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

Aegeon #7 – edited by Brendan Heard

Sharpen your thoughts, late stage fructose-cows, the barriers of your prison shall soon crumble before you, like an atomic crab shedding its black-glass shell. Peruse these very pages and feel the itchy tingling in your pineal gland, worming out of your brain at the promised visions dangled before it like a roast beef dinner before a tapeworm-carrier’s posterior.

Bring those hammers crashing down, in bracered arms, onto the walls of your corn-syrup abbatoir. Free your mind to wander the God-granted plains of imaginative Elysium, and allow Aegeon to be the kratom reverie that deposits you, naked and derailed, upon the windy plane of THE NEW WORLD.

Do not be afraid! Soon the factory will close.

HOLD YOUR WARHAMMERS HIGH!

Caravan of the Damned – Chuck Dixon

When Conan leads his desert raiders against a rich caravan from Khwarazm intended for the King of Zamora, they find themselves in possession of a beautiful and priceless treasure. But the House of Yildiz does not suffer losses gladly, and the elite guards of the King’s Own, merciless and mounted on camels, are quickly on the trail of the Cimmerian and the outlaws of the Zuagir. And the depths of the desert hold horrors beyond the imagination of any man.

Illustrated by Ademir Leal, CARAVAN OF THE DAMNED is the second volume in the Chuck Dixon’s Conan series, which is based on the public domain character of Robert E. Howard’s Conan.

The Mighty Sons of Hercules – edited by P. Alexander

Long ago, in ages past…

There were men who travelled the world, seeking adventure, fighting injustice, defending the weak and the helpless, looking to right wrongs wherever they are found:

These were the Mighty Sons of Hercules!

Cirsova Publishing invites you to join eight of the Mighty Sons of Hercules on their daring adventures!

You’ll be amazed by their impressive feats of superhuman strength. You’ll be dazzled by the exotic and dangerous beauties who would seek their downfall. You’ll cheer as they save the innocent from peril and mete out justice to dastardly villains.

Wherever righteousness must have a champion, there you will find the Mighty Sons of Hercules! Whenever there is need and no mortal man can suffice, a Mighty Son of Hercules shall appear! Read More

Comics (Razorfist) – If you think one has to choose between SJW superheroes… or the idiosyncratic art of Manga… Good news! You don’t. France has been quietly producing better comic books than American and Japan for decades.

Sword and Sorcery (Adventures Fantastic) – I have long felt a growing angst about the ongoing disputes of the definition of Sword & Sorcery – a definition that to me has grown far too convoluted and frankly cumbersome. Once, decades ago, I was of the restrictive mindset that S&S had to be a particular this or that, more in the mold of Conan than not. Yet even then, I did not recognize several prominent characters as truly S&S protagonists despite popular belief to the contrary. I felt right in my convictions yet also felt it somehow inconclusive, felt that something was absent, a missing link scratching at my thoughts for years. 

Hero of the Imperium (Warhammer Community) – “In all honesty, I thought the idea of a self-serving Commissar, playing against the archetype, was a one-joke concept, good for a single short story,” Sandy Mitchell told Warhammer Community. “Luckily the readers, and the editorial team at Inferno,* thought otherwise, and demanded to see more of him – which just goes to show how much more they knew than I did. If I’d realised just how popular Cain was going to become, I’d probably have been too intimidated to write a single word!

Gaming (Sean Malstrom) – “The problem with Final Fantasy XVI,” he says, “is that the game modeled itself after Western Civilization.”

I looked at him and asked, “But WHICH Western Civilization?”

At this, his jaw dropped and was speechless. He didn’t know how to respond.

“You mean there is more than one?”

“Yes.”

Science Fiction? (The Obelisk) – “… Martian Chronicles is not science fiction, it’s fantasy. It couldn’t happen, you see? That’s the reason it’s going to be around a long time—because it’s a Greek myth, and myths have staying power.”

Sword and Sorcery (DMR Books) – Vran the Chaos-Warped is a man who will never break an oath or drop a grudge. When he discovers the despicable wizard Foad Misjak has committed the most foul of crimes against the population of Nilztiria, he swears to slay the evildoer or die trying. Vran confronts Misjak, who learns how the cursed swordsman earned the name “Chaos-Warped” when he casts a spell which has drastically different effects than intended. As a result of the uncontrollable magic, the pair of nemeses are swept away from Nilztiria to another dimension: a far-flung primitive world of ice!

RPGs (Walker’s Retreat) – Let us pretend that, despite all the product on the shelves, there is nothing that you find to your liking. Yet you want to play such a game. Therefore you resolve to make your own.

Fine, let’s do this. 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.

Ganwold’s Child (The Sergey Chronicles #1) – D. T. Read

Darcie was taking her young child Tristan to rejoin her husband Lujan in the Enach system when nonhuman slavers attacked and captured their transport. Darcie escaped with Tristan in a lifepod and touched down on Ganwold, a primitive planet controlled by their long-time enemy. Unfortunately, due to a malfunction in the lightskip drive, they’d also accidentally jumped several years forward in time and can’t expect to be rescued, so Tristan grows to manhood hiding among the alien ganan.

But when Darcie contracts a lingering, life-threatening illness, Tristan and his gan “brother” Pulou set out on a quest to find the father Tristan never knew, and they are faced with technology they’ve never seen. Captured and turned over to the Sector General, Tristan is used as a bargaining chip in the ongoing war.

Now Admiral Lujan Sergey must figure out a way to counter the impending attack, while realizing he could lose the family he’s just learned is still alive.

The Last Good Man (Luke Preston Thrillers #1) – Nick Thacker

A deadly outbreak. A government conspiracy. Luke’s back in the game.

Luke Preston’s world shattered following the brutal loss of his wife in a police-led operation. Scarred by this personal tragedy, he shelved his detective badge permanently. Former soldier and ex-cop, Luke has since settled into the quiet rhythms of civilian life. But the emergence of a lethal contagion menacing American lives wrenches him from this tranquil existence.

When tragedy strikes a family at a secluded detention facility, bearing the hallmark symptoms of a baffling disease, the government rings Luke’s number. This insidious illness, marked by harrowing fatalities and eerie blood splotches beneath victims’ skin, is on the rise. With time as the enemy, Luke has to plunge into action, or the nation faces a full-blown epidemic.

Joining forces with the brilliant medical professor, Mia Mendez, Luke ventures to the borderlands. Their discoveries there are chilling: indications that this dread disease isn’t natural, but a weapon, masterminded with sinister intent against the very core of the state. Pitted against formidable adversaries, it’s up to Luke, with his resourcefulness and grit, to neutralize the shadowy group orchestrating this crisis. Retreat is off the table.

The Lost Relic (ENIGMA Files #1) – Joshua James

In the high-stakes world of ancient artifacts and clandestine organizations, a trio of unlikely misfits are drafted into a desperate race to prevent the assembly of a prehistoric relic capable of warping reality itself.

Rhett, the stoic ex-military leader haunted by his past; Dinah, the conflicted academic with a penchant for solving ancient puzzles; and Fabien, a dangerous man driven by a personal quest—all are bound together by a cause bigger than any of them.

Their journey takes them from the treacherous peaks of the Himalayas to the volatile heart of war-torn Ethiopia, and from the depths of the mysterious South American rainforest to the unexplored realms of spacetime.

But what they seek might be more powerful than they were led to believe, it’s origins more mysterious, and their enemies more numerous.

As they inch closer, the lines between heroism and reckless sacrifice blur. An ancient force waits in the shadows, threatening to unravel the fabric of existence.

How far will they go to save a world on the brink of ruin? 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 Blade Bearers (Blade and Bone #6) – D. K. Holmberg

As the drumbeats of war intensify, the Bearers must answer.

Finn and Morgan struggle to return to Verendal, finding only destruction in their wake. With none to unite the scattered people, it’s up to an executioner and his one time prisoner to save as many as they can before the war claims even more lives.

Honaaz needs a fleet to attack the Alainsith, but even that might not be enough. As the defenses begin to fail, only a desperate ploy will save them.

Kanar in the Bearer, but struggles with his song. And if he can’t find it, Jal will be lost to them.

War splinters alliances and forges new ones, but all have a part to play.

Dreamer’s Throne – Seth Ring

A broken body. A mysterious world. It’ll take all his Intelligence to survive.

After a close brush with death, Garrett realizes that he’s in a new world. And worse, he’s missing an arm and paralyzed from the waist down. A fact that doesn’t deter the brutal gang lord whose floor he’s crashing on from wanting to throw him out into the street.

The only thing standing between Garrett and a cold death at the mercy of the city’s scavengers are his own wits and a plucky young woman.

Armed with a System that gives him experience for exploring his new world, Garrett is determined to do whatever it takes to keep himself safe from the threats closing in all around him. Even if it means becoming a villain.

But the inn and city are far from what they seem.

Terrifying creatures lurk around every corner and there is no weapon that can stop them. A strange lucid Dream world hovers on the edge of Garrett’s consciousness, and it isn’t content to stay a dream. When it starts bleeding into the real world, Garrett realizes that the hostile gangs around him are the least of his worries…

The Eighth Continent – Rhett C. Bruno and Felix R. Savage

A lowly construction worker on the Moon is Earth’s only chance…

Nick Morrison’s dream was to reach for the stars, but he never imagined that his destiny would lead him to the desolate lunar surface. Recruited by a daring startup to construct a lunar launch system at the Moon’s icy south pole, Nick abandons his troubled Earthly life for a chance at something greater.

Little does he know that the company teeters on the brink of financial and legal collapse, stranding Nick and his team in the unforgiving lunar wilderness.

Isolated and unsupported from Earth, Nick’s team faces an uphill battle for survival. As if that weren’t enough, a ruthless contractor at another lunar base harbors grand designs for both the Moon and Earth, and Nick’s team stands squarely in their path.

Now, they must band together to thwart the impending conquest of two worlds. 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.

Cirsova #16 / Fall 2023 – edited by P. Alexander

Tales of heroic adventure and daring suspense that include:

Krallenburg is beset by a werewolf! Can witchhunter Friedrich Rosch stop the monstrous curse before the town succumbs to siege by Protestant mercenaries!?

Kat has a daring plan to trap Rhygir’s forces, baiting them into a bend in the river where they themselves risk being cut off! Can Kat and Mangos hold their lines and catch Rhygir outside of Alness before his reinforcements are able to arrive?!

Jesus Dunn Jr. plans to do away with his abusive father… And there are no wit-nesses, except for the strange Goth girl who has started following him around!

In a ghoulish tale that drives to madness, the blasphemous corpse wizard Lord Tryphon, cheater of death, must make his grim way to the revelry of Dionysus!

…and more!

Deadman Walking – C. B. Titus

In the wasteland, you do whatever you can to survive…

Even after the bombs fell, even after countries unleashed weapons beyond imagination on one another, even after lawlessness became the norm, people still expect their mail.

As a deadman, I’m uniquely suited to deliver it.

Rads don’t bother me, and people who try to hurt me typically wind up dead. Sure, humans may not like dealing with a face like mine, but hey, it’s not like you’ve got many options here in the wastes.

Now in the middle of my route I’ve come upon a new Job, and maybe the opportunity to start thriving instead of surviving.

Galaxy Unstable (Forgotten Galaxy #2) – M. R. Forbes

Left stranded, his starship’s life support failing, Caleb initiates a distress signal, hoping that help will arrive before his time is up. Only the response to his plea isn’t what he had in mind…

Assuming command of an infamous pirate vessel, Caleb sets his sights on shaping the unruly and unpredictable crew into a skilled fighting force. It won’t be easy, but if Caleb wants to prevent the Legion from cementing their tyrannical grip on the galaxy, he’ll need to knuckle up, double down, and risk everything to make it happen.

Or see humanity enslaved.

Forever. Read More