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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The Celestial Sea (The Combined Service #3) – Jo Boone

Madness and ruin at the ragged edge of deep space.

The Magnetar heads for the gu’ul world of Garoar, where the Combined Service ship Askja has gone missing. Thinking the local pirates might know something, Captain Chalk decides to capture some and find out. But the pirates have a weapon no one anticipated, and the battle is costly for the Magnetar’s crew. It’s costly for Charlie Cooke, too: she saves one life, but loses someone she cares about.

When the Magnetar limps into Garoar for repair. Charlie, grieving and plagued by nightmares, doesn’t want to take shore leave. Her gu’ul friend Breccia has family on the surface, though, and she insists that Charlie come. It seems as if this trip to the surface might heal Charlie’s wounds: Breccia’s brother, Coltan, has brought Charlie a gift from Fortuna. But Charlie’s own encounter with the pirates creates danger for Breccia’s family—and bears unexpected fruit in the search for the Askja.

With the repairs still incomplete, the Magnetar leaves Garoar, determined to find the Askja. That unfortunate ship may have been lost in a mysterious—and dangerous—region of space known as the Celestial Sea. The Sea, it is said, devours ships, after driving their crews to madness and ruin. In the Celestial Sea, Charlie and the rest of the crew will have to face their own haunted pasts. They went to save the Askja… but can they save themselves?

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Gravity Storm (Order of Scion #3) – Toby Neighbors

It takes a lot of luck to colonize a planet.

It will take more than luck to keep it.

Mitch Murphy used to be a Lieutenant in the Colonial Marine Corps. That was before he was invited to join the mysterious Order of Scion, an intergalactic group focused on making the entire universe a more habitable place. But the Order has enemies, and Mitch has become one of them.

After saving his old combat squad on New Terra, Mitch reveals his new abilities to the officers in charge of the colony. To some, it seems like magic, to others it’s an opportunity for their own selfish aims. As he grows in power, Mitch will be able to lead humanity in an expansion across the galaxy. But some people only see Mitch as a weapon. They will seek to control him and to seize more power than any one person was ever meant to have.

Across the galaxy, a cold, cunning alien being has been plotting to take down the Order of Scion. His trap is nearly set, and all he needs to do is coax the Order into it. He has a foolproof plan to do it, but he hasn’t taken into consideration that Mitch Murphy is the first human to join the Order. And that might turn everyone’s plans back on their heads.

Gravity Storm is the third book in the Order of Scion series by prolific author Toby Neighbors. With echoes of Star Wars, Dune, and Starship Troopers, the Order of Scion books are his most ambitious stories yet. Full of action and adventure, intrigue, and danger, Gravity Storm is a powerhouse novel that you won’t be able to put down.

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The Last Steward (Galaxy In Flames #1) – Nicholas Sansbury Smith

From the embers of a galaxy in flames, destiny calls upon an unknown guardian.

Captain Axel Finn has spent his life running salvage missions with an alien crew and their war bot. This motley group has found refuge on his ship from their own tumultuous pasts. But little do any of them know, beneath his gentle demeanor, their steadfast captain is far from the peace following, adventure seeking giant of a man they all love. His pacifist ethos meant to safeguard them has edged them to the brink of financial ruin and drawn dangerous enemies.

Forced into a risky salvage operation, the crew uncovers an alien relic not of this galaxy.

Expecting treasure to pay their debts, they instead find an artifact of the Wrath, an extraterrestrial species that once decimated entire worlds. To decipher the true nature of their discovery, Axel seeks Rangnar Soki, a deadly bounty hunter famous for his pursuit of the Stewards—legendary warriors who stood against the Wrath in bygone days. But as the mystery of this artifact deepens, and hunters close in, an old enemy threatens to set the galaxy ablaze.

Axel must choose: accept his legacy and unleash the monster within or watch everything he loves burn.

Kick off a thrilling quest of adventure with NYT and USA Today bestselling Author Nicholas Sansbury Smith in this new science fiction saga. Readers that enjoy galactic combat, snarky droids, ancient aliens, lost starships, and underdogs facing daunting odds, this story is for you!

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The Oldest Starfighter – Jamie McFarlane

Old body, new battleground. The fate of the universe rests in the hands of the Oldest Starfighter.

In this gripping new military science fiction novel, the universe teeters on the brink of invasion, and the Obsidian Union scrambles to assemble a formidable force of combat pilots. Enter Gordy Harmen, once a legendary Air Force pilot whose illustrious career came to an end due to physical limitations.

Desperate and with nothing to lose, Gordy is approached with a tantalizing proposition: join the Obsidian Union’s fight, and they’ll rejuvenate his weary body, granting him the chance to fly once more. With his unmatched skills in the cockpit, Gordy must adapt to a new battlefield—the vast expanse of space.

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Star Wanderers – a Kickstarter campaign from J. D. Cowan and Cirsova Publishing

Detective Ronan Renfield is a Galactic Enforcer sworn to protect the innocent and bring evil-doers to justice to maintain order throughout the stars.

The Agent is a nameless knight errant tasked with hunting the most brazenly wicked and blasphemous who threaten order and nature across the cosmos.

Alone, they face strange and diabolical horrors on backwater worlds and the corrupt and dangerous criminals who threaten civilization.

Together, they are the Star Wanderers!

This collection features eight thrilling tales of raygun adventure, swashbuckling sword fights, and cyberpunk mystery, including four never-before published adventures!

This Kickstarter campaign will be open through 23 May, 2024.

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Sword and Scandal – a Kickstarter campaign from J. Manfred Weichsel

The title Sword & Scandal is a play on the popular Italian sword and sandal genre of epic films. These will be stories with traditional historical and mythological settings from heroic fantasy, but with more gore, nudity, and sex than what you usually see published. They will be subversive without becoming grimdark and will retain the sense of fun you would want from a pulp adventure, and the sense of wonder you would want from a weird tale.

If you have read my books, then you know that I am an experimental author who takes big risks with everything he does. Unlike other publishers who tend to play it safe with their selections, I will be looking for the wild, strange, and outrageous. I want to publish off-beat and off-the-wall stories that would never otherwise get to see the light of day.

Humor is also a big part of what I do. I will actively look for stories that incorporate a similar sense of humor as mine: dry, sardonic, and satirical. I enjoy humor that is character-driven, dark, and surreal. But I also like farce.

Sword & Scandal is not an anthology for genre purists. It is for thrill-seeking readers who want something new and different. The tales in this book will be adventures to scandalize. So, if you want to see such a new market open up to writers, and if you want to help bring such a book into existence, and if you want to hold such a book in your hands and read it, then contribute to Sword & Scandal now!

This Kickstarter campaign will be open through 5 June, 2024.