The Midas Rain

Solid gold. More gold than anyone's ever seen. And it's hurtling through space toward Gary, Indiana. It's Paul's for the taking, if only he can figure out how to steal a meteor...

A sci-fi heist thriller from Adam Roberts. Gary, Indiana, 2080. An industrial spaceport, and there's nothing glamorous about that, especially when space mining is in full swing.

A massive company has made Gary the Earth-side landing point for its biggest payloads. Day in and day out, iron-ore meteors are hauled down from space, spreading dust and pollution across the city on their way to the ground. The work is gruelling, dangerous and except for the few lucky enough to be employed, there's precious little of it. Houses and whole buildings are vacant and abandoned, most people with means have long ago left.

This is where Paul grew up, the hard way. Sometimes, when The Company isn't too precise about where it drops its loads, whole neighbourhoods get smashed from above. That's why Paul joined the Fire Department: to help when things go wrong. To save lives.

But Paul moonlights as a thief—hijacking trucks, stealing loads. Everyone left in Gary has a side-hustle.

Now he gets word of a crew that's planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. Not jacking a truck or robbing a bank, but stealing a meteor.

A very special meteor.

A meteor made not of iron and dust, but of solid gold. Trillions of dollars worth.

This crew needs an inside man, and Paul fits the bill.

But can they really pull off such an audacious heist? And more importantly, can he trust them?