The Elysium Heist, by Y.M. Resnik
26 Aug 2025The Book
Synopsis:
A queer sci-fi heist for fans of Ocean’s 8 and Lady Eve’s Last Con!
The Elysium is a decadent, artificially intelligent, space casino where no pleasure is denied to patrons that can afford to pay. It’s easy to rack up debt, and the casino will always find a way to collect. Nobody knows this better than Psalome Shipmen, The Elysium’s highest earning hostess who is stuck working endless hours to pay off the debt she inherited from her deadbeat, gambler father. She’ll endure years of service before she earns her way out. Unless she can figure out how to rob the casino. Pull off the job, and she walks free that very night.
Joining her on the heist crew are a disgraced heiress seeking to rescue her family business, a recovering alcoholic card counter, a religious Jew whose husband refuses to grant her a divorce, and Psalome’s little sister who is dating The Elysium’s artificial intelligence. When sparks fly between Psalome and the would-be divorcee, her abusive husband threatens to drag her back to their home planet as his property. Meanwhile, the little sister struggles to reconcile her loyalty to Psalome with her desire to protect her romantic partner, The Elysium. To make matters worse, the card shark is drinking again and the heiress has a severe case of PTSD triggered by The Elysium’s many security cameras.
If Psalome can’t find a way to keep everyone from self imploding, she can kiss her freedom, her girlfriend, and her sister’s trust, goodbye.
My Review
The Elysium Heist is a queer sci-fi novel written by Y.M. Resnik, published by Solaris Nova. A well-paced story that uses the heist plan of a futuristic casino, the Elysium, as the element that ties together a group of disaster sapphics trying to regain their freedom with a good dose of yearning, revenge and healing from trauma with the help of those that love us.
Psalome Shipmen is a Dazzler, a hostess on the Elysium's gaming floors, one of the most sought after; the debt of her father ties her to the casino, working to pay it to the AI that runs the Elysium. Kiyokimora Goldweaver is an heiress looking to rescue herself from blackmail; her plan passes for a scheme to rob the casino. A doomed plan unless she gets Psalome onboard, offering her that freedom from the debt she craves.
Add to the team a recovering alcoholic card counter, Finley; Ilaria, the secret card under Kiyo's sleeve and that might spark something on Psalome; and finally, Psylina, Psalome's sister, a computer genius and probably a bit of a sociopath; with all of that, the plan seems quite risky but still doable. Especially with such an eclectic group.
In a really ambitious approach, Resnik decides to split the narrative between the five POVs of the members of the group; we get much time to connect with all of them, to understand how they are marked by certain decisions of the past, but also, to cheer for their chance of healing and redemption. The characters have the opportunity to grow on the reader, even if because of this decision, there might be some duplicated scenes, as we get to know both POVs in those cases.
The queer representation in this book is amazing, touching different spectrums (bisexual, asexual and lesbian); and honestly, the whole messy sentimental situation between the characters was a magnet for me. I am not as satisfied with the final part, as there are many convenient moments/situations that ease the story to reach its goal, forgetting a bit the actual heist that was promised by the marketing.
Said that, if you are looking for a queer sci-fi proposal, The Elysium Heist might be a great choice; a propulsive story that, in the end, revolves on healing from trauma and how those around you can be your best support.
The Author/s
Y.M. Resnik
Y. M. Resnik (she/her) is a writer living in the tri-state area. While she loves creating new worlds and re-imagining Jewish folklore, her main goal is simply to brighten your day with a story. Her work has appeared in Cast of Wonders, Worlds of Possibility, Diabolical Plots, and khōréō, among other places. When not writing, she can be found collecting tiaras and trying not to kill her houseplants. You can keep up with her work at ymresnik.com