Heist plots never go out of style. There’s something irresistible about clever schemes, high-stakes betrayals, and the thrill of almost getting caught. Not to mention the appeal of living vicariously through system-defying, rule-breaking, morally grey characters. Even better when the con is set in space and the stakes are cranked up to galactic levels.
Last year I partnered with BookDNA.com to try recommend some space heist books, but then I realised a lot of them were published quite a while ago. So, I went on a hunt and found a few more which have published in the last two years only (and yeah, one of them happens to be mine).
From anti-colonial thefts and alien civilizations to queer crews and reluctant partners, these five titles prove that leaving them off your reading list would be a crime of cosmic proportions.
The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei
Flatiron Books, June 2024
A former art thief gets pulled into a high-stakes space heist to find an artifact that could save an alien species from extinction, but could also condemn humanity. The Stardust Grail features themes of friendship and colonialism in a breakneck quest through a universe teeming with strange life.
Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis
Astra Publishing House, August 2024
After her ship suffers an accident, space looter Ada Lamarr is reluctantly rescued by a government salvage crew headed by a charming agent, Rian White. That doesn’t deter Ada from trying to complete her job. However, stakes and secrets pile up, leaving Ada (and the reader) to question whether she’s manipulating Rian or is being manipulated by him. Full Speed to a Crash Landing is the first in a trilogy of romantic sci-fi novellas with themes of ecological disaster, space colonisation and desperate attempts to save Earth.
Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto
Gollancz, December 2024
Fresh out of prison, Edie has one last job to finish before leaving the criminal life behind for good. But to take down a trillionaire tech god, they’ll have to trust Angel, a former partner who sold them out a decade ago. Hammajang Luck brings together Hawaiian culture, queer representation, and hope for building a better future.
Orbit, June 2025
Charming but heartless con artist Levi thinks stealing an alien blueprint will help him buy back his spaceship—and his only love—which he was forced to surrender as loan collateral. Instead, he becomes a target for gangsters, bounty hunters, and unidentified warships. To survive, he’s forced to team up with Vera, a snarky programmer with her own agenda, and uncover a conspiracy that threatens humanity. Galaxy Grifter is a high-stakes space caper that forgoes a clean redemption arc in favor of a messy trauma bond that might just save the galaxy.
The Elysium Heist by Y. M. Resnik
Solaris Nova, July 2025
An inherited debt keeps Psalome Shipmen indentured to an artificially intelligent casino, working long hours with no way to get out. Unless she robs her employer–not an easy job with a dysfunctional crew. It comprises a card shark with a drinking problem, a disgraced heiress with PTSD, Psalome’s jewish love interest with an abusive husband, and Psalome’s little sister who is dating the casino’s AI. The Elysium Heist is reminiscent of Ocean’s 8, if it was set in a space casino with an all-femme, all-queer heist crew.
So, which of these have you read or dying to read?
For more space heists check out this post BookDNA.com
