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

---

Dracoheim Confidential – Misha Burnett

Magic isn’t what it used to be…

Forget robes and staffs and incantations out of dusty old books. This is the modern world, and magic is big business. Industrial magic has revolutionized every aspect of life in Dracoheim, from the cars we drive to the power that lights our homes.

Magic, which was once a novel and mysterious force, has been systematized, standardized, and turned into a vocational science, necessary for day to day commerce with the realms of Nightmare. It is the job of Magus Leonid Vetch, one of the last of the old breed of “wizards,” to prepare young men attending Leeshore Technical College for careers in magic.

And as magic has become part of everyday life, so too has it become a part of commonplace criminal activity. Erik Rugar, a special agent for the Committee for Public Safety, is tasked with investigating crimes involving magic and denizens of Nightmare visiting or residing in Dracoheim County.

---

The Fractured Legacy (The Awakened Realm #2) – D. K. Holmberg

The power inside her was only the beginning. Now it’s waking something far older—and far more dangerous.

When explosive attacks rock Busal City, Ellie knows there’s more at work than simple terrorism. The mysterious Servants of Ascendance have targeted her home—and awakened a burning power within her that she barely understands.

Now Ellie must scale an impossible cliff to reach ruins older than memory itself, where ancient seals separating our world from the fae realm are weakening. Accompanied by a mysterious Arbiter, her scholarly friend, and pursued by terrifying creatures, she races to prevent catastrophe.

But Ellie isn’t just fighting the Servants—she’s fighting her own nature. The burning power inside her connects to something primordial, something the Servants desperately want. If she can master it in time, she might save two worlds. If she fails, an ancient power called the Sovereign will return, forever altering the balance between realms.

With rival factions manipulating events from the shadows, Ellie must decide who to trust—and what kind of power she was meant to wield.

---

Hero’s Return (Heroes of Britannia #4) – Fred Hughes

Empress regent Hiroko and Britannia stand on the brink of civil war. Meanwhile, a thousand light years away, President Julie Adams and the Federation face a technologically superior foe in the Sol Sector.

Both empires need a hero.

And when workers discover a damaged escape pod pinned in the wreckage of a shot-to-pieces dreadnought, it turns out the Deities weren’t done with its sole living occupant. A man from the past—a hero—waits to return.

But the perils are grave. Can one man solve these issues?

If he can’t, who can?

---

Jeryn’s Dagger (Empire and Ashes #1) – D. L. Young

A fresh recruit is the only hope of stopping Interstellar war.

Jeryn Lorsi is hardly ready for an important operation. An ex-black marketeer turned spy, he’s no hero.

But when tragedy strikes, that’s exactly what he’ll have to become.

A conflict of unimaginable scale threatens to end ten thousand years of Realm primacy, and Jeryn is the only one in the position to stop it.

War Is Coming… Interstellar civil war.

---

Ken Lizzi’s Cesar the Bravo – a Kickstarter campaign from Cirsova

Welcome to a world of magic and intrigue!

Cesar, a sometimes-condottiero and a bravo by trade, has earned a reputation as one of the best swords for hire in the city of Plenum. If you need a foe humiliated before a cheering crowd, he’s your man!

There’s good money to be made—at least enough to pay for fine clothes and cheap wine—but Plenum is a dangerous city filled with corrupt nobles vying for power, crooked merchants and conmen looking for marks, and every manner of hired muscle looking to cozy up or make a name for themselves… not to mention the occasional rampaging demon loose in the streets!

At the heart of power in Plenum is the Collegium: an exclusive aristocratic body of mages who hold a monopoly on magic. Cesar finds himself inexorably drawn into the city’s power struggles, as one of the most pre-eminent members of that esteemed collective finds he has a use for the bravo!

This collection includes 5 previously published adventures plus an all-new full-length novel!

This campaign will be open until Friday, 1 August 2025.

---

Nethereal 10th Anniversary Special Edition – a Kickstarter campaign from Brian Niemeier 

We’re issuing a deluxe, Kickstarter exclusive edition of Nethereal to commemorate the lasting mark this unique story has made on genre fiction. 

The last son of a murdered race, fighting for revenge. 
A precision killer inspired by his captain’s dream. 
A woman like no other who longs for acceptance.

The Sublime Brotherhood of Steersmen holds the Middle Stratum in its iron grip. Jaren Peregrine, last of the Gen, raids across fringe space with Nakvin—his best pilot and only friend—her apprentice Deim, and mercenary Teg Cross.

Hunted by the ruthless Master Malachi, Jaren and his crew join a conspiracy to break the Guild’s monopoly with an experimental ship. But when its maiden voyage goes awry, the Exodus flies farther off course than its crew could have imagined. 

Jaren must contend with the powers of Hell to save himself and his crew. But can he face the soul-crushing truth that entwines them?

This campaign will be open until Friday, 25 July 2025.

---

Steelhearts – a Kickstarter campaign from Joseph Chaput

From the imaginations of five contributors to the fantasy fiction community on Substack come tales of wonder, terror, love, and courage, whether in the face of overwhelming odds or fear of the unknown:

A young man bereft of kin and hope braves subterranean horrors and ancient evils in the fae world.

The lords of humanity’s last refuge plunge into battle against an infinite horde of ravenous orcs.

Two brothers stalk winged fiends through the primitive jungle in a hunt for vengeance.

A young woman must choose between her life of protected seclusion and the perils of love and prophecy.

The fate of a treachery-ridden kingdom falls on a young country duke and an old wizard.

Every page of Steelhearts will stir the blood in your veins—and inspire you, too, to take up the swords of valor and truth in the face of evil.

This campaign will be open until Friday, 1 August 2025.