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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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?

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