the book progressed he did do a nice job with accents and the various characters.
The ending leaves some pretty major loose threads hanging, so I’ll be reading (or listening to) the sequel, Critical Mass, sooner rather than later.
Political wrangling, power games, and secret mining of a deep space asteroid!
This was an exciting ride mostly from start to finish. I listened to the audiobook version, which was an excellent choice. My only complaint is that the narrator has a bit of a game show host voice at the start, but as the book progressed he did do a nice job with accents and the various characters.
The ending leaves some pretty major loose threads hanging, so I’ll be reading (or listening to) the sequel, Critical Mass, sooner rather than later.
March 22, 2025
For those unfamiliar with the term, Delta-v (ΔV) is a key concept in spaceflight and orbital mechanics that represents the change in velocity required for a spacecraft to perform maneuvers such as entering orbit, changing orbits, or escaping a gravitational field. It is a fitting title for a book that involves the goal of mining asteroids and returning the products to earth.
This is a science fiction thriller set in the 2030s. Protagonist James Tighe (JT) is recruited by charismatic tech billionaire Nathan Joyce to compete for a position on an innovative deep space mission involving computer technology, which he has kept secret through illegal maneuverings. JT and his fellow adventurers attend a rigorous training program intended to whittle down the competitors to the top candidates. They must not only compete but also work as a team and undergo psychological evaluation. The payoff promised by the billionaire is enormous personal wealth and fame. The results are unexpected.
It is an intriguing concept, and well-executed. It is obvious that the scientific principles are well researched (if not entirely achievable at present). It is ultimately a story of adventure and survival, with a good mix of action and character development. It pushes boundaries of what might be possible for the future of space exploration. In addition, it is a critique of the power wielded by billionaires, and the lengths they will go to accomplish their often outlandish and egocentric objectives. I could have done without the cartoonish helicopter scene, but overall, I found it engaging and entertaining. The ending is a satisfying conclusion to this story and sets up the sequel. It would make a good mini-series.
4.5
This is a science fiction thriller set in the 2030s. Protagonist James Tighe (JT) is recruited by charismatic tech billionaire Nathan Joyce to compete for a position on an innovative deep space mission involving computer technology, which he has kept secret through illegal maneuverings. JT and his fellow adventurers attend a rigorous training program intended to whittle down the competitors to the top candidates. They must not only compete but also work as a team and undergo psychological evaluation. The payoff promised by the billionaire is enormous personal wealth and fame. The results are unexpected.
It is an intriguing concept, and well-executed. It is obvious that the scientific principles are well researched (if not entirely achievable at present). It is ultimately a story of adventure and survival, with a good mix of action and character development. It pushes boundaries of what might be possible for the future of space exploration. In addition, it is a critique of the power wielded by billionaires, and the lengths they will go to accomplish their often outlandish and egocentric objectives. I could have done without the cartoonish helicopter scene, but overall, I found it engaging and entertaining. The ending is a satisfying conclusion to this story and sets up the sequel. It would make a good mini-series.
4.5
December 31, 2019
Very much a ho-hum “been there done that” affair. Asteroid mining is one of the oldest tropes of SF, and pretty much every author has told a story regarding it. Clarke, Varley, Cherryh, Niven, Heinlein, Bova, Foster, Williamson, Stephenson, Doc Smith, Pournelle, Chalker... they’ve all done it. Brin and Benford’s Heart of the Comet is practically the template for this novel. So you really need to step up your game to bring something new to the table. Suarez doesn’t, disappointingly.
Suarez uses the current spate of billionaires Branson, Bezos and Musk funding their own personal space companies as his jumping-off point, but even that isn’t a new wrinkle, leading Suarez to either consciously or unintentionally copy what’s gone before.
The craft falls down here, too. For instance, when it’s revealed that one of the billionaires is using shell companies to disguise the piecemeal building of his spaceship, a la Captain Nemo’s gambit when assembling the Nautilus, it comes as no surprise. That this reveal comes for the company lawyer many chapters before the astronauts simply draws it out to a tedious degree rather than being an interesting twist. That it’s telegraphed before the lawyer finds out really makes it a slog.
That’s just poorly-structured storytelling.
Suarez uses the current spate of billionaires Branson, Bezos and Musk funding their own personal space companies as his jumping-off point, but even that isn’t a new wrinkle, leading Suarez to either consciously or unintentionally copy what’s gone before.
The craft falls down here, too. For instance, when it’s revealed that one of the billionaires is using shell companies to disguise the piecemeal building of his spaceship, a la Captain Nemo’s gambit when assembling the Nautilus, it comes as no surprise. That this reveal comes for the company lawyer many chapters before the astronauts simply draws it out to a tedious degree rather than being an interesting twist. That it’s telegraphed before the lawyer finds out really makes it a slog.
That’s just poorly-structured storytelling.
April 12, 2021
Some readers habits and book ratings changed during the intense part of the COVID pandemic, mine apparently are changing on the tail end. Carol called it COVID brain, I am merely going to describe this as mirror-Hank.
Mirror-Hank found this book exciting and fell in love with the characters. This was a 21st century version of or homage(?) to asteroid mining. At its core, it was a buddy story with a diverse cast of characters with all the usual problems you could think of, related to hard core explorers, all bonding together for a difficult mission. The problems they encountered were mostly realistic and nerve racking at times. A good read that you don't have to get too involved in to enjoy or waste too much brain power thinking about.
Normal-Hank (this should be thought of in the same vein as military intelligence) realizes that in fact this book is cliche crap that has been done better. With the evidence that the last two books I have read, that were actually good, I have rated poorly, Normal-Hank is clearly not in charge now and for the foreseable future.
Mirror-Hank found this book exciting and fell in love with the characters. This was a 21st century version of or homage(?) to asteroid mining. At its core, it was a buddy story with a diverse cast of characters with all the usual problems you could think of, related to hard core explorers, all bonding together for a difficult mission. The problems they encountered were mostly realistic and nerve racking at times. A good read that you don't have to get too involved in to enjoy or waste too much brain power thinking about.
Normal-Hank (this should be thought of in the same vein as military intelligence) realizes that in fact this book is cliche crap that has been done better. With the evidence that the last two books I have read, that were actually good, I have rated poorly, Normal-Hank is clearly not in charge now and for the foreseable future.
May 29, 2023
Finished! Since Seveneves, I haven't enjoyed a space odyssey as much as this one.
Right now I'm not sure if I'll read the sequel; I have to think about it, and if I do, it will be at a later time. However, I highly recommend this book to space exploration and hard science fiction enthusiasts.
Right now I'm not sure if I'll read the sequel; I have to think about it, and if I do, it will be at a later time. However, I highly recommend this book to space exploration and hard science fiction enthusiasts.
November 2, 2019
In the distant future mankind has conquered the stars, well at least low Earth orbit anyway... but ambition, greed, and an overwhelming desire to be the first has led to a space ages arms race; inhabit Mars, build bases on the Moon, mine asteroids in deep space, commercialize low Earth orbit...it's all for the taking and for one young entrepreneur, secrecy, scandal and a series of covert space ops, places him, and mankind on the brink of greatness.
Delta-V is a space nerds wet dream; a pure shot of science fiction adrenaline direct to the vein.
Author Daniel Suarez is known for his high octane tech-fi thrills but this one is something special. Delta-V puts the reader firmly in outer-space right alongside the characters in a claustrophobic and isolated place-setting which reads 'real' thanks to some tech-jargon and clever concepts right out of the space travel playbook.
There's a cinematic feel to the story which bodes well for future stories set in this universe as well making for some great, tension filled moments (which I don't detail to avoid spoiling). Everything about Delta-V feels big, as does the lasting impression. I give this a solid 5 (out of 5) stars.
Delta-V is a space nerds wet dream; a pure shot of science fiction adrenaline direct to the vein.
Author Daniel Suarez is known for his high octane tech-fi thrills but this one is something special. Delta-V puts the reader firmly in outer-space right alongside the characters in a claustrophobic and isolated place-setting which reads 'real' thanks to some tech-jargon and clever concepts right out of the space travel playbook.
There's a cinematic feel to the story which bodes well for future stories set in this universe as well making for some great, tension filled moments (which I don't detail to avoid spoiling). Everything about Delta-V feels big, as does the lasting impression. I give this a solid 5 (out of 5) stars.
May 6, 2019
Although I loved the author’s first 3 books, this one just didn’t grab me.
Perhaps it’s me but I found that I just couldn’t get into the story. Or maybe it was the fact that, unlike his first novel, it did not take me anywhere I haven’t been, before.
I’m getting older so maybe my tastes are changing but I do know that I wanted to like this book.
Regardless, he is a very talented writer who I know will come up with another hit, soon.
Perhaps it’s me but I found that I just couldn’t get into the story. Or maybe it was the fact that, unlike his first novel, it did not take me anywhere I haven’t been, before.
I’m getting older so maybe my tastes are changing but I do know that I wanted to like this book.
Regardless, he is a very talented writer who I know will come up with another hit, soon.
September 21, 2019
Delta-V is a straight-up space story. It takes place in the very near future and follows the first human attempt to mine asteroids.
The plot focuses on a group of people who organize, train, or compete with the mission. Our point of view character is a cave diver, and gives us a decent window into the science and engineering. Another character is an Elon Musk/Jeff Bezos Heinleinian type, a space-obsessed plutocrat who pulls increasingly dodgy string to set things up.
As a straight-up space story Delta-V satisfies. The ideas are quite plausible or in use now (); there isn't any magic or speculative science (no wormholes, human-transcendent AI, quantum videoconferencing) (fans of The Expanse series will feel right at home). The plot has enough energy, stress, and surprise to keep you going for hundreds of pages.
However, it's not more than that. Characters are very lightly sketched. Tighe gets the most depth, but he's basically Mr. Competent and that's about it. He has some background that he reacts to - a bad cave expedition, some father issues, a separated family - but that's very thin on the novel's ground. The Bezos character is fascinating yet cryptic, barely drawn. Delta-V is really just about the idea of space mining. Suarez is a good enough thriller writer to make it work.
I'm fascinating by how this book fits into the current wave of science fiction looking at space travel. Delta-V reminds me of The Martian, especially the movie version, in its combination of very hard work and passionate call for human spaceflight. The Odyssey plot (start from home (Earth), go far away, struggle, return home) also brings to mind Gravity (2013) or Kim Stanley Robinson's frustrating Aurora (my review). Like those stories, Delta-V is very meticulous in imagining how such a space odyssey would occur. Unlike them, it doesn't collapse upon the Earth's surface in profound and reactionary relief, ending the possibility of humanity's stellar possibilities.
We can see an echo of this in the recent film First Man, which offers an exciting vision of NASA's triumphant progress, while undercutting it by depicting Armstrong not as a hero but as a failed human being, utterly incapable of interpersonal interaction. The movie's prominent use of Gil-Scott Heron's "White on the Moon" is both apt for its approach and depressing to me. Overall, contemporary science fiction seems to have a divided moment about human spaceflight. That's worth noting. And I know on which side of the division I stand.
3 stars as a novel. 4 for the space optimism.
The plot focuses on a group of people who organize, train, or compete with the mission. Our point of view character is a cave diver, and gives us a decent window into the science and engineering. Another character is an Elon Musk/Jeff Bezos Heinleinian type, a space-obsessed plutocrat who pulls increasingly dodgy string to set things up.
As a straight-up space story Delta-V satisfies. The ideas are quite plausible or in use now (); there isn't any magic or speculative science (no wormholes, human-transcendent AI, quantum videoconferencing) (fans of The Expanse series will feel right at home). The plot has enough energy, stress, and surprise to keep you going for hundreds of pages.
However, it's not more than that. Characters are very lightly sketched. Tighe gets the most depth, but he's basically Mr. Competent and that's about it. He has some background that he reacts to - a bad cave expedition, some father issues, a separated family - but that's very thin on the novel's ground. The Bezos character is fascinating yet cryptic, barely drawn. Delta-V is really just about the idea of space mining. Suarez is a good enough thriller writer to make it work.
I'm fascinating by how this book fits into the current wave of science fiction looking at space travel. Delta-V reminds me of The Martian, especially the movie version, in its combination of very hard work and passionate call for human spaceflight. The Odyssey plot (start from home (Earth), go far away, struggle, return home) also brings to mind Gravity (2013) or Kim Stanley Robinson's frustrating Aurora (my review). Like those stories, Delta-V is very meticulous in imagining how such a space odyssey would occur. Unlike them, it doesn't collapse upon the Earth's surface in profound and reactionary relief, ending the possibility of humanity's stellar possibilities.
We can see an echo of this in the recent film First Man, which offers an exciting vision of NASA's triumphant progress, while undercutting it by depicting Armstrong not as a hero but as a failed human being, utterly incapable of interpersonal interaction. The movie's prominent use of Gil-Scott Heron's "White on the Moon" is both apt for its approach and depressing to me. Overall, contemporary science fiction seems to have a divided moment about human spaceflight. That's worth noting. And I know on which side of the division I stand.
3 stars as a novel. 4 for the space optimism.
September 9, 2020
DNF @ 37%
I was really looking forward to reading this book, but sadly it's been something of a disappointment for me. Around 160 pages in and still the book is just about the training for the asteroid mining mission, they haven't even gone to space yet!
I didn't expect so much time to spent on the characters preparing to go to space and maybe that's on me but it's not even compelling. The characters are all pretty two-dimensional, even the protagonist, and the book so far has just felt like a montage of training exercises that aren't particularly interesting to read about.
The one attempt at fleshing out the protagonist's backstory wasn't well-done or interesting, and the book's subplot about a space lawyer in Luxembourg has clear ties to the main plot but that doesn't make that interesting either. Quite frankly I couldn't care less about that stupid lawyer!
I seriously doubt that I'll be giving this book another shot, but I guess you never know.
I was really looking forward to reading this book, but sadly it's been something of a disappointment for me. Around 160 pages in and still the book is just about the training for the asteroid mining mission, they haven't even gone to space yet!
I didn't expect so much time to spent on the characters preparing to go to space and maybe that's on me but it's not even compelling. The characters are all pretty two-dimensional, even the protagonist, and the book so far has just felt like a montage of training exercises that aren't particularly interesting to read about.
The one attempt at fleshing out the protagonist's backstory wasn't well-done or interesting, and the book's subplot about a space lawyer in Luxembourg has clear ties to the main plot but that doesn't make that interesting either. Quite frankly I couldn't care less about that stupid lawyer!
I seriously doubt that I'll be giving this book another shot, but I guess you never know.
May 3, 2019
A must read. Like everything Suarez has written it is hard to put down. This is his best book since Daemon. Anyone interested in commercial space, asteroid mining, or just a great sci-fi story should read it.
September 1, 2020
Love me some good hard science fiction. Set in the not to distant future the story is very feasible and realistic... rippend from today’s headlines kind of stuff!
October 14, 2023
I found it challenging to set the book aside. If it weren't an audiobook, I would probably neglect dog walks and delay diners just to finish it. Great techno-thriller, and I'll be starting the sequel shortly.
December 4, 2019
Hopeful and precise. Surprisingly moving, in the second half anyway. The prose is flat, economical, and repetitive (for instance, every time the characters do pre-emptive oxygen saturation before a spacewalk, Suarez tells you so), but if you like space or engineering detail you'll be fine. It's billed as (very) hard scifi, but there was actually less physics and more economics in it than I was expecting (and still too much kinematic exposition for most readers, I guess). It's "hard" in the sense that every technology in this already exists in some form, if only prototype or protoprototype, that every celestial body mentioned exists in that location, that the energy budget of the crew is taken seriously - "gravity wells are for suckers" - that their (even safety-critical) software has many terrible bugs.
The most moving part was . Some of the most important things in the world rely on sacrifice, and really we should be more moved by the death of an asteroid miner than that of a soldier in a typical war. One is driving the species forward, one is crab-wrestling in a bucket.
Why is space so moving? Well there's the stated reason, via Hawking:
But does this argument from reduction of existential risk go through? Probably not - most x-risk is due to us, not volcanoes or asteroids or gamma bursts, and we should expect this kind of risk to reduce only modestly in a multiplanetary setting, since the act of colonisation carries the risk source, us, with it; and there are much cheaper and more developed ways of preventing extinction, like arms control and AI research. And we're (even) more likely to have large conflicts when the cultural distances, between planetary civilisations, are so much larger.
So what? Is it our genes, new-pastures wanderlust? The sheer scale?
There's a lot of ostentation in the book, unnecessary mentions of Zegna suits and fancy watches and whatnot (perhaps intended to make us suspicious of the investors and lawyers who wear them - but we already have them admitting that they are motivated by egomania and envy). The billionaire at the heart of the plot is a suitable mix of inspirational, reckless, authoritarian, noble, ignoble.
Props to Suarez for using SpaceEngine and Kerbal to model the precise trajectory of his crew, though many extra points would have accrued had he open-sourced the run, for the purposes of scientific hermeneutics. Also for his bibliography and dissing Mars colonisation.
Suarez' claim that a single asteroid trip could make a trillion dollars is contradicted in the Weinersmith's pop book, where they emphasise the legal headaches, and that the profits are conditional on a huge increase in human space activity (otherwise not much demand for your LEO wares). This is all I know, and it's not very strong evidence either way.
*********************************
How does it do as Serious science fiction?
Social development: None. One thing which doesn't happen much IRL is the , but this is just ordinary audacity scaled up. I like the extrapolation of Luxembourg's space industry, the ultimate colonial underwriting. The secret construction of a spaceship in HEO is implausible at the moment but might not be in a few decades.
Software development: Yes! The mission is almost lost several times due to software problems, and Ade is the most critical crewmember because of his top monkeypatching and hacking skills (hacking in both senses).
Actual science: Yes. The gravity ship is actually basic physics, just incredibly hard and expensive engineering (Joyce drops something like $45bn on the project, which sounds about right). The economic argument about moving and constructing everything outside of gravity wells seems incontrovertible to me.
The most moving part was . Some of the most important things in the world rely on sacrifice, and really we should be more moved by the death of an asteroid miner than that of a soldier in a typical war. One is driving the species forward, one is crab-wrestling in a bucket.
Why is space so moving? Well there's the stated reason, via Hawking:
With climate change, overdue asteroid strikes, epidemics, and population growth, our own planet is increasingly precarious.
But does this argument from reduction of existential risk go through? Probably not - most x-risk is due to us, not volcanoes or asteroids or gamma bursts, and we should expect this kind of risk to reduce only modestly in a multiplanetary setting, since the act of colonisation carries the risk source, us, with it; and there are much cheaper and more developed ways of preventing extinction, like arms control and AI research. And we're (even) more likely to have large conflicts when the cultural distances, between planetary civilisations, are so much larger.
So what? Is it our genes, new-pastures wanderlust? The sheer scale?
There's a lot of ostentation in the book, unnecessary mentions of Zegna suits and fancy watches and whatnot (perhaps intended to make us suspicious of the investors and lawyers who wear them - but we already have them admitting that they are motivated by egomania and envy). The billionaire at the heart of the plot is a suitable mix of inspirational, reckless, authoritarian, noble, ignoble.
Props to Suarez for using SpaceEngine and Kerbal to model the precise trajectory of his crew, though many extra points would have accrued had he open-sourced the run, for the purposes of scientific hermeneutics. Also for his bibliography and dissing Mars colonisation.
Suarez' claim that a single asteroid trip could make a trillion dollars is contradicted in the Weinersmith's pop book, where they emphasise the legal headaches, and that the profits are conditional on a huge increase in human space activity (otherwise not much demand for your LEO wares). This is all I know, and it's not very strong evidence either way.
*********************************
How does it do as Serious science fiction?
Social development: None. One thing which doesn't happen much IRL is the , but this is just ordinary audacity scaled up. I like the extrapolation of Luxembourg's space industry, the ultimate colonial underwriting. The secret construction of a spaceship in HEO is implausible at the moment but might not be in a few decades.
Software development: Yes! The mission is almost lost several times due to software problems, and Ade is the most critical crewmember because of his top monkeypatching and hacking skills (hacking in both senses).
Actual science: Yes. The gravity ship is actually basic physics, just incredibly hard and expensive engineering (Joyce drops something like $45bn on the project, which sounds about right). The economic argument about moving and constructing everything outside of gravity wells seems incontrovertible to me.
January 4, 2021
Delta-V is an exceptional novel and worthwhile read. I look forward to the sequel.
May 6, 2019
I slogged through the audio of this book and was sorely disappointed. There's a great story line - an eccentric billionaire tech guy begs, borrows and literally steals funding for a covert mission to mine the asteroid Ryugu. This voyage and adventure will take a team to the furthest point from Earth that man has ever been. The crew includes a cave diver, James Tighe, who is primarily the narrator and protagonist of the story.
Without providing spoilers, bad things happen, which would be expected in a first-time space saga. What doesn't happen is better character development of all the supporting characters in the crew. By the time the book ends, you still have no idea how they even look.
In all, the story seems flat. There's something really missing. I've always enjoyed Suarez' work, but this one needed more.
Without providing spoilers, bad things happen, which would be expected in a first-time space saga. What doesn't happen is better character development of all the supporting characters in the crew. By the time the book ends, you still have no idea how they even look.
In all, the story seems flat. There's something really missing. I've always enjoyed Suarez' work, but this one needed more.
June 22, 2019
Ahh this was great. Just what I needed.
Light adventure sci-fi, filled with asteroid mining, and speculation about our near future in space and Low Earth Orbit. Thinly veiled comparisons to SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Characters are a little plastic, but it's a scifi mining adventure, plastic is fine.
Twas just was the doctor ordered
Light adventure sci-fi, filled with asteroid mining, and speculation about our near future in space and Low Earth Orbit. Thinly veiled comparisons to SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Characters are a little plastic, but it's a scifi mining adventure, plastic is fine.
Twas just was the doctor ordered
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April 1, 2023Excellent nuts-and-bolts, near-future sf, even if Suarez is channeling Elon Musk for Nathan Joyce, right down to Musk's moral compass.
March 29, 2023
This book was some Elon Musk fanfiction, male-fantasy nonsense.
But more importantly, it was...bad. Send me all your recommendations for good books that are available as audiobooks on Libby pls 🙏
But more importantly, it was...bad. Send me all your recommendations for good books that are available as audiobooks on Libby pls 🙏
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