Delta-V
by Daniel Suarez · first published 2019
88% recommend12% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Near-future hard sci-fi thriller about secretly mining an asteroid, with grounded science and realistic detail; suits fans of The Martian and Project Hail Mary who want optimistic, technical space-industry stories.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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If you're interested in exciting hard sci-fi about mining the asteroids and the moon, check out Daniel Suarez's compelling novel Delta-V and its recent sequel Critical Mass. Another profitable industry besides mining could be setting up nursing homes on the moon, where wealthy elderly folks could live fuller lives due to the reduced gravity.…
on “Starship will attempt a launch this weekend” ↗There is an interesting near-future thriller about mining Ryugu - “Delta-V” by Daniel Suarez, the same author of “Daemon”.
on “Images of the the samples returned to earth from the asteroid Ryugu” ↗If you want a fun read, "Delta V" by Daniel Suarez is a fantastic near-future hard scifi novel on the topic.
on “Asteroid lost 1M kilograms after collision with DART spacecraft” ↗For those who haven't read the very good hard sci-fi near future book Delta-V by Daniel Suarez: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40859000-delta-v Though we only encounter microwave beaming in the sequel, Critical Mass I found the book a very good read, super realistic. 10/10…
on “Maersk names first vessel of its large methanol-enabled fleet "Ane Maersk"” ↗If this fact piques your interest, the book Delta-v by Daniel Suarez glances off this fact and uses it to justify exploring asteroid mining instead of a colony on Mars.
on “All 12 moonwalkers had "lunar hay fever" from dust smelling like gunpowder” ↗Some favorites from this last year: Gideon the Ninth, & Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Delta V by Daniel Suarez (space mining!!!) Battle Grounds, & Peace Talks (Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher Bobiverse 1,2 & 3 by Dennis E. Taylor
on “My Favorite Books 2020” ↗There's a wonderfully fun hard sci-fi novel by Daniel Suarez called "Delta-V", chronicling a group trying to mine the first asteroid (in secret). The premise of the book, however, is that doing this is not just going to make them wildly rich, but that doing so is the only way…
on “Are there limits to economic growth?” ↗…want it to end. Other authors I happen to enjoy very much include David Mitchell (Thousand Autumns or Bone Clocks FTW), Cory Doctorow (Makers, Walkaway), Blake Crouch (Recursion), Daniel Suarez (Influx, Delta-V, Daemon), Robin Sloan (Sourdough, Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore). Just to wrap up and repeat what has no doubt been said elsewhere in the thread, fiction in particular is the gateway to empathy and…
on “Ask HN: Are books worth it?” ↗If anyone wants a fun, near future scifi novel that explores this idea more, read/listen to Delta-V by Daniel Suarez.
on “Orion has splashed down off the coast of Baja, California” ↗I think Suarez's "Delta-V" would make for exciting TV. And oh my god, while looking that up I discovered he's got a SEQUEL coming in a month? Well, thank you for reminding me that Daniel Suarez exists.
on “Apple TV+ to adapt William Gibson’s cyberpunk novel Neuromancer” ↗Fiction: Critical Mass by Daniel Suarez, because I enjoyed Delta-V, Daemon & Freedom. Which reminds of Kill Decision, which I haven't read so far. Others: TBD
on “Ask HN: What are you looking forward to reading in 2023?” ↗So, if this topic interests you, and you want to read a couple books related to it, I highly recommend Delta-V and then Critical Mass by Daniel Suarez. Both are sci-fi books, and deal with precisely this thing.
on “Blue Origin manufactured solar cell prototype from lunar regolith simulants” ↗…Problem. The biggest difference in theme being, optimism that humanity can overcome any obstacle and flourish. If you want more in that vein, see: Aurora - Kim Stanley Robinson Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir Delta-V - Daniel Suarez
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?” ↗…process raw materials in space and send refined products down to earth. Would you rather have strip-mining and smelting occurring in space or on earth? Daniel Suarez had a lot of fascinating ideas in Delta-V
I recently finished reading SciFis Delta-V and squeal Critical Mass by Daniel suarez. Loved this kind of hard scifi. in the second book he went into great details on how the first orbital station and complementary moon/asteroid mining platform…
on “Short Film: "One Revolution per Minute"” ↗