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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Dragon Rising (The Starship In The Stone #5) – M. R. Forbes

Thomas has faced impossible odds since becoming Excalibur’s captain. His greatest challenge still lies ahead.

The line between hope and destruction has never been thinner.

When an unexpected ally brings Thomas and his battle-worn crew back from the brink of defeat, they find themselves racing against time, desperate to return to the fight before the Draconite can strike a final, devastating blow.

Meanwhile, the threat to Avalon continues to evolve. Armed with an ancient and terrible power, Turquine plans to bring the galaxy to its knees. Not in Morgana’s name, but in his own.

Two dragons will rise, but one must fall.

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Ghost in the Corruption (Ghost Armor #5) – Jonathan Moeller

An ancient sorcerer. A malevolent plot. Can Caina see the trap before it is too late?

The serpent men seek to conquer the world, but Caina wants to banish them first.

If she can find a way to destroy the Liminal Temple, she can cut off the serpent men from her world and win a final victory.

But in the shadows, an ancient sorcerer of the orcs is stirring, preparing mighty spells that neither Caina nor the serpent men can foresee.

And all this sorcerer needs to finish his work is Caina’s blood…

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Junkyard Saboteur (Junkyard Pirate #9) – Jamie McFarlane

A covert weapons test. A sabotaged mission. A spy wearing the face of a lover.

When the Iron Syndicate seizes control of a remote mining colony, AJ—former Earth Marine turned galactic operative—is sent in with his elite strike team to stabilize the situation. But the mission goes sideways fast. Bad intel, ambushed troops, and a devastating new energy weapon leave AJ scrambling to survive, let alone win. The real shock comes when he learns the occupation isn’t just a raid—it’s a live-fire trial of an experimental device capable of vaporizing whole squads in an instant.

The Syndicate plans to auction the weapon to the highest bidder, and AJ’s only shot at stopping them means infiltrating the very warship ferrying it across the stars. Behind enemy lines and alone, AJ must navigate the bowels of a hostile vessel where secrets run deep, betrayal is currency, and discovery means death. His objective is clear: find the scientist behind the weapon, sabotage production, and uncover the buyer before the deal is sealed.

But one familiar face changes everything. Lamia—once a lover, now a wildcard—is working with the enemy. Or is she? As AJ digs deeper into the conspiracy, he’s forced to question everything: her role, her loyalties, and his own.

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Wraithwood Botanist– Little Lynx

Survive a hellish forest. Master a rare class. Conquer the System.

When Mira’s home is destroyed by gods, she makes two requests to the System that sends her to another world: to be sent to an isolated forest where she can avoid the violent path to godhood, and to gain magic that helps her live and thrive in the forest.

She is granted both, though in the harshest way possible.

The System strands her in a dangerous forest where half the plants are poisonous, the rivers teem with souls, and even the smallest beasts lay waste to experienced adventurers.

To survive such perilous conditions, she uses her modern knowledge of botany and chemistry to create clever traps and weapons, all while learning powerful magic and combat skills alongside her fiercely loyal cat.

Nobody believes she stands a chance. But in a world where the system rewards those who overcome dangerous challenges, the forest is a gold mine.

And while most people would give up, Mira realizes something that surprises her…

She enjoys it.

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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.

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Silver Buster – a Kickstarter campaign by Jordan Allen

Jeffrey “Jeff” Marshall was having a normal day until an alien bounty hunter arrived in his town seeking a living metal organism called a metatite. As the bounty hunter is about to deliver a killing blow to Jeff, the metatite fuses with him, granting him the power to turn his body to metal.

Teaming up with his new symbiotic buddy, who he names Sleek, the pair synthesise a combat suit and fight as the mighty masked hero, Silver Buster! Using his heavy metal powers, he fights off the alien Kryn Mercenaries led by the nefarious Captain Zaneck as they continue to pursue Sleek for their own ends.

With the seemingly endless alien forces arriving in his hometown of Belmont, Silver Buster knows it’s his duty to knock those goons right back into space and save the day. The only problem is, he still has to go to school!

This campaign will continue until Thursday, 26 June 2025.