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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Blood of the Kingdom (The Claimed Realm #3) – Marc Alan Edelheit

A kingdom on the brink. A warrior with a forbidden legacy. A final reckoning that will shake the world to its core…

Alaric has won the battle—but not the war. As the dust settles and the dead are buried, whispers of prophecy rise. The blood of a fallen empire flows in his veins, and with it, the weight of an impossible destiny. Once content to rule his quiet earldom, and honor his king, Alaric now finds himself the fulcrum upon which the future of Kevahn—and the world—will turn or perhaps even fight against.

But loyalty is no shield. With his ancient bloodline revealed and Rikka—an elven lumina of myth and holy power—at his side, Alaric must contend with suspicious lords, broken alliances, and a king who may now see him as a rival and challenger instead of a loyal vassal. As tensions mount and betrayal looms, Alaric must decide whether to stand by his oath… or embrace the legacy that could reshape the world.

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The Cruel Stars (The Black Ships #2) – G. P. Hudson

The Union is the most powerful civilization in the galaxy. But its greatest threat is yet to come—and only one man can stop it.

Captain Max Knight thought his mission was simple: eliminate an arms dealer and head home. No big deal, right? But when mysterious forces threaten all of humanity, he embarks on a desperate journey beyond known space, chasing a legend that might only be a myth.

As the enemy tightens its grip, the Union teeters on the brink of destruction. Desperation breeds bold action, and Max and his crew are handed a mission so dangerous, so impossible, that failure means total annihilation. But if they succeed, they might just turn the tide of war.

The fate of the Union rests on a knife’s edge. Will they rise to the challenge—or fall to the cruel stars?

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Ghost in the Siege (Ghost Armor #6) – Jonathan Moeller

An invading army. A deadly sorceress. The final stand.

Caina has at last discovered the secret of destroying the Liminal Temple, the gateway the serpent men use to travel from their world to attack Caina’s home.

But she’s running out of time.

As enemy fleets and armies encircle New Kyre, Caina must destroy the Liminal Temple before it is too late.

Yet she has overlooked the most dangerous secret of all.

The Grand Priestess of the serpent men waits hidden within the heart of New Kyre, and is working to bring about the destruction of all that Caina loves…

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A Journey of Realms (Realms & Runes #3) – Joshua Kern

Justice has been achieved. Their family found. Don’t get in their way.

Justice was only the beginning. Their journey is far from over—and peace remains a distant dream.

Erik and Ainsley are no longer alone. Vali, Erik’s uncle, has joined them—a blood relative he’s never met, and the first real link to a family lost in the shadows of the past. But what awaits them is more than just a reunion. It’s a reckoning.

Old grudges fester among Erik’s kin. His coming reopens wounds never healed, and one wrong move could tear the clan apart. But the storm outside pales in comparison to the one brewing inside Ainsley.

Ainsley is losing control of her cultivation. The primordial beast tethered to her bloodline is no longer content to whisper and slumber in wait—it’s howling and pulling at its chains. If she fails to rein it in, and if it awakens fully, then her soul will be the price, and she may never return.

Their journey was meant to bring healing and clarity. Instead, they step into the center of a storm generations in the making. And this time, the cost might be more than just their lives—it might be the future they’re trying to build.

In a world shaped by runes, cultivation, demons, savage honor, and ancestral war-beasts, the strongest force may not be power—it may be the bond they’ve forged in fire.

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My Magus Academy is Run By Players!? – Astralium

An abandoned Academy. A mysterious System. He can now summon… Players!?

Victor Asteriscus is just like any other acolyte treading on the Magus Path until his comrades betray him for a broken artifact. In a moment of desperation, he accidentally stumbles upon an abandoned academy and receives a System that allows him to summon Players.

Yep, that’s right. These “Players” from his old world will help him embark on a quest to develop the academy, complete various missions, and harness the power of magic. Let them kill magical beasts so that he can be promoted further? That’s too simple!

With an army of fearless, immortal players, and a sassy assistant fairy under him, what’s there to fear in this world full of endless dangers and mysteries?

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No Way Home – Jasper T. Scott

The Celestial Voyager was supposed to be a dream vacation—until a navigational error left the ship stranded in uncharted space. And then the bodies started appearing…

Cut off from Earth with no way home, disgraced fleet Captain Elias Mercer must find a habitable planet before supplies run out. The ship’s AI claims there’s one nearby—but after everything that’s happened, can it be trusted?

Security Chief Lars Dekker is sent to explore, only to uncover something terrifying waiting on the surface.

Meanwhile, Cruise Director Lexi Rourke clashes with the captain as she tries to keep her passengers entertained, and oblivious, for as long as she can.

As the grim reality of their situation comes to light, paranoia spreads, giving rise to a chilling theory: what if the ship didn’t get lost by accident? Someone might have planned this… but why? And what were they hoping to find?

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Pulp Modern: Hand of Doom – edited by Alec Cizak

On the heels of 2024’s Pulp Modern: Die Laughing, the most enduring underground pulp fiction digest returns with siz bone-chilling excursions into the creature-infested arena of workplace horror. Hand of Doom answers the question, Is there anything worse than punching a clock every day until they plant you in the dirt?

Yes. Yes there is.

Featuring stories by Pulp Modern veterans Sarah Cannavo, J.D. Graves, and E.F. Sweetman, as well as classic tales of the weird and macabre by H.P. Lovecraft and Clifford Bell. Illustrations provided by Ann Hoekstra and Allen Koszowski. The Greek Gods of Heavy Metal, Thelemite, return for an interview with Scotch Rutherford. Special effects wizard and filmmaker Matt Barret stops by for a chat as well. Richard Krauss supervises the art direction. And founding editor Alec Cizak continues putting the whole package together.

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Reborn as a Dark Lord – Timothy W. Long

From scourge of the realm to a beloved tavern owner. This Dark Lord is ready for change.

Vincent Logan’s day couldn’t get any worse. Fired from his corporate day-job, almost dying of a heart attack, and then suddenly thrust into the body of the recently defeated Dark Lord Morthisal?

Talk about a career change.

Now, trapped in a fantasy world with powers he can barely control and a reputation that precedes him (in all the wrong ways), Vince has to navigate a post-war kingdom that wants nothing more than to see him dead. But he’s got other plans.

Armed with nothing but his wits, a few magical artifacts, and an insatiable craving for chicken wings, Vince sets out to open the most unlikely business venture for a former evil overlord.

His mission? To buy a tavern and create the best hot wings the kingdom has ever tasted.

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Wreck Jumpers #2 – Jason Anspach and Nick Cole

After surviving an assault on a remote asteroid facility, REC-Team Pelican has gone to ground.

Spending months in hiding, team sergeant Mack Baines catches intel that could bring his team in from the cold. Their find kick-starts a mission tracking the mysterious “signal” to its source—to one of the most dangerous planets at the galaxy’s edge, Ankalor.

But the zhee world is home to more than just its fanatical residents. It houses a covert enterprise dressed as a criminal cartel. One whose scheme could put a charismatic warlord on the throne of a world calling for “Death to the Republic.”

Join Mack and the members of REC-Team Pelican as they drop onto Ankalor to face rogue agents, Night Marketeers, and one of the galaxy’s most dangerous races…

…All while the “signal” calls to a new enemy.

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Battleborn Magazine – a crowdfunding campaign by Iron Age Media

This campaign will remain open until 30 September 2025.