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

Big Trouble, Little Earth – J. N. Chaney and Jason Anspach

Long after Earth’s destruction, Humanity is an endangered species…

When freighter pilot Dalton Thorne reunites with his old friend Kota at Little Earth’s best noodle shop, he’s expecting a straightforward job. Instead, he finds himself embroiled in a centuries-old mystery that could change humanity’s place in the universe forever.

Little Earth is a decaying city carved into an alien planet where humans live as refugees.

Beneath its neon-lit streets and crowded markets lies a secret: fragments of Earth’s past, preserved by a mysterious race of aliens and hidden from the ruling Consortium.

Now, Dalton and his fledgling crew must uncover a vital piece of evidence, long buried in depths of Little Earth—one that might lead to a real home for humanity.

With combat-enhanced martial artists, power-hungry crime lords, and the iron fist of the Consortium all hot on their trail, Dalton must navigate a web of divided loyalties and hard choices.

If only he’d kept eating his noodles, none of this would have happened.

Black Cloaks (Titan Hoppers #4) – Rob J. Hayes

The Enemies of your enemies…

Iro has left the home fleet to join up with the Black Cloaks, eager for the power and the answers they’ve promised him. But danger lurks in every corner deep in the TITAN core, and some revelations are more than he can bear. What if he was never a Corsair?

War has come to the Home Fleet and the new Squad Four Home find themselves on the front lines over and over again. Emil fights for his friends and for his ship, but what if Fleet Command isn’t trying to win the war?

A new threat lurks in the depths of the TITAN core. Monsters band together, all of them wearing a golden crown. Iro and Emil will soon learn some old enemies are not as dead as they believed.

Crown of Ink (Ash and Ink #1) – Jasper Aldan and D. K. Holmberg

He was trained to obey. But some oaths deserve to be broken.

Tavin Rivenhart—The Echo—is the most feared assassin in Valeir. For the right price, the Silent Oath Guild sends him to end lives with perfect precision. But Tavin has a secret: he always asks why.

His latest mission seems simple—kill a rogue scholar and retrieve the child she’s stolen. But in the quiet northern village, he discovers a truth that shakes everything he’s ever believed.

The woman isn’t a traitor. And the boy… the boy can unbind the magical contracts that hold the kingdom together.

Now hunted by his own guild, Tavin must decide: fulfill his deadly oath—or protect the only hope of breaking the chains that bind them all.

Some bindings are written in blood. Others, in justice.

Dark Wizard (The Starship In The Stone #7)  – M. R. Forbes

Thomas thought he understood the enemy. He was wrong.

Some evils refuse to stay buried.

When a desperate search for answers leads Thomas to the isolated world of Ferraden, he discovers that Turquine’s ambitions run deeper than anyone imagined. What began as a hunt for a rogue Draconite has become something far more dangerous.

As the final pieces of an ancient puzzle fall into place, Thomas will learn that some battles can’t be won with starships and swords. Some enemies require a different kind of courage entirely.

The darkness is spreading. Time is running out. And somewhere in the void, an evil older than empires works to remake the galaxy in its own twisted image.

The dark wizard has returned. 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.

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? 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.

Celtic Adventures – edited by D. M. Ritzlin

Out of the past, in Dagon’s Cave, there is Conan of the Reavers.

What dreadful doom was preparing for the infamous Clan MacGreggan?

The Irish worship beauty—and fighting. Grana, it was certain, had the first, and had promised to supply the second

The rich history and folklore of Ireland and Scotland is a bottomless well of inspiration for imaginative authors to draw from. The stories in this collection run the gamut from purely historical to the fantastic to the weirdly horrific, with some combining elements of all three genres. Whether your blood is Celtic or not, these action-packed thrill-tales are guaranteed to get it pumping!

Cul-de-sac Carnage (Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains #2) – James Hunter

With the shadow of the Flayed Monarch looming ever closer, Dan must prepare the store and himself for the battle to come. To stand a chance, he’ll need to expand his operations, broker a precarious trade deal with the Delvers of Howlers Hold, and transform his stash of relics into an arsenal of magical war crimes.

But first, he’ll need to carve a bloody path through the heart of the 24th floor—Eternal Suburbia. A hellish, never-ending labyrinth of tidy lawns, cookie-cutter houses, and homicidal homeowners. Few survive the lawnmower men, the feral Karens, the ever-ravenous Kannibal Kids, or the tyrannical HOA, which reigns supreme with an iron fist of petty rules and bloodstained bylaws. With a gaggle of increasingly untrustworthy allies, and dangers lurking behind every perfectly trimmed hedge, Dan will need to do the impossible if he wants to beat the system and live to fight another day.

Isekai Exorcist – Dosei

Not all monsters can be defeated with a sword.

Ryūta is suddenly transported to a new world, where he is assigned the dangerous role of Exorcist and has to quickly adapt to a life of constant danger. In order to survive in this new world, he’ll hunt and exorcise ghosts, revenants, demons, and other supernatural beings that cannot be defeated with normal weapons.

To aid him in his exorcisms, he’ll summon apparitions to his side as familiars, and he must learn to utilise special Exorcist tools and occult ritual magic.

But it is not just monsters that Ryūta comes up against, as corrupt adventurers scheme to destroy everything he is trying to protect.

Primal Fate (The Starship In The Stone #6) – M. R. Forbes

Returning to Avalyeth in hopes of saving Halvy, Thomas and the crew of Excalibur uncover a secret that could shake the foundations of the Druid order. Hidden beneath the forest canopy, dangerous alliances and forbidden technologies threaten to ignite a conflict that could spread far beyond the trees.

Some truths refuse to stay buried.

While Thomas navigates a maze of suddenly shifting loyalties, Turquine advances a darker agenda that may soon become the greatest threat Avalon has ever faced.

With fragile hope resting on uneasy alliances, Thomas must decide who he’s willing to trust and how far he’s willing to go to build a future worth fighting for.

Because the cost of leadership isn’t victory. It’s who you become to achieve it.

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.

Apocalypse Arena #2: Iron Gauntlet – J. Pal

When Nil gets hit hard, he hits back even harder.

Nil’s done it. He’s ascended from mundane life, he has joined a ludus, and made it through Apocalypse Arena’s qualifiers but it’s only the beginning.

If Lukas wants to protect his family and bring the people who ruined his life to justice, he needs to grow much stronger much faster. Climbing the ranks using the ordinary paths is much too slow and the longer he takes the more innocent lives will be at risk.

A terrifying option looms over him: Death Gauntlet. Where two fighters and a monster enter and only one walks out. Nil doesn’t want the needless risk. However, opponents calling themselves gods are targeting his friends, and he might just need to put them down.

Deception (Lost Town #5) – Nathan Hystad

It’s always darkest before dawn.

Lost Town is being rebuilt in the wake of tragedy. With no connection to Earth for three months, Caesar has the chance to regroup and determine the threat level from Lithos.

John can’t shake the sensation that the worst is yet to come, and it’s confirmed when Anders and Haley leave to investigate a potential second alien tower on Arcadia.

While Harrison takes a step back, Amelia must keep the peace between the rogue agents who are putting their mission in danger.

Meanwhile on Earth, Summer is contacted by a mysterious stranger who predicts a looming invasion.

Operation Seraphim (The Last Marines #11) – William S. Frisbee, Jr.

With Emperor Mathison in stasis and the empire struggling against the vanhat, humanity’s last hope is a desperate expedition to the galactic core. Their mission: find an ancient race powerful enough to save humanity from extinction.

But when Major Zale Stathis’s recon mission to the massive city-ship Bifrost goes catastrophically wrong, his team becomes trapped aboard a vessel controlled by the vanhat. Meanwhile, Admiral Diamond Winters must navigate the damaged Musashi through hostile space, hunted by both the vanhat and the machine intelligences of the Collective that remain just a step behind.

The odds are a million-to-one, but Stathis must find a way to escape—and perhaps even seize control of the homestar’s navigation systems. But time is running out as the vanhat Jotun Shroggath prepares to use Bifrost for another genocidal attack.

In this pulse-pounding continuation of The Last Marines military sci-fi saga, humanity walks the razor’s edge between survival and extinction, where valor and determination may be the only weapons capable of turning the tide against the overwhelming odds. 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.

Cirsova Magazine #23 / Summer 2025 – edited by P. Alexander

Tales of thrilling adventure and daring suspense that include:

A young man born in the arena lives only to fight! When a plot to overthrow the Emperor fails, the daughter of one of the traitors is hidden as a slave in his ludus!

Having delivered sacrificial horses to the King of Pergamos, Melkart intercedes on behalf of an insolent youth! Now, he must deliver the underworld offering himself!

While on his way to Rome to petition the Emperor, Raskos meets a strongman who wishes him to help immortalize his feat of lifting a massive boulder over his head!

Tamarick and Fastrick pursue Zoor across Kalidoh! Meanwhile, Zoor seeks to signal his allies in hopes of preparing a massive ambush to destroy the Wild Stars!

The King’s Agent (The Awakened Realm #1) – D. K. Holmberg

She was trained to break magic. Now she must uncover the power no one ever taught her to wield.

Ellie serves as King Dorian’s secret weapon—a Blade who can shatter even the strongest fabrications. But when her brother vanishes with knowledge that could unravel the kingdom, Ellie uncovers a deeper truth: her ability to destroy magic is only the beginning.

Hunted by a man who shares her forbidden gift and haunted by powers she was taught to fear, Ellie follows a trail that leads to a ruined city pulsing with lost magic and buried lies. There, among ancient fabrications and whispers of fae, she discovers that breaking magic isn’t her greatest threat—it’s what lies beneath it.

Torn between duty to the king and a legacy hidden even from her mentors, Ellie must decide what she’s willing to risk to save her brother—and whether the truth is worth the cost.

Koschei’s Madness (The Vechnoye Saga #4) – H. Y. Gregor

After she vanquished the Black God, Niki Baird wanted nothing more than to go back to a normal life. Those plans are shattered, though, when women begin going missing again, and all signs point to Koschei the Deathless, an ancient sorcerer who’d masqueraded as Niki’s friend and mentor.

When Crypto Division, a grieving warrior, and a cursed fae come knocking at Niki’s door, they all want the same thing: open the legendary chest of Koschei, shatter the needle inside, free a cursed city, and vanquish Koschei once and for all. Together with Ryan, Eanraig, and an increasingly strange and uncertain host of allies, Niki must track down the three keys and unravel the riddle to open the chest.

Destroying the piece of Koschei’s soul sealed inside is the only way to end his madness, and there will be no stopping him if he reaches it before they do.

Master of Monster Arts – Aaron Oster

To survive, he must master the skills of monsters.

Craig’s goal is a simple one: complete the World-level quest given to him by Daimon, the mysterious immortal with the power to halt the progress of time. While his world remains in limbo, an instant away from total annihilation, Craig must tackle the challenges set forth by the quest.

With nearly two centuries of experience under his belt, it should be easy. If only he were competing against himself.

Marsh, his most bitter rival, has been sent to this world as well and given the same quest.

In the end, only one can win. Craig’s path forward will be as it always has, through cunning, strength, and the mastery of every aspect of battle and survival.

With Toby, his world Guide at his side, Craig sets out to do what no one in the history of Odayn has accomplished: learn the skills of monsters and use them to his advantage.

Read More