How to defeat a Demon King? Who is the Cahena? How do you rebuild a civilization in a magical world, or in a post-nuclear wasteland? The answers lay in this week’s new releases.

Cahena: A Dream of the Past – Manly Wade Wellman

The brave and beautiful warrior queen known as the Cahena was believed to be a sorceress and prophetess. Her glorious reign over the Berbers in the seventh century was marked by passionate romance, stirring battles, and bold mystical deeds. The Cahena had the sensuality of Cleopatra, the wisdom of Catherine the Great, and the courage of Joan of Arc.

The Cahena led an army forty thousand strong, wielding javelins and scimitars, in a valiant struggle against the Mohammedan invaders who were fresh from their conquest of Carthage. At her side rode Wulf, the Saxon soldier. Wulf came to know the warrior queen like no one else before or after—for he was the one man who dared to love her.

Rich in historical detail and dramatic action, this is a story to rival the great war epics of all time. DMR Books is proud to bring Manly Wade Wellman’s final novel back into print after nearly thirty-five years.

Death in the Desert (Dragon Wars #11) – Craig Halloran

An old nemesis returns. A new enemy rises. The fate of the Blood Brothers and Talon will be fatal. 

After a harrowing escape from the depths of Thannis, Grey Cloak and Dyphestive find themselves in trapped by Drysis the Dreadful and the Doom Riders.  With all of their lives on the line, it’s escape, die, or return to slavery. 

With Black Frost’s armies and forces of evil dragon riders conquering the land and skies, it will take more than wit and skill to destroy the flying tyrannical terror. The quest will demand guts and sacrifice or the world called Gapoli will fall into the clutches of a maniacal monster forever.

Fushi no Kami: Rebuilding Civilization Starts With a Village #1 – Mizuumi Amakawa

Ash is a young boy with apparent past-life memories who lives in a remote, deserted village. As he remembers leading a bountiful life, he can’t bear living in a world akin to the Dark Ages, where not even the internal combustion engine exists. Ash envisions the rebirth of a civilization where housing with proper sanitation is the norm and the world is connected via a means of transportation faster than horses. For that reason, he is eager to consult books containing knowledge from a highly-developed ancient culture that is rumored to have existed far in the past.

Ash makes use of the church’s resources, learning how to read and obtaining the knowledge that he seeks. In addition, he enlists the help of the people around him, including Maika, the village chief’s daughter. Together, they aim to develop their own village.

This is only the beginning of the story about a young boy who sets out to revolutionize the world in order to rebuild civilization and create his ideal life!

Ghost in the Vision (Ghost Night #7) – Johnathan Moeller

Caina only intends to make a brief stop in the city of Istarinmul before taking the necromantic Sword of the Iron King to the safety of the Towers of Lore.

But the Padishah of Istarinmul needs her help, and since Caina put him upon his throne, she cannot turn him away.

And the enigmatic Countess Kalthane, the woman who has been financing the Empire’s war against the vile sorcerers of the Umbarian Order, needs a favor from Caina.

Because Countess Kalthane has a secret.

And if that secret falls into the hands of the Umbarians, they will use it to destroy the world… Read More

The Cirsova Fall 2020 Special has arrived, just in time for Halloween, with a new bundle of strange yet thrilling adventures, daring suspense, and even a horror story or two. To editor P. Alexander’s immense credit, each one of the fifteen tales is worthy of a week’s discussion covering both the stylistic and thematic choices. More importantly, and even more to his credit, each tale is worthy of rereading.

Here are but a few of the highlights.

The Fall Special kicks off with “Melkart the Castaway”, an adventure from antiquity, when the gods were still yet men. This was an excellent adventure in the vein of Manly Wade Wellman’s Kardios. For a full review, check out last week’s article.

“The Way He Should Go” tackles fatherhood in the same vein as Lone Wolf and Cub and The Mandalorian, but brings life to the internal struggles of the father and the protector in ways that the more visual media of manga and television cannot. Don’t think that it skimps on the intrigue and adventure, though.

“Tilting the Wick” slowly develops the mystery behind a strange monastery hidden off the map in a sword and planet future. Something as simple as repairing a pump sends a traveling engineer and doctor on the path to unraveling the monastery’s heresies and chemistries. The setting and story are so pregnant with lore that it would not be a surprise to discover that this is but a chapter of a soon to be released novel.

“Slave or Die” provides a nice change of pace to the previous sword and sorcery and sword and planet tales. A convict laborer must escape a prison planet, where the bright future of Apple and SpaceX designs is bent to a more sinister end: work or die. As he struggles to escape, his captors proceed to nickel and dime him for every expense and luxury possible. Strip away the alien trappings, and this has a haunting “Not Ripped from the Headlines, but Give it a Few Years” feel to it. And more than a little dry humor. Perhaps the next prison will be of bright lights, white plastic, and streamed entertainment…

“An Accumulation of Anguish” is a Halloween monster tale where a trick-or-treater runs into not one, but two real monsters. It’s a bit short, almost abrupt, but the twist at the end is worth it.

Not only did I enjoy the stories, I enjoyed how the stories flowed from mythological to sword and sorcery to sword and planet to technological future and then back to not-quite-present day. A nice trick of presentation that serves to set up the appetite for each story. For just as a reader’s appetite for a particular type of fantasy is being sated, Cirsova provides something new when it would be most appreciated. Little touches like the organization and the pulpy fonts add to the presentation, especially in paper format.

But, as always, it comes down to the well-chosen stories. And, while Cirsova is a favorite of the Castalia House Blog, the magazine still doesn’t get half the recognition it rightfully deserves.

The full list of Cirsova’s Fall 2020 special includes:

“Melkart the Castaway” by Mark Mellon

“Its Own Reward” by Rob Francis

“The White Giant’s Map” by Richard Rubin

“The Chamber of Worms” by Matthew X. Gomez

“After the House of the Laughing God” by Michael Ray

“The Way He Should Go” by Joshua M. Young

“Tilting the Wick” by J. Comer

“Slave or Die” by Benjamin Cooper

“He Who Rides on the Clouds” by Trevor R. Denning

“To Rest Among the Stars” by Su-Ra-U

“Ecliptical Musings” by Bill Suboski

“Not Any Earthly Shade of Color” by Danny Nicholas

“In the Bowels of the Theatre” by Matt Spencer

“An Accumulation of Anguish” by James Lam

“The Horror of the Hills” by Jude Reid

Combat mecha, relic hunting assassins, and mysterious thieves lead this week’s new releases.

Cold Hearted (Yancy Lazarus #2) – James Hunter

A deadly Russian necromancer has just escaped his prison. His first day out could be Yancy Lazarus’s last.

Yancy Lazarus just wants to be left alone. He wants to play his blues music, smoke a few cigarettes, and otherwise leave the supernatural world to fend for itself.

Unfortunately, when an ancient fae godling kickstarts a supernatural coup by unleashing a necromancer, retirement isn’t an option. Nope. If Yancy ever hopes to see the bottom of another beer bottle, he’s gonna have to partner up with an FBI agent—an agent who’s been hunting him for years—to bring down the nigh-immortal, douchebag necro. And to top it off, Yancy’s gonna have to do it without his magical powers…

Combat Frame XSeed: S – Brian Niemeier

The hit mech saga goes epic with book 1 in an all-new Combat Frame XSeed series! Macross meets 40K! 

An unstoppable scourge lays siege to Earth.

Can humanity survive a world-destroying force that has never known defeat?

The Ynzu Siege nears its third bloody decade. Battered to the breaking point, the United Commonwealth-Protectorate recalls its combat frame carrier fleet for a last stand at Earth.

Lt. Dex Trapper must battle for his life when the Ynzu strike his remote extrasolar colony. Cut off from the UCP, Dex and his CF tech Thatch make a desperate break for help in a century-old XSeed.

First Strike (Brothers in Arms #1) – Scott Moon

Joining the fight for the Galaxy isn’t required. It’s a choice.

The United Galactic Government is mired in a decade-long war for control of a key planet. Weakened by overextension and political intrigue, they could lose everything.

When a child of privilege gives up everything to enlist and fight for what is right, he learns what it means to become part of a team. He encounters refugees, aliens he never expected to empathize with, and the loss of comrades. In the end he must develop the courage to stand up, not only to aliens and governments, but his own family.

Packed with military science fiction on par with Galaxy’s Edge, Term of Enlistment, and Starship Troopers, the Brothers in Arms trilogy will deliver readers into the jaws of the toughest fight the galaxy has ever known.

The Jade Egg (The Chain Breaker #2) – D. K. Holmberg

A dark sorcerer with a deadly plan attacks Gavin’s adopted city. The Chain Breaker Series continues.

After capturing the sorcerer called the Apostle, Gavin decided to remain in the city of Yoran where he’s become comfortable. Work that had been plentiful has dried up and comfort becomes complacency.

While new friends help to find jobs, they’re not the kind of jobs an assassin trained to be the Chain Breaker should take. He’s trained to kill, not track down relics in a city that long ago banished magic.

When pushed to save a young boy, Gavin finds himself dealing with much more than he bargained for. A sorcerer known as the Mistress of Vines has come to Yoran. In order to stop her, he must come to understand a part of himself he was trained to ignore.

It will take an assassin without equal to stop the Mistress of Vines.

Only this time, the Chain Breaker might not be enough. Read More

As the air chills and the leaves turn, and the lengthening shadows of Halloween creep across the fields, it is time again for the newest issue of Cirsova. Leading off the 2020 Fall Special is Mark Mellon’s “Melkart the Castaway”, a tale of wine-dark seas and of the men whom legend would turn into gods.

After a captive Triton smashes his ship, Melkart awakens on the island of Candia (Crete), a captive of the Despot Hermes Trismegestius and his Spartan guard. Melkart wishes to return home to Tyre, but Hermes would instead chain the Phoenician Hercules to a grinding mill. Outraged by such bestial treatment, Melkart escapes, and with the help of an outcast, prepares to free the helot slaves and Candia from the Despot’s yoke.

Readers familiar with Classical literature will recognize certain phrases from antiquity. Sometimes these become a distraction, as remember which story a certain phrase came from does remove the reader from Melkart’s struggles. But the first use of “Wine-dark sea”, uttered just before the introduction of the Greek setting and characters, was a masterful touch, informing the reader of what is to come with subtlety and cleverness. And the old stories inform this one, as Melkart must face off against a Minotaur for his life. For a story filled with what the Classical Greeks would treat as demigods, Mellon takes a more naturalistic approach. Monsters do exist, but the power of those who bear the name of gods is in strength, sinew, and craft.

The prose sits in a middle area between the richness of classic sword and sorcery and contemporary transparency. Mellon has an eye for good and unique details, but the presentation thereof tends to settle into disjointed lists. However, when Melkart springs into action, that awkwardness sloughs away, and it is easy to swept up into the feats of strength and wits needed for Melkart’s escape. At the conclusion, when Spartan arms clash against the Phoenician’s and his helot uprising, anything else is forgotten.

And it wouldn’t be a proper tale of thrilling adventure and daring suspense without a hint of romance.

“Melkart the Castaway” serves well as the leading story for the newest volume of Cirsova, and I would like to read more from Mellon in this vein. As for the rest of the stories in Cirsova‘s Fall Special, check back here midway through next week.

Vengeful mummies, computerized magi, and nightmare men kick off this week’s new releases.

Awaken Online: Inferno (Awaken Online: Tarot #3) – Travis Bagwell

A crippling wound. A war looming on the horizon. A demon king to kill.

Finn and his companions barely escaped their encounter with Bilel. But not without a cost – including the loss of Finn’s left arm and the magical corruption that now plagues his body.

Despite those handicaps, Finn must keep pressing forward if he is to have any hope of bringing Rachael back. As the Seer predicted, the guilds and Khamsin have formed a fragile alliance. But before they can lay siege to Lahab, Finn and his companions must first find a way to defend themselves and their fledgling army from the effects of the god relic that Bilel now wields…

Which will send them deep into the heart of an ancient workshop. Along the way, they’ll encounter advanced magical technology, new friends and foes, and will be pushed well beyond their limits. They will be reforged in the fires of adversity – forced to prove their mettle, even with the odds stacked against them.

Hopefully, it will be enough.

Because soon they will face a demon king and his armies.

Acme (Artorian’s Archives #5) – Dennis Vanderkerken and Dakota Krout

A whole new world. Well, the framework. Surely nothing will go wrong.

Artorian shrugged off moonfall and war like it was a gentle rain, and must now face new trials. Specifically: life in the world created by the Dungeon Core, Cal. Unfortunately, Cal has only put together the most bare-bones of systems.

He’s no stranger to solving near impossible problems; how difficult could it be to smooth out the slew of angry Mages with bitter rivalries, uncountable hidden secrets, a complete inability to cultivate, and a Dungeon creating messes at full speed? One way or another, it is up to Artorian to pick up the pieces. He’s ready to roll up his sleeves and administrate.

There are some very serious holes in this world, and the old academic is determined to fix them.

Cirsova Magazine of Thrilling Adventure and Daring Suspense: Fall 2020 Special – edited by P. Alexander

This issue’s stories include:

“Melkart the Castaway”, by Mark Mellon. When a powerful triton destroys his ship, the Phoenician giant Melkart washes up on a foreign shore-and is rudely welcomed by a tyrant who would enslave him!

“The Chamber of Worms”, by Maatthew X. Gomez. Heinrick and Viona have been hired by a noble to retrieve a family heirloom from an abandoned manor house-but there’s more to this job than meets the eye!

“The Way He Should Go”, by Joshua M. Young. Rostam has spent many years studying under the monks of Uqbar and wandering the ruined world, but nothing could prepare him for discovering a precursor child!

“To Rest Among the Stars”, by Su-Ra-U. It is the most dangerous job in the galaxy-hunting space dragons in the ether! But the humans who risk life and limb to do so are what make space travel possible!

“The Horror of the Hills”, by Jude Reid. Impatient to be the first to Meall Dearg’s summit, a pair of climbers leave their partners behind…failing to return! What became of those who braved the peak?!

…and more!

Marymae and the Nightmare Man – A. M. Freeman

Marymae is a little girl with big problems! First, no one will believe her imaginary friend is real…

And then he goes missing!

Marymae must set out to find her friend. But she soon discovers something scary is happening in the Forest of Make-Believe. Those that were noble are now hiding. Dangerous creatures lurk in the shadows. And a growing darkness threatens to engulf even the bravest heart. If Marymae and her friends can’t stop it in time, the nightmares will spread across all the worlds, including her own! Enjoy the journey with her as she discovers how to be a light to inspire courage in those around her, and how to love even the most broken heart.

Pick up this illustrated novelette and join the characters on their journey as they spring from one challenge to the next. A refreshing light to illuminate a mundane day, or to enjoy reading with your children. Read More

Can you say, “Refuge in Audacity”?

Not that I expected anything less from J. Manfred Weichsel, especially when he’s expanding “Alter-Ego” from his short story collection, Going Native. And in some ways, that makes reviewing this difficult.

See, I’m so far away from the audience for this that it’s not that I don’t appreciate the schlocky Skinnemax horror, it’s that I don’t know how to. Never got into horror, grindhouse, or any of the other genres firmly in Weichsel’s crosshairs. And just like his Ebu Gogo, it took a while for me to get what was really going on.

Read More