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 Devil’s Cut (Harvey Bennett Thrillers #18) – Nick Thacker

Centuries-old pirate treasure. A deadly Caribbean cartel. And the clock is ticking.

Harvey Bennett was supposed to be on vacation.

A week in the Caribbean with his best friend, Reggie, sounded simple enough—sun, sand, and maybe a little deep-sea diving while Sarah Lindgren, Reggie’s archaeologist girlfriend, attended a conference in San Juan. But when an injured man stumbles into the bar, crying for help, Ben and Reggie are pulled into a mystery that runs centuries deep.

The wreck’s location is no accident. Beneath the turquoise waters lies an infamous pirate smuggling route now controlled by the Syndicate, a modern-day cartel as ruthless as the buccaneers who came before them. Their cargo isn’t just gold—it’s people, weapons, and secrets worth killing to protect.

From the sunken ruins of a Spanish galleon to a fortress island hidden from modern maps, Ben and Reggie must navigate treacherous waters, underground caves, and a deadly enemy that always seems one step ahead.

The deeper they dig, the more they uncover a prize that could rewrite Caribbean history—and a cartel determined to bury it, along with anyone who stands in their way.

Ethos (Link #1) – Nathan Hystad

Ethos was mankind’s greatest hope. Until the Link closed.

On the 300th anniversary of Earth’s first expedition to another solar system, the original colony ship miraculously appears near Saturn. But the crew of Excursion One is nowhere to be found. All that’s left is a broken android, and a string of clues.

Captain Calvin Brooks, a hero from the Solar Wars, spends his days trying to forget the past on Link Station, until he’s thrust into danger when he’s asked to pilot the decayed ship back through the wormhole to search for the Ethos colony.

Jane Vanderbilt is the world’s most renowned historian on the revamped Excursion One mission, and her connection to the crew runs deep. Jane is added to the team by a mysterious astrophysicist, loyal to the Diplomats.

Luke Dalton is haunted by tragedy. He works the mines on Mars, while the loss of his family constantly weighs on him. The Deniers have other plans. Luke’s enlisted for duty by the Diplomat’s enemy. His mission: learn what really happened on Ethos.

The Family Jewels – Michael James Ploof

The family who games together, stays together.

Betrayed by his guild and left for dead, Benjamin Jewel’s aspirations to triumph in the Ragnarök Tournament seemed shattered—until Chuck, his mother’s enthusiastic boyfriend—secures him a last-minute entry. His luck is turning around.

Ben’s relief morphs into horror when he discovers that his “noob” family has also joined for a bit of fun, making his challenging quest downright nightmarish.

Now, not only must he navigate a treacherous world teeming with monsters, vengeful gods, and sinister spirits, but he must also contend with his new guildmates: his own dysfunctional family.

Grampa Dru is in it for the laughs, Gramma Bean is lost in a flashback to Vegas, 1975, and his mom sees it as the perfect bonding opportunity. Meanwhile, his twin sisters, Mindy and Mandy, relish in his misfortunes, and Wiley, his overzealous eight-year-old brother, wreaks havoc, eager to slay everything in sight—monsters, innocent NPC villagers, and, preferably, Ben himself.

They say the family that plays together stays together, but surviving each other might just be the greatest challenge they face.

Hell Flyers (Starship Renegade #1) – Tony Neighbors

Commander Kase is an elite pilot, the best of the best, a squadron leader who’s just been given a top-secret assignment.

The Renegade is an alien ship with advanced technology. It alone operates outside the Sol system. But the galaxy is controlled by a militant race of giant aliens known as the Ashi, who won’t be content until every intelligent race bends their knee in submission to the Imperium’s rule. And it’s going to take humanity’s best to counter the threat.

Captain Zeke Darius is in command of the starship Renegade. His strategy and tactics could free the galaxy from the Ashi threat, or bring the wrath of the entire Imperium down on the heads of the human race.

Major Remmy Steel is a tried and tested Space Marine who leads the platoons assigned to the Renegade. It’s his responsibility to take his tiny force into combat and stop the Ashi who stand at twice the height of the average human.

Commander Kase, callsign Hard Case, will lead a squadron of fearless pilots into combat with the Ashi. In new, highly advanced fighters, the Hell Flyers will throw themselves between the Imperium Fleet and the starship Renegade.

Spaceship in a Bottle – Jonathan Brazee

A salvager discovers an alien starship, but that’s only the beginning.

Wiz Zumwalt has sunk his Navy pension into a beat-up ship in hopes of finding riches in the asteroid belts.

Only the days of the Asteroid Cowboys are over. Big Mining now has a firm grip on the mineral riches, and their economies of scale and resources make it almost impossible for the indie miner to survive.

Now, he has two days before his ship will be repossessed unless he can find a miracle.

And boy, does he find one.

On a nameless hunk of rock, his sensors detect the faintest traces of, well . . . something.

Not a human ship, but something alien. A long-running secret that upturns everything he’s always believed, one that could impact humanity’s very existence.

Mankind always believed it was alone. Every probe it ever sent out beyond the Oort Cloud sent back the same results… except those were a lie, created to trick humanity into believing the galaxy was empty.

But that was far from the truth.

As the alien ship takes off and sends Wiz across the stars and out of the solar system, he soon discovers the universe is teeming with life. Empires are at war, countless species among them, and humanity has been left on the sidelines.

The only question is, why? Why was humanity placed inside of a bubble?

Those Who Came Before (The Forgotten Ship #3) – J. N. Chaney and Terry Mixon

A lost alien race.

Drake and Yukiko have been preparing the floating city of Atlantis for three million refugees, but every time they solve one problem, another pops up. The Jontihem are unsure of how to respond, and then there is the ancient alien facility on the sea floor under Atlantis.

Powerful artifacts that no one understands.

Why did Those Who Came Before build it? What was its purpose? Why is it still active? Those secrets, and many more, are waiting to be revealed. If, of course, Drake can keep The Authority from killing him and taking it all over. Or can the alien structure strike back at those who wish it harm?

Battleborn Magazine – a crowdfunding campaign by Iron Age Media

This campaign will open until 30 September 2025.

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

Big Trouble, Little Earth – J. N. Chaney and Jason Anspach

Long after Earth’s destruction, Humanity is an endangered species…

When freighter pilot Dalton Thorne reunites with his old friend Kota at Little Earth’s best noodle shop, he’s expecting a straightforward job. Instead, he finds himself embroiled in a centuries-old mystery that could change humanity’s place in the universe forever.

Little Earth is a decaying city carved into an alien planet where humans live as refugees.

Beneath its neon-lit streets and crowded markets lies a secret: fragments of Earth’s past, preserved by a mysterious race of aliens and hidden from the ruling Consortium.

Now, Dalton and his fledgling crew must uncover a vital piece of evidence, long buried in depths of Little Earth—one that might lead to a real home for humanity.

With combat-enhanced martial artists, power-hungry crime lords, and the iron fist of the Consortium all hot on their trail, Dalton must navigate a web of divided loyalties and hard choices.

If only he’d kept eating his noodles, none of this would have happened.

Black Cloaks (Titan Hoppers #4) – Rob J. Hayes

The Enemies of your enemies…

Iro has left the home fleet to join up with the Black Cloaks, eager for the power and the answers they’ve promised him. But danger lurks in every corner deep in the TITAN core, and some revelations are more than he can bear. What if he was never a Corsair?

War has come to the Home Fleet and the new Squad Four Home find themselves on the front lines over and over again. Emil fights for his friends and for his ship, but what if Fleet Command isn’t trying to win the war?

A new threat lurks in the depths of the TITAN core. Monsters band together, all of them wearing a golden crown. Iro and Emil will soon learn some old enemies are not as dead as they believed.

Crown of Ink (Ash and Ink #1) – Jasper Aldan and D. K. Holmberg

He was trained to obey. But some oaths deserve to be broken.

Tavin Rivenhart—The Echo—is the most feared assassin in Valeir. For the right price, the Silent Oath Guild sends him to end lives with perfect precision. But Tavin has a secret: he always asks why.

His latest mission seems simple—kill a rogue scholar and retrieve the child she’s stolen. But in the quiet northern village, he discovers a truth that shakes everything he’s ever believed.

The woman isn’t a traitor. And the boy… the boy can unbind the magical contracts that hold the kingdom together.

Now hunted by his own guild, Tavin must decide: fulfill his deadly oath—or protect the only hope of breaking the chains that bind them all.

Some bindings are written in blood. Others, in justice.

Dark Wizard (The Starship In The Stone #7)  – M. R. Forbes

Thomas thought he understood the enemy. He was wrong.

Some evils refuse to stay buried.

When a desperate search for answers leads Thomas to the isolated world of Ferraden, he discovers that Turquine’s ambitions run deeper than anyone imagined. What began as a hunt for a rogue Draconite has become something far more dangerous.

As the final pieces of an ancient puzzle fall into place, Thomas will learn that some battles can’t be won with starships and swords. Some enemies require a different kind of courage entirely.

The darkness is spreading. Time is running out. And somewhere in the void, an evil older than empires works to remake the galaxy in its own twisted image.

The dark wizard has returned. 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.

Dracoheim Confidential – Misha Burnett

Magic isn’t what it used to be…

Forget robes and staffs and incantations out of dusty old books. This is the modern world, and magic is big business. Industrial magic has revolutionized every aspect of life in Dracoheim, from the cars we drive to the power that lights our homes.

Magic, which was once a novel and mysterious force, has been systematized, standardized, and turned into a vocational science, necessary for day to day commerce with the realms of Nightmare. It is the job of Magus Leonid Vetch, one of the last of the old breed of “wizards,” to prepare young men attending Leeshore Technical College for careers in magic.

And as magic has become part of everyday life, so too has it become a part of commonplace criminal activity. Erik Rugar, a special agent for the Committee for Public Safety, is tasked with investigating crimes involving magic and denizens of Nightmare visiting or residing in Dracoheim County.

The Fractured Legacy (The Awakened Realm #2) – D. K. Holmberg

The power inside her was only the beginning. Now it’s waking something far older—and far more dangerous.

When explosive attacks rock Busal City, Ellie knows there’s more at work than simple terrorism. The mysterious Servants of Ascendance have targeted her home—and awakened a burning power within her that she barely understands.

Now Ellie must scale an impossible cliff to reach ruins older than memory itself, where ancient seals separating our world from the fae realm are weakening. Accompanied by a mysterious Arbiter, her scholarly friend, and pursued by terrifying creatures, she races to prevent catastrophe.

But Ellie isn’t just fighting the Servants—she’s fighting her own nature. The burning power inside her connects to something primordial, something the Servants desperately want. If she can master it in time, she might save two worlds. If she fails, an ancient power called the Sovereign will return, forever altering the balance between realms.

With rival factions manipulating events from the shadows, Ellie must decide who to trust—and what kind of power she was meant to wield.

Hero’s Return (Heroes of Britannia #4) – Fred Hughes

Empress regent Hiroko and Britannia stand on the brink of civil war. Meanwhile, a thousand light years away, President Julie Adams and the Federation face a technologically superior foe in the Sol Sector.

Both empires need a hero.

And when workers discover a damaged escape pod pinned in the wreckage of a shot-to-pieces dreadnought, it turns out the Deities weren’t done with its sole living occupant. A man from the past—a hero—waits to return.

But the perils are grave. Can one man solve these issues?

If he can’t, who can? 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.

Celtic Adventures – edited by D. M. Ritzlin

Out of the past, in Dagon’s Cave, there is Conan of the Reavers.

What dreadful doom was preparing for the infamous Clan MacGreggan?

The Irish worship beauty—and fighting. Grana, it was certain, had the first, and had promised to supply the second

The rich history and folklore of Ireland and Scotland is a bottomless well of inspiration for imaginative authors to draw from. The stories in this collection run the gamut from purely historical to the fantastic to the weirdly horrific, with some combining elements of all three genres. Whether your blood is Celtic or not, these action-packed thrill-tales are guaranteed to get it pumping!

Cul-de-sac Carnage (Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains #2) – James Hunter

With the shadow of the Flayed Monarch looming ever closer, Dan must prepare the store and himself for the battle to come. To stand a chance, he’ll need to expand his operations, broker a precarious trade deal with the Delvers of Howlers Hold, and transform his stash of relics into an arsenal of magical war crimes.

But first, he’ll need to carve a bloody path through the heart of the 24th floor—Eternal Suburbia. A hellish, never-ending labyrinth of tidy lawns, cookie-cutter houses, and homicidal homeowners. Few survive the lawnmower men, the feral Karens, the ever-ravenous Kannibal Kids, or the tyrannical HOA, which reigns supreme with an iron fist of petty rules and bloodstained bylaws. With a gaggle of increasingly untrustworthy allies, and dangers lurking behind every perfectly trimmed hedge, Dan will need to do the impossible if he wants to beat the system and live to fight another day.

Isekai Exorcist – Dosei

Not all monsters can be defeated with a sword.

Ryūta is suddenly transported to a new world, where he is assigned the dangerous role of Exorcist and has to quickly adapt to a life of constant danger. In order to survive in this new world, he’ll hunt and exorcise ghosts, revenants, demons, and other supernatural beings that cannot be defeated with normal weapons.

To aid him in his exorcisms, he’ll summon apparitions to his side as familiars, and he must learn to utilise special Exorcist tools and occult ritual magic.

But it is not just monsters that Ryūta comes up against, as corrupt adventurers scheme to destroy everything he is trying to protect.

Primal Fate (The Starship In The Stone #6) – M. R. Forbes

Returning to Avalyeth in hopes of saving Halvy, Thomas and the crew of Excalibur uncover a secret that could shake the foundations of the Druid order. Hidden beneath the forest canopy, dangerous alliances and forbidden technologies threaten to ignite a conflict that could spread far beyond the trees.

Some truths refuse to stay buried.

While Thomas navigates a maze of suddenly shifting loyalties, Turquine advances a darker agenda that may soon become the greatest threat Avalon has ever faced.

With fragile hope resting on uneasy alliances, Thomas must decide who he’s willing to trust and how far he’s willing to go to build a future worth fighting for.

Because the cost of leadership isn’t victory. It’s who you become to achieve it.

Read More