Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.
I liked the storyline of this book, the characters themselves who are trying to rescue their friends, but I did not know that it was a second in a series so I often felt like I was missing something. The book was well-written enough. My only real complaint might be a thing that someone else really likes . . . I just could not get into the many-paged descriptions of robots working on space stations and stuff, blockchain, and chapters and chapters of technical stuff. For me, it interrupted the flow of the story a lot, and I confess to speeding through the passages at the end. (Sorry, blockchain chapter.) I normally like some sciencey or technical stuff in my scifi at times, but this was for me kind of like the whale blubber pages of Moby Dick, which I never have made it through. It was just too much for me. Hope it will be just the ticket for other readers.

From the publisher: 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.

Things I liked:

The plot. This book has a terrific story. Climate Change is ravaging the Earth and its economy. Some far-thinking individuals are able to start mining an asteroid for materials and to begin a new way of achieving wealth that helps the planet.

The characters. As is currently true in space explorations, individuals from many countries are involved in the building of a space station near the moon, and I liked the three main characters, who survived a disaster and hope to rescue two colleagues who didn’t make it back from the asteroid.

The setting. The transition of a shell to a bustling space station is a vision I’d like to see happen. Also humans figuring out a way to save the planet before it is too late.

The thing I disliked:

The science. OMG the science. I watch a lot of Star Trek and am used to technobabble, but this story had so much hard science that I did not follow. I’m guessing that it is true or mostly true or theoretically true, so if you are an actual scientist you may love the science. I am not a scientist and was lost in the long descriptive passages about stuff I did not understand. Still, one can skim the science.

This book is the second book in a series, which I did not realize when I chose to read it. The first book is called Delta-V. Reading Delta-V first no doubt would have explained some things, but I don’t think reading it first is required. If you like Andy Weir and don’t mind even more science than is found in his books, you may enjoy Critical Mass.

I read an advance reader copy of Critical Mass from Netgalley. The book is scheduled to be published on January 24, and the Galesburg Public Library will own it and the first book in print and as a digital ebook and audiobook.

This is the second book in a trio, the first book, Delta-V, introduced us to a group of astronauts in the not too distant future who travel to the edge of space to mine an asteroid for resources. It took months to get there and once there they had to build the machinery used to mine and ship back the resources. This book starts up where the previous left off, two astronauts were left at the asteroid, and the rest returned to Earth, a journey they were lucky to survive. Their intention is to return to the asteroid to rescue the two left behind. The space station used as a base while they mined the asteroid has been boarded by North Korean astronauts. The story switches to the people who had returned to Earth and their attempts to get back into space. This proves very difficult, none of the space authorities want to give them launch access or the material to build a spaceship to take them back. A lot of this book talks about climate change, how it's affecting weather, causing earthquakes, droughts, fires, etc, I found at times it was a little dry. The thrill part of this book I found a bit lacking, though I think the last book in this series will nicely tie all the dangling threads up. I would recommend this book, though I would also suggest reading the first book. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Dutton for the ARC.

"Critical Mass" by Daniel Suarez is the exciting hard-core space science fiction techno-thriller sequel to "Delta-V". Although it is a sequel, sufficient information is presented to the reader so you can read this book out of order, like I did.

"Critical Mass" is fast paced and aggressively exciting in scope. The key challenge in the book is the unprecedented rescue of fellow asteroid miners stranded in deep space. The story covers the technical challenges in just the right amount of detail to feel quite realistic. And of course the various challenges both major and minor keep the plot exciting.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot, and look forward to reading the first book along with other by Daniel Suarez. I recommend this to anyone who likes space or technology oriented science fiction.

I thank the author and publisher for kindly providing a temporary electronic review copy of this work.

A solid sci-fi tale created by an established author who is probably best know for his Daemon series. Recommended to thriller fans.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!

I didn't even realize that this was a sequel to Suarez's book "Delta V" until I was a couple of chapters in. It was a pleasant surprise to know that I was going to be revisiting that hopeful world he had created in the earlier novel. Suarez continues to extrapolate what great feats humanity is capable of and shows us that, with a imagination and daring, we can change the course of history for the better for all of earth. This was an inspiring novel filled with well-drawn humanly flawed characters. Can't recommend enough for those looking for science fiction rooted in reality akin to "Ministry for the Future"