Daniel Suarez is a rare author whose every work has been a hit for me, unlike Scalzi & Doctorow who have had misfires. Delta-V continues in that tradition, beginning with a cave diver named James Tighe who is recruited for a daring new expedition. One of Earth’s many eccentric billionaires has a new venture that he believes will not only make him richer than Croesus, but give humanity an incentive to expand beyond Earth – and more importantly, acquire the means to do so. For strategic reasons, the billionaire has shrouded the project in secrecy and misdirection, and that will mark the rest of the book, imperiling the characters’ lives several times. Delta-V covers the intense training and bonding of Tighe and his fellow crewmen, as one after another wash out – and those who survive go further into space than anyone has gone before. The result is a hard-SF thriller that combines some Martian-like scrambles for survival alongside lots of betrayal and manipulation from back on Earth. While it was more demanding than most of Suarez’ other works, the depiction of the ship and suspense over what was really going on made it a solid read even with the industrial chemistry. Suarez provides quite the list of suggestions for readers whose interest gets piqued and want to learn more. The tech itself is of interest, as the Konstantin is the first ship to simulate gravity through spinning, and Suarez shares depictions of how he envisioned it on his website. Mild spoilers if you check it out, but just close your eyes, hum, and look at the photos.
Readers who like Suarez should be delighted to know that he has a new book coming out in March, called Shadow Zone.
Coming up: another review tomorrow, plus some SciFiMonth2026 challenge responses. Reading le Guin.
Quotations
“Because in the modern world money does not represent value, Mr. Tighe—money represents debt. And the more debt that is created in the world, the more money there is.
“When I dive an unexplored cave, it’s not a thrill. It’s almost the opposite. I feel in focus. It’s a heightened reality—like how you might feel if a tiger walked into this room right now; you’d be 100 percent in the present. The past and the future would cease to exist.”
“Our brains use carbon dioxide levels in the blood as an alarm signal. The more carbon dioxide, the more the alarm. If we were breathing pure nitrogen, we’d suffocate in complete calm. Wouldn’t even feel it.”
Someone had designed and launched the world’s first artificial-gravity ship and concealed that fact from everyone on Earth by doing it in pieces— hiding the activity through dozens of shell companies“Corporations are not democratic, and yet they rule every aspect of American life. If democracy is so important, why is this the case?”
“Space is a goddamned frontier. What’s the use of going to a frontier if it has rules?”
” Personally, I find the respect of enemies to be sweeter than friendship. And certainly more honest —nobody ever lies about hating you”
Awed murmuring in Mandarin came in over Tighe’s radio as he continued to stare, transfixed. No matter what happens, now it was already worth it. Tighe opened up his helmet visor so that he could behold the universe not through a light field display but with his own eyes. As he did so, he gasped with renewed awe. No cathedral could ever compare. No subterranean flowstone sculpture. Nothing in his adventurous life could have prepared him. A wave of gratitude swept over him.
Clarke’s voice came in over the radio. “Dave, Han, J.T. What’s happening? Why aren’t you moving?” Morra laughed, followed by Tighe and Jin. Tighe closed his visor and reactivated the helmet’s external camera system. He glanced at the go, no-go countdown timer. They’d been gawking at the cosmos for a full ten minutes.
“Sorry. Just paralyzed by the indescribable beauty of the cosmos. We’ll get to work.”
Chindarkar’s laughter came in over the comm link. “You look like a couple of astronauts beating the shit out of a robot.”
Tighe went with it. “You pay . . . on the first of the month . . . like everybody else!” He kept kicking.
“This is my purpose. This has always been the purpose of people like us. We blaze trails. We chart oceans. We push back frontiers. Without us, humanity slowly dies.”
“It’s exploration! Don’t you understand that? Do we not take risks anymore?” He gestured outside. “Is everything going to be done by [—–] machines from here on? Why do we even bother to exist, Alan?
