November 2023 is the centennial anniversary for publication of A. Merritt’s The Ship of Ishtar. This classic novel was first published as a six part serial in the pulp magazine Argosy All-Story Weekly from November 8, 1924 to December 13, 1924.

Merritt first wrote the story as a novelette. Editor Bob Davis at Argosy All-Story Weekly returned the story wanting Merritt to expand the tale into a novel. Merritt wrote portions of the last part of the novel and then filled in sections from there. E. F. Bleiler wrote that the novel incorporates a sequel tacked onto the original story. 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.

Beware of Chicken #4 – Casualfarmer

A laugh-out-loud, slice-of-life martial-arts fantasy about . . . farming????

Jin Rou wanted to be a cultivator. A man powerful enough to defy the heavens. A master of martial arts. A lord of spiritual power. Unfortunately for him, he died, and now I’m stuck in his body.

Out in the middle of nowhere, I’ve managed to escape a life of cultivation and politics. Until now, that is. I guess it was inevitable they caught up with me eventually. I haven’t exactly been subtle. You know, what with the talking animals performing heroics all over the Azure Hills and Xiulan constantly calling me a Hidden Master.
A part of me wants to run away again. The memory of my death still haunts my dreams. But this is my home now. And I’ll be damned if I give it up without a fight.

I mean, all I have to do is learn how to navigate xianxia politics and train for battle while simultaneously running my farm and uncovering an ancient cataclysm that apparently destroyed the Azure Hills back in the day.

Meanwhile, I’m about to be a father . . . Man, I’m kinda screwed, aren’t I? At least I can call in the cavalry—ahem, poultry—to help.

Cloak of Illusion (Cloak Mage #12) -Johnathan Moeller

A hidden enemy. A bitter price for victory.

My name is Nadia. I’m a Marshal of the High Queen of the Elves, and I’ve lived through some terrifying things.

Including the Mage Fall.

And now, to my enormous annoyance, they’re making a movie about it.

The High Queen wants it to happen, so it’s going to happen.

Except someone has been sabotaging the production, and the sabotage has escalated to murder.

A new enemy is in the shadows, and if I don’t solve the murder, a lot of bad things are going to happen…

This Inevitable Ruin (Dungeon Crawler Carl #7) – Matt Dinniman

The ninth floor.

Nine armies, each led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. Each team has one objective: to capture and hold the castle at the very center of the battlefield. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, and, of course, betrayal… It all makes for great fun and even greater television.

After all, none of these powerful aliens really die when they’re playing war.

Except this time. This time, winner takes all. Those who fall, stay in the ground.

As the AI continues its rapid decline, Carl and company take advantage of the chaos. For the first time ever, the crawlers are fighting back. They are now one of the nine teams. And this season, there’s a tenth army on the playing field. The NPCs, who are normally used as nothing but cannon fodder, have become fully self-aware and formed a team of their own.

For Donut and Katia, the stakes are even higher. Only one of them will be allowed to leave this level.

If they all want to survive, they’re going to need a little help from a veteran or two. 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.

Forged in War (Gustav’s Greatswords #1) – Michael G. Thomas and Nick S. Thomas

A mercenary captain and his legendary swordsmen battle an unstoppable enemy!

Gustav von Altenburg and his elite mercenaries, the Greatswords, are called to defend a town in the shadow of the Harz Mountains. But upon arrival they find the town ravaged by disease and fear, with neighboring villages crumbling under relentless bandit raids launched from a nearby ruined castle.

But a greater threat looms. A ruthless army of Landsknecht mercenaries is sweeping through the region, looting and burning everything in their path—and now they march toward the town. Gustav must rally every man able to bear arms and prepare for a battle that will decide the town’s survival. With everything on the line, the Greatswords face their deadliest foe yet.

Salvage Harbinger (The Invasion #2) – Kevin Steverson, Nick Steverson, and Jason Corsova 

The Invasion Looms!

For Captain Michaelangelo “Miggy” Morrison and the crew of the Cabrillo, life had been getting better—mostly. Credit was flowing in, enough to keep their ship fueled and berthing space reserved, and things were starting to look up.

But a new enemy lurks in the shadows, one which could shatter the entire Milky Way galaxy.

The Seekers were coming, and Pakrewan lay directly in their path. Miggy and the rest of his crew are all that stands between the destruction of Pakrewan and the survival of the place they all call home. The denizens of Pakrewan were a tough people, but could they stand up to the flood that was coming?

Fortunately for Pakrewan, they have an ace up their sleeve—the Cabrillo.

Silence and Starsong Fall 2024 – edited by Joseph Knowles

Silence and Starsong Magazine contains stories in a variety of genres from science fiction and horror to fantasy and action/adventure. There are authors you already know and love as well as promising newcomers. All share a common goal: to inspire wonder and awe through stories of high strangeness.

Stories include:

A tiny submersible carries three scientists into the icy, unexplored waters of the Antarctic. What will they uncover?

To Tony, the mall was a home away from home. What will he do when a mysterious danger threatens it?

On the frontier of an imagined history, lancers will fight against a rising barbarian horde and taste death itself to keep the torch of civilization lit.

Cutter discovered more than just copper on his latest expedition across the Martian landscape, but can he return to safety and protect his special find? 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.

Men of Bretton (A Dream of Home #1) – Richard Fox

The soldiers of the 11th Bretton Infantry knew they were being dropped into a combat zone on Dharien. But they didn’t know just how bad things really were, with the entire planet about to fall to the rebel Flags. The orders from the Highest are clear: make their way to Tabuk and keep the city under the banner of the Hegemony.

For Mason Tellec, it’s one more combat mission—with a difference. Noah, his younger brother, is along for the ride this time, and Mason has promised his mother and father he’ll keep an eye out. Noah’s green, but he’s got the makings of a good soldier.

But the jungle of Dharien holds many dangers—something Felix Ibensen knows all too well. He’s alone, lost, and trying to find his way back to Hegemony-controlled territory, the only survivor of a Flag ambush.

Mason, Noah, and Felix are on a collision course, with each other and with their destinies—for the actions of the Men of Bretton may have implications that reach to the highest echelons of the Hegemony.

Operation Endgame (The Last Hunter #16) – J. N. Chaney and Terry Mixon

The clock has run out.

Admiral Jack Romanoff and his people have beaten the Tardans at DuPont, but they failed to get the master control codes that could have ended the invasion without bloodshed. Now, they have no choice but to confront the enemy at the heart of the Confederation: Earth. One last battle for everything they hold dear.

The midnight hour is upon them.

While the battle for supremacy is fought in space, Lisa Gane and Tina Chen will battle the Poseidon Group on the ground. If they can’t overthrow the traitors, humanity will be trapped under their heels. They will do anything to stop their enemies, but will it be enough?

One chance for victory.

With no room for error, they can’t afford to leave anything on the table. This is it. The endgame is upon them, and they will either win or perish, and humanity might go along with them. Will they save the Confederation or doom it to oppression and death? This is the day that they must win, or everything they sacrificed will be for nothing.

A single toss of the dice to win everything or fail humanity at the last moment.

Shadow Wired: Alliance – Gustavo Bondoni

After years of pursuit, Technihilism has finally captured Sked and Akane, and they are shocked when the terrorist group’s fanatical leader, Simon the Advocate, offers them a truce if they will join an alliance against a rogue AI who plans to rule the world. Time is short, however, as its takeover bid is already well under way.

From a secret CIA installation in the frozen wilds of northern Canada to a nest of nano-created vampires in Mexico City, the allies pursue the AI relentlessly, despite the enormous risks involved.

But the enemy is based on the net and can change locations almost at will, and it already has the resources of several governments at its disposal. Even the unholiest of alliances might not be enough to stop it.

The Ship of Ishtar: Centennial Edition – A. Merritt

John Kenton returned from the Great War a changed man. The world he knew had lost its zest; the one in which he could be happy he did not know where to find. But when he uncovered an artifact from ancient Babylon, he was transported to a new world beyond time and space: one which offered pain and the near certainty of a bloody death, but also brotherhood, vengeance, and the most entrancing woman he ever laid eyes on—Sharane, flame-haired priestess of Ishtar!

Upon the Ship of Ishtar, Sharane and the priest of Nergal, Klaneth, wage a millennia-old struggle as proxies for their respective deities. Kenton ends up at cross-purposes with the Nergalite faction, killing several priests before being chained to an oar-bench. Though the gods themselves place obstacles in his way, Kenton will let nothing daunt him in his quest to break free, win Sharane’s heart, and become master—of the Ship of Ishtar!

This special Centennial Edition of The Ship of Ishtar includes the author’s preferred text, as well as nearly two dozen vintage illustrations and previously unpublished ephemera from the Merritt estate.

Kamen America #10 – a Kickstarter campaign by Timothy Lim and Mark Pellegrini

Charlotte ‘Carly’ Vanders was a fashion designer whose fate was changed the day a cosmic collision transformed her into a supercharged henshin heroine! Shedding her corporate overlords and driven by American grit and determination, she is the patriotic paladin known as KAMEN AMERICA!

The Kamen Corps are in Texas-sized trouble! Finding themselves in a precarious situation, the team must confront Kamen Unity during a tense standoff with a rancher and his land. Zener Ecto and Zener Psycho are on the scene — but what do they want with his patch of land, and how does it fit into Cynthia Prestige‘s greater scheme? Slowly but surely, answers are given as we proudly celebrate our 10th volume in just under 4 years of publication!

Find out why Kamen America, the underdog independent comic that could, has set the gold standard for crowdfunded American comics!

This campaign will be open until 13 November, 2024.