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 Apothecary Diaries #15 – Natsu Hyuuga

In the East is a land ruled by an emperor, whose consorts and serving women live in a sprawling complex known as the hougong, the rear palace. Maomao, an unassuming girl raised in an unassuming town by her apothecary father, never imagined the rear palace would have anything to do with her—until she was kidnapped and sold into service there.

While pursuing the secret of themysterious jade, Maomao and Jinshi found more than just the tablet’s owner—they’ve also discovered a forbidden book that has long lain hidden. As the book is gradually reconstructed, they discover that the knowledge and secrets within might be extremely important to someone very unexpected. Meanwhile, Maomao finds herself helping her father Luomen in what appears to be a large-scale drug trial…but what are they treating? And why?

---

Cirsova Magazine #24 / Fall 2025 – edited by P. Alexander

Thrilling tales of daring adventure and thrilling suspense, including:

An old sea shanty, a reminder of a curse, drives a pirate captain to the brink of madness… Can the crew make their final score, or will the curse destroy them all?!

A young soldier returns to his home in Provent… a land which is under a curse laid by its former sorcerous inhabitants who were all put to the sword generations ago!

The cul-de-sac is kept up at all hours by the weird noises coing from Jebediah Graber’s house! Things get even stranger, though, as neighbors begin to disappear!

Otis is back and on a rampage! His wife killed by evil cultists, the moonshining zombie is going to smash everyone and everything standing in his way!

---

Disrupted Magic (Shamrock Disposal Book 1) – D. K. Holmberg

I break magic for a living. Unfortunately, rent’s still due—and the Agency just offered me a job I can’t refuse.

Cal Drexler is not your average magical freelancer—mainly because he’s technically illegal. Officially, he’s a “breaker,” someone who shuts down rogue enchantments for a fee and maybe a cinnamon roll. Unofficially? He’s a morph, capable of absorbing and redirecting magic… a skill the Shamrock Disposal Agency classifies somewhere between “extremely rare” and “kill on sight.”

So when rent’s overdue and a gig chasing bakery sprites nearly gets him turned into a glowing muffin, Cal’s luck seems about standard—until the Agency shows up on his doorstep. Not to arrest him. To hire him.

Now partnered with a suspicious field agent who has zero patience for Cal’s improv style, he’s getting dragged into magical gallery heists, fae-forged crystals that sing like springtime, and a conspiracy that could shatter the balance between worlds. All while pretending he’s just another charming burnout with a bag of herbs and a winning smile.

But magic has a way of revealing the truth. And the Agency’s idea of “consulting” may be more lethal than unemployment.

---

The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound #12 – Noret Flood

Randidly Ghosthound, at long last, understands the looming shadow of the Nexus.

He chooses to become proactive, meeting the threats of the Tribulations before they even descend upon his world. To do so, he simply needs to go up.

To travel to the Nexus, the source of all the horrors that have descended upon his world.

Considering the time it will take, he starts by preparing his planet to survive without him. He empowers Kharon, his walking city; he roots out the lingering threats of unstable political elements; and he hunts down Kaan Swaac, refuses to give him even a moment of peace.

Those on Earth cannot believe the time and power that Randidly Ghosthound has accumulated. But such victories are bittersweet. Because Randidly cannot forget the damage a casual look dealt to him, when a truly powerful being glanced his way…

---

Mercenaries of Atlantis – Nick Cole and Chris Pourteau

Bronze Age Sword and Sorcery meets Military Fantasy in a lost world of long ago…

Flying Ace Mason “Mace” Dickson was once a legend among fighter pilots. Now, in his middle years, that storied life is a distant memory—until NASA drafts Mace for a black book flight test. He’s transported to a strange world forgotten by time, where he wakes on the desert sands of a bloody battlefield. In this land, warfare isn’t fought from the skies at a distance. It’s vicious and hand-to-hand, and arcane spells can kill a man just as quickly as spear or sword.

Mace is pressed into service as a slave for the Black Legion, a renowned company of mercenaries under the banner of the splendid Atlantian Army of the West, currently besieging the fabled City of Serpents. The Legion is the tip of the Atlantian spear aimed straight at the heart of the power-mad Thuman Evol, who marshals red sorcerers, armored war-dinosaurs, and a host of grim fighting men to oppose them.

In this brutal world, ruthless circumstances force Mace to face at long last his inner demons. Inspiring him to persevere is the burning desire to return to his family for one more second chance at redeeming a life he once surrendered to fading glory and the bottle. But first he must survive the crucible of deadly magicks, backstabbing intrigues, and the utter savagery that is the lost world of Atlantea…

First, Mace must live through hell…

---

The Price of Honor (The Starship In The Stone #8) – M. R. Forbes

Excalibur.

Deep beneath the mountain, she’s waited centuries to be found. Not a sword in the stone, but a starship. And according to the onboard AI, Thomas is the only one who can command her.

A legendary hero has fallen. Darkness is spreading. For Thomas and the crew of Excalibur, the worst is yet to come.

Honor demands sacrifice. But what happens when the price is too high?

Thomas must decide how far he’s willing to go, and whether some victories are worth the cost they demand. As the enemy’s assault on the galaxy intensifies and innocents are set to die by the millions, Thomas will quickly discover that honor doesn’t only mean standing for what’s right.

Sometimes it means standing alone.

---

Roverpowered #4 – Drew Hayes

Celebration has come to the city of Kalamaz.

The arrival of the Founding Festival brings with it splendid decorations, delicious delicacies, and a bevy of competitions. Contests that Wanda and Wumble’s newly joined team hope will offer a chance to test their skills, while also earning some spare coin.

Unfortunately, more than just good tidings have come to town.

The unexpected eruption of a chasm vent floods the area with occorites, sending Kalamaz into utter chaos. Every wizard will be pressed to defend themselves and their town if they hope to see another sunrise.

Especially a still freshly certified alchemist and her loyal hound.

---

The Yellowstone Gambit (Harvey Bennett Side Stories) – Nick Thacker

Harvey’s coming back to where it all started…

A “philanthropist” arrives at Yellowstone with the cure to a global helium shortage: managed venting, precision valves, and a camera crew to sell the miracle. When those valves turn out to be detonators and the miracle is really a market play, Harvey “Ben” Bennett and the Civilian Special Operations team are dragged back to the place where his story began—into blinding steam, trench-cold wind, and a ticking clock buried under the world’s most dangerous caldera.

With Juliette coordinating from their Alaska HQ, Reggie running and gunning in the snow, and a stolen lab routine threatening to punch new holes in the basin, Ben has to hold the pressure steady and rip the mask off a savior who engineered the crisis he’s “solving.” The key to blowing it wide open isn’t a weapon—it’s a confession. A trail of shell companies, and proof that could shake D.C. before the ground does.

From knife-edge helicopter extractions to midnight gunfights beside hissing vents, The Yellowstone Gambit delivers breakneck action, big-idea stakes, and a conspiracy that turns charity into a weapon. If Ben can’t shut it down, Yellowstone won’t be the only thing that blows.