Timid bookkeeper Oliver Meek has spent years preparing for a dream no one expects him to pursue: a voyage through the Solar System aboard a ship of his own. When he finally reaches the rough frontier of Asteroid City on Juno, his nervous politeness collides with a world of alien smoke, gambling, gunplay, and hard-bitten miners, where legends travel faster than facts. In the Silver Moon saloon, he hears of the terrifying Asteroid Prowler and the rumored Lost Mine, and soon proves that the quiet man in spectacles may be far more dangerous than he looks. After exposing a cheat and outdrawing the feared Luke Blaine, Meek is pressed to become marshal and face the gang that rules the town through fear. He resists, insisting he is only an accountant with an interest in ancient stones and strange inscriptions, but Blacky Hoffman's threats and the town's desperation force him into the role. Ambushed and stranded on Juno, Meek discovers the supposed monster is no beast at all but an alien machine with mysterious powers. With his oxygen failing and his ship wrecked, he and loyal Stiffy Grant make a desperate bid to survive by riding the Prowler itself into the unknown. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.