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 Assistant (Honor of the Fleet #3) – Felix R. Savage

A merciless evil is stalking the cities of the Moon. Only Siegn can unravel the mystery.

Assigned to break a VR smuggling ring, Siegn makes his first visit to the Moon—but his chief suspect is found dead. Now he must solve the murder before the killer strikes again. That’s not going to be easy. On the Moon, VR is a way of life, and no one wants a Martian prying into the reality beneath the glamorous fantasies.

But reality gatecrashes the party when hackers attack the Moon’s prized space elevator. Now the race is on to find the criminals before catastrophe strikes.

It’s Siegn’s darkest and strangest case yet. Throw in a bunch of long-lost cousins and a beautiful–but dangerous–VR celebrity, and Siegn will need all his luck and skill to stop the forces of evil… and that’s before we even talk about the cat.

Cirsova Magazine #21 / Winter 2024 – edited by P. Alexander

Fourteen tales of thrilling adventure and daring suspense, including:

Enraged by the death of his brethren, Sword-Superior tears his way through the Isshla and their caverns, seeking out the control device that will destroy Earth! The fate of the world hangs in the balance as Gigwanator-Superior pursues him!

Ottocar wishes he were anything but a turtle trainer…until a strange and lovely masked girl at a festival convinces him with a kiss: fix the turtle races for her!

A tenuous truce between a small village and a savage creature of fey has been strained to breaking! If there can be no peace, the only choice is to win!

Now in the presence of others like her, Kayla Blackmoon, a powerful psychic, must prove, to her mentors and herself, that she belongs and has a greater purpose!

Defiance of the Fall #14 – J. F. Brink

Years of struggle have left Zecia weakened in their war against the Kan’Tanu Cult.

Negotiating for peace is not an option when the System is in control. It can only be purchased through blood and steel. No one is spared from the winds of war.

Zac and his elite armies have been forced to the frontlines just as opportunity strikes. An ancient war fortress has risen from the dimensional depths.

Built by the Limitless Empire, it holds power and secrets far beyond what’s seen on the desolate frontiers. Seizing it could be the key to changing the winds of war. Zac finds himself in the heart of the struggle.

No matter what, he won’t let it fall into the Kan’Tanu’s hands.

The Departure (The Survivors #23) – Nathan Hystad

Actions have consequences.

Jules has retired from the Institute, and spends her days rebuilding the Academy on Haven Two.

Dean visits each Alliance partner, seeking to salvage a crumbling accord, and encounters a mystery deeper than the universe.

Nothing has prepared Dean Parker and family for this adventure, as the end of one story is just the beginning of another. Read More

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

Express Elevator to Hell (Universes at War #1) – edited by Chris Kennedy and April Kelley Jones

Attack! Attack! Attack!

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and for the people on a starship waiting to make a planetary assault, that trip will be as fast as possible so they can—hopefully—make it through the enemy’s defenses. Some liken such a trip as being on an express elevator to hell.

But a planetary assault is a dangerous thing, and it can have consequences for the assaulters as well as those being assaulted. Are you ready to join the attack?

Fifteen of today’s leading scifi authors take you on a variety of science fiction assaults that will have you on the edge of your seats as you go in with the first wave. Are you ready to jump on board the express elevator to hell?

You better be, because it’s going down!

The Forbidden Isle – Nik Thacker and Craig Hart

A cure for cancer. A forbidden island. And no one comes back alive.

When Dash Boone agrees to guide billionaire Greyson Redmayne and renowned scientist Dr. Kim Kirby to the elusive Menchal Island, he thinks he’s signing on for a high-stakes adventure.

But their true mission—a desperate search for a potential cure for cancer hidden within the island’s dense jungles—quickly turns deadly. Menchal’s chilling reputation is no myth; the island guards its secrets fiercely, and no one who ventures into its heart has ever returned to tell the tale.

As Dash, Kim, and Greyson push deeper into the island, they encounter ancient symbols, terrifying phenomena, and signs that something far darker than a miracle cure lies waiting for them.

Pursued by unseen forces and faced with the island’s ruthless defenses, they must unravel Menchal’s mysteries before they, too, become part of its legend.

Some places are meant to stay hidden. Menchal is one of them.

Martian Trash (Honor of the Fleet #2) – Felix R. Savage

A murder on Phobos. A plot to destroy Martian independence. It’s time for Radrick Siegn to take out the trash.

The Fleet gave Siegn a second chance as a criminal investigator. When a woman with ties to Mars’s most-feared gang is murdered on Phobos, he has to prove he can do the job.

Shouldn’t be too hard. After all, he knows these guys from way back. Just gotta hope the boss doesn’t find out about Siegn’s unorthodox methods…

But the investigation takes a dangerous turn when outsiders try to frame a Martian billionaire. Now Siegn must find and punish the true criminals, from the luxurious orbital habitats of the rich, to the corrupt recycling industry, and even on the dust-choked surface of Mars. If he fails, Mars may lose its independence—and he’ll definitely never be able to buy a new piano. Read More

November 2023 is the centennial anniversary for publication of A. Merritt’s The Ship of Ishtar. This classic novel was first published as a six part serial in the pulp magazine Argosy All-Story Weekly from November 8, 1924 to December 13, 1924.

Merritt first wrote the story as a novelette. Editor Bob Davis at Argosy All-Story Weekly returned the story wanting Merritt to expand the tale into a novel. Merritt wrote portions of the last part of the novel and then filled in sections from there. E. F. Bleiler wrote that the novel incorporates a sequel tacked onto the original story. Read More