In a future where sunlight itself has become the ultimate commodity, two corporations wage an invisible war across the solar system. Venus Equilateral holds an iron monopoly on solar beam transmission, the technology that powers every outpost from Mercury to the outer planets. Terran Electric wants that monopoly broken. Mark Kingman, an attorney for Terran Electric, has been handed the case of his life: dismantle the competition using any means necessary. What follows is a cold corporate war fought with stock manipulation, industrial espionage, and the relentless challenge of conquering the Channing Layer, an atmospheric phenomenon that makes power transmission a nightmare. Smith, writing during science fiction's Golden Age, treats corporate rivalry with the intensity of a thriller. This is hardboiled商务 meets hard science fiction, where the enemy doesn't wear a mask but holds controlling interest in your竞争对手. The result is a fascinating period piece that captures mid-century optimism about interplanetary civilization while asking an uncomfortable question: how far will someone go when the prize is control of the sun itself?
