Life can exist anywhere. And anywhere there is life, there is home. George-Étienne and his children have found a mysterious artefact on the surface of Venus herself, one with vast implications for the future of the struggling colony.But with the discovery comes great risk: not only from a planet that kills with its very touch, but also from the banks and powers of old Earth, who will not readily relinquish their hold on Venus’s people and resources. Gathering allies to them, George-Étienne and his family have founded The House of Styx, the first of a new wave of trading clans, to hide from the prying eyes of their enemies and work in secret to exploit the miracle they have found. From humble origins, The House of Styx is destined to become one of the most powerful families in the galaxy... if they survive.