Critical Mass

A Novel

English language

Published Feb. 11, 2022 by Penguin Publishing Group.

ISBN:
978-0-593-18363-2
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5 stars (1 review)

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 nextgen 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.

1 edition

Inspiring

5 stars

I read this sequel immediately after finishing Delta-V and liked it even more. I have been hoping Suarez would build out a world where crypto makes sense to aid my understanding and he did it here extremely well (as always) and just a sideline to the centerpiece of space tech. And while I loved all the tech here, it’s the characters that make this story.