Every week, the Castalia House Blog spotlights some of the many new releases in independent, pulp, and web novel-influenced science fiction and fantasy.

Bright Red Line (Backyard Starship #22) – J. N. Chaney and Terry Maggert

When a running battle brings the Fafnir home to earth, it ends with the death of a trusted friend—and a new focus on what comes next for Van and his crew.

The Guild is rotten. It must be changed. It must be healed. But to do that, Van will have to marshal resources on a scale he’s never considered, and that means calling in favors from friends.

With the Schegith fleet in training, and the Conoku itching to get back into the fight, Van has a clear plan for what he has to do—which is the one thing he doesn’t want to do.

The time for war is here. The time for change is now.

A new leader is needed, and Van will discover if he can take control of Yotov’s criminal empire—and save the victims across known space.

Bureau 42 (The Four Horsemen Universe: The Phoenix Initiative) – edited by Kevin Ikenberry and Mia R. Kleve

Peacemakers. The Galactic Union’s most capable enforcers and resolute negotiators, their name alone elicits fear and awe among the Union’s citizenry.

It doesn’t happen often, but when a Peacemaker can’t solve a case, it goes to the Peacemaker Archives, as all Peacemaker cold cases reside within “Bureau 42,” as it’s also known. Cases dealing with ghost ships, missing Peacemakers, mysterious killers, and even a few cases that aren’t even really cases can all be found in the files of Bureau 42.

Fourteen authors present thirteen all-new stories from the depths of Bureau 42. Take a look into the forgotten files of the Peacemaker Guild and find never-before-seen secrets, some of which herald the future of the Peacemaker Guild and even the Galactic Union itself.

These stories honor the threat, set the terms, and walk the knife edge between standing or falling. Step inside, Candidate, and see what our files hold…

Go West: Frontier Adventures #1 – edited by Spenser Rudolph

The Western. Truly the American genre. Far away are the days where it dominated print, film, television & comics, yet there seems to be a longing among the public for it. A longing for the frontier spirit. A longing for heroism, adventure, romance, horror & grit.

We look to the past for inspiration. Specifically to the pulp writers that laid down the foundations for the mid-century Western explosion in American culture. We look to writers like Robert E. Howard, Louis L’Amour, Zane Grey, H. Bedford Jones, & Max Brand.

Taking those same foundations that were laid a century ago we hope to unleash a new wave of Western pulp.

Action, adventure, romance, mystery, wonder! All of this and more can be found in the inaugural issue of Go West: Frontier Tales.

It doesn’t end there, the magazine is also filled with to the brim story illustrations, pin-ups, photo splashes, and articles on real history. Read More

Every week, the Castalia House Blog spotlights some of the many new releases in independent, pulp, and web novel-influenced science fiction and fantasy.

The Burned Book (Arkwright Cycle #1) – Brian Niemeier

An outcast boy with a terrible secret …

A disillusioned priest seeking release from fate …

The restless son of a fading race seeking his destiny …

Thrown together by chance, their historic quest will span a continent. And change all worlds forever.

Zebrin wanders the human-dominated mainland, having fled his people’s rigid island refuge.

Alone in barbaric lands, he yearns to find himself in those his race shuns.

But when an ambitious emperor drafts him for a harrowing mission to the farthest ends of the world, will he discover and embrace his divine calling? Or will the kingdom he was ordained to save fall?

The answer lies in The Burned Book.

The Last Ship (Galaxy In Flames #2) – Nicholas Sansbury Smoth

Held captive by Dark Horse Company, Captain Axel Finn is faced with a mission to humanity’s ancestral home after all contact with the planet is lost. Learning his mother might be hiding there, Axel agrees to help his adversaries, and deploy on Vengeance, the last Steward ship. But his decision might lead to his downfall if the Wrath have already arrived on Earth.

On the treacherous Wooly planet of Dari, bounty hunter Rangnar Soki becomes the prey, finding himself the target in a deadly game of survival. His path to rejoin the Axel’s crew hinges on passing a test of Dari’s most revered guardian. Meanwhile, the surviving crew of the Trash Squid faces their own struggles to repair their damaged ship and leave Dari to find Captain Finn.

At the Citadel, Sergeant Jax Brito returns from her harrowing mission on Corinnia after drilling into a construct brimming with alien embryos. This grim discovery sends shockwaves through the CANDF ranks, and reality dawns on them all: the countdown to the Wrath invasion was wrong, it has already started, and no part of the galaxy is safe.

Shield of Darkness (The Shield War #2) – Johnathan Moeller

War is coming between the Shield Knight and the Exarch. But neither sees the dark power manipulating the battle from the shadows.

To drive the Exarch from her stronghold on the Isle of Kordain, Ridmark is gambling on a bold strategy – to reach the Isle through the twisting caverns of the Deeps.

But the caverns of the Deeps are filled with deadly dangers and deeper mysteries.

And disturbing one of those mysteries might wake a darkness to dwarf even the Exarch herself…

Read More

Every week, the Castalia House Blog spotlights some of the many new releases in independent, pulp, and web novel-influenced science fiction and fantasy.

Daughter Of The Night – Toby Neighbors

She didn’t ask to be taken

She didn’t go looking for power

Now she’ll have to choose a side and live with consequences… if she can.

Azree’el has nothing and knows very little of the world when she’s sold to a hunter for bait. The Heterrids were human once before their DNA was stolen and subjected to massive gene editing. Eventually, they were discarded on a planet to be hunted by the Vanj who drove them underground in search of safety. But Azree’el is about to be taken to the surface, to face mortal danger at the hands of their sworn enemies. But maybe she’ll surprise everyone. Maybe she’ll find a way off world and discover there’s much more to this Daughter of the Night than anyone ever knew.

Emissaries of Deceit (The Vanished #4) – Jay Barnson

Love, War, and Politics in the Land of Monsters

As their enemies circle ever closer to their hidden refuge of Alcort, Aiden and Lyselia must embark on a desperate secret mission to contact members of Lyselia’s noble family. The plots of ambitious nobles and military officers may prove more dangerous than the monsters lurking within the Frontier. Completely out of his depth, Aiden must rely upon Lyselia’s loyalty and skill in navigating political intrigue if either of them are to return to Alcort alive—let alone hold back the oncoming tide of an inevitable war.

Literary Outlaw #3 – edited by John Graves

What would you do if the Antichrist moved into your neighborhood? That’s the premise of The Man Who Did Nothing by New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss. You don’t want to miss this perceptive tale from a modern science fiction master.

In The Summer of Grunge by John Graves, a young man finds a rare comic book in his late grandfather’s attic and dreams of the fortune that will soon be coming his way, but he soon discovers that life doesn’t always work out the way we plan.

This issue also includes classic stories by H.P. Lovecraft, Booth Tarkington, a serialized novel by Thornton Wilder, and 27 pages of uncanny comics! Read More

Every week, the Castalia House Blog spotlights some of the many new releases in independent, pulp, and web novel-influenced science fiction and fantasy.

Defiance of the Fall #13 – J. F. Brink

War has arrived to Zecia.

Zac returns from the Perennial Vastness, finding Earth already embroiled in war. The Kan’Tanu Cult is pouring into the sector, determined to make it theirs. The System is fanning the flames with treasures and opportunities, using the conflict to choose candidates for its trial.

A strong arm and a sharp axe isn’t enough to keep Earth safe. Zac has to secure the resources and alliances necessary for his empire, all while dealing with the fallout of Leandra’s schemes.

But who can he trust? The appearance of the Ultom Courts has set the Multiverse astir. Powerful outsiders are flocking to Zecia in search of fortune, where the local Sealbearers are prey. One wrong move and it’s over.

The Fabricator’s Mask (The Queen’s Blade #6) – D. K. Holmberg

A strange land brings deadly new dangers. 

Surrounded by the power of fabrications, Zaren must protect Prince Dorian as he finalizes the trade agreement with Ardem.

When his apprentice is attacked, and Zaren finds a strange fabrication, he starts to question the real reason behind the trade.

All is not as it seems. Zaren may be the key to ensuring the success of the delegation—and saving all of Ardem.

But can they trust the Queen’s Blade?

Farthest Reaches – Brandon Ellis and Max Wolfe

Earth’s only chance for survival rests in the hands of one ship…

…None of its crew are prepared for what is to come.

Space Force’s first interstellar mission, Captain Scott Moore is set to lead the first starship to venture outside our solar system, the U.S.S Atlanta. Despite years of preparation, an unintended explosion takes Moore’s ship across the galaxy with no hope of returning.

Stranded in the void, Moore and his crew must discover a way home. But out amongst the stars, we are not alone.

When attempts to communicate with an alien race fail, a war begins… one that will spell the end of humanity.

Read More