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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A Bad Case of Dead – Jim Breyfogle

Edward has caught a bad case of Dead!

While hurrying to his clerking job in London, Edward is attacked by a strange creature in an alleyway. Feeling ill, Edward consults his apothecary neighbor who informs him he’s been infected with zumbiism, and is now among the Dead!

There is still hope, however! Sent on his way with a potent elixir that will stave off the effects of Dead, Edward must seek out the aid of a Necromancer in the Narrow World, a hidden realm of forgotten magic beyond the sea. But the next ship leaves in only an hour!

Edward is unable to say farewell to his beloved Becca before setting off on the adventure of a lifetime! For her sake, he will find a cure for Dead… Or die trying, if he were not dead already!

Even if he reaches the Narrow World, there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to find a necromancer or convince him to cure his zumbiism. Edward must rely on his wits and determination to triumph over the challenges the Narrow World throws forth, including fickle merfolk, deadly sea monsters, religious zealots, and a plucky guide who is as ready to put him out of his misery as help him!

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Cloaked Deception – Timothy Zahn

A tactical nuclear weapon is stolen from an Indian research facility, setting off a chain of events that spans the globe.

Those behind the heist plan to use it to take out thousands of innocent people—all to assure death of a single man who they believe is too dangerous to be left alive.

What are the lives of thousands compared to the safety of the world?

At the same time, scientists have invented the world’s first cloaking device, able to render its user almost completely invisible. It’s the epitome of hidden-in-plain-sight—a game changer for any military. At least until three of the lead scientists are murdered and their work is stolen the night before their first demonstration.

Authorities have no idea the two crimes are connected.

There are ten days before the bomb is set to go off.

Can they unravel the trail of red herrings in time?

The clock is ticking…

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Fires Above, Heroes Below (Dragon’s Dawn #1) – Dan Michaelson and D. K. Holmberg

When all seems lost, a young man discovers the untapped power within himself. 

Laric Mason has long evaded the grand expectations set before him by his grandmother. Engaged in the rudimentary spellslips and basics of mage magic at his local school, he intentionally conceals his true abilities. Public recognition would only bring unwanted responsibility and the threat of a transfer to the prestigious Mage Academy.

When a devastating dragon assault from the neighboring realm of Korthal lays waste to his village, Laric’s world is turned upside down. With his home in ruins and his loved ones lost, he and his friends are all that stand against further invasions.

Faced with the need for a hero, Laric must decide if he will embrace the power he has shied away from all his life. To defend his remaining world and challenge the dragon threat, Laric must do the one thing he has always avoided.

He must try.

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Lightning Strike (The Last Hunter #14) – J. M. Cheney and Terry Mixon

In combat, speed is life.

Admiral Jack Romanoff and his people have seized control of Faust and now have a base of operations, though the people of that world aren’t completely pleased by his presence or actions. That’s okay because he doesn’t have time to worry about them. He needs to strike the Locusts before they spread even more than they already have in the wreck everything humanity has built.

If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying hard enough.

With everything on the line, he can’t afford to leave anything on the table. All his weapons and tricks have to be brought to bear now if they intend to save the Confederation. If they fail, humanity will be enslaved or worse. The time for victory is now.

He who hesitates is lost.

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The Wanted (Galaxy’s Edge #23) – Jason Anspach and Nick Cole

Looking back, they called those turbulent times simply: The Troubles. A period of chaotic upheaval and destruction that sent the Republic reeling through successive crises, each growing more desperate as the galaxy spun out of control.

In the aftermath, this battered galaxy now longs for peace and stability. The Republic, now reformed, seeks to govern by rule of law. But no matter how sincere the reform, how earnest and well-meaning the ruler, some worlds refuse to place their destiny in the hands of others. Ever again.

Been there. Done that. Got burned along the way.

Because some things never change. Power summons would-be tyrants eager to seize it. Ancient vendettas cry out to be settled. Corruption worms its way through the souls of men too weak to resist it, or too wicked to try. And dead-eyed killers gather in all the usual star ports, awaiting the opportunity to do what they do best for the promise of a quick credit.

Through it all, the silent Legion waits for its cue to once more tread upon the stage and break their enemies through nothing more, and nothing less, than total violence of action capably applied. As though this time… things will be different.

Out on the edge, they say… Everyone’s got a plan, until the Legion shows up.

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I, Dragon – a crowdfunding campaign from Alien Books

Fiefdoms of the royal family, Rosentall Castle lives its darkest hours surrounded by a huge army. The leader who heads it is the bastard descendant of a lost royal line, and she has returned to reclaim her throne. A long and bloody struggle for power is about to begin. Meanwhile, inside the castle, a strange carnival woman gives birth to her first child…

One day in the early 90s, international guru Alejandro Jodorowsky chose him to take over the art of The Metabarons, that Moebius had been drawing until then. The gray-blue of the Metabarons gives the comics a more realistic look than the colorful pages of superheroes comics, or the one color ink of the manga. The Metabarons is a science-fiction story, but with knights and epic. Each volume is narrated by a robot called Tonto, relating the story of a member of a family of legendary warriors, who have to kill their predecessors, after being trained by them. At last, they must go out into the world after their fate, with incomplete bodies parched with the latest robotic technology.

Giménez touched his friends’ lives with his good humor and his passion for bikes (his friends and his wife enjoyed many rides with him). He also touched generations of artists, with his generosity and amiability, and with the legacy of his work.

After working on sci-fi for so long, Giménez desired to take up some personal projects. And that’s how I, Dragon, a medieval fantasy, came to be.

This Kickstarter campaign will be open through 14 June, 2024.

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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.