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 Council of Yoran (The Chain Breaker #12) – D. K. Holmberg

The Chain Breaker must fall. Something greater must rise.

A dark power builds, but Gavin and his allies can’t find its source.

Much of what he’s learned has been fragments of what he needs. Gavin must find a way to bring it all together if he wants to protect the future.

But the key to stopping the danger may involve a sacrifice he’s unwilling to make.

He can’t fight his way past the danger that comes. The Chain Breaker must fall.

Who—and what—will replace him?

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Dark Menace (Space Raiders #3) – Ken Lozito

The message came warning that Nate’s friends have been captured.

Aliens are abducting juveniles across the galaxy, and every species is a target, including humans.

Nate is certain he knows who’s responsible, but it’s impossible because they’re supposed to be dead.

Determined to uncover the truth and rescue his friends, Nate embarks on a journey that leads him down a galactic rabbit hole, exposing the darker undercurrents of galactic society and the fight for justice.

For Nate, it’s personal. For everyone else, it’ll be costly.

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Dragonskull: Crown of the Gods – Johnathan Moeller

The ultimate artifact of dark magic. Only one may wield it.

At last Gareth Arban has found the resting place of the Dragonskull, the deadly weapon of dark magic that can either rule or destroy the world.

But the sorceress Azalmora has also found it and will do anything to claim the Dragonskull’s power.

To free the world from the Dragonskull’s curse, Gareth must pay the ultimate price…

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Gruesome Futures (Tales to Make You Vomit #4) – edited by J. Manfred Weichsel

The librarian is back with her first misanthropic anthology!

When three brave astronauts embark on a trip to the moon, little do they know that a hidden purpose awaits them—an alien signal detected from the moon, shrouded in secrecy to prevent panic on Earth. The lunar module is damaged upon landing, stranding the astronauts on the moon’s surface, with no hope of returning home. Determined to fulfill their mission, they follow the mysterious signal to a crater, leading them beneath the moon’s surface and into an enigmatic library.

Here they meet the Librarian, a seemingly harmless elderly woman with a nefarious agenda. The bilious bibliosoph has decided to put humanity on trial by forcing each astronaut to read a sickening science fiction book from her liverish library. If just one can read a book without throwing up, the earth will be spared. But each time one of the astronauts gets green around the gills, the librarian will launch, by catapult, a giant rock at the earth, which will, upon impact, cause massive loss of life. As the bizarre book bazaar unfolds, the astronauts face an unsettling realization—the final rock will bring about the destruction of Earth.

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Small Worlds – Misha Burnett

Ours is a culture that adores the elephantine, the cyclopean, the Brobdingnagian. Bigger is better, we are told, and the biggest is the best. People love big stories, with a cast of thousands, and Vista-vision widescreen special effects. Heroes must be larger than life, and devils blacker than they are painted, and entire worlds must be set aflame to create an ever-growing hunger for spectacle.

Oh, says I, that’s interesting. But that’s not what I do.

I write short stories, about little people in small worlds. That’s what you’ll find in this collection. In a couple of cases, they are literally small worlds, flyspeck heavenly bodies far out in space. In others the constraints are more metaphysical, worlds bounded by the vision of their inhabitants, an event horizon close enough to almost touch.

But one mustn’t suppose that the Lilliputian character of these stories means that nothing of significance happens in them.

Small worlds need saving, too.

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Veterans Code – John Walker

Edgar Bryce finds himself lost on a journey he never planned. Years after the end of a massive war with an alien race called the xinthal, he’s struggled to find some inner peace. Odd jobs have taken him across the galaxy, a loner in the darkness constantly staying ahead of his own thoughts, doubts, and guilt. With no real future, no sense of purpose, he seems destined to wander for the rest of his days.

Until a strange signal interrupts a simple prospecting job. A message comes in from a group of POWs lost behind enemy lines. The treaty ensured all prisoners on both sides would be returned. This is proof the xinthal failed to live up to their end of the bargain, holding nearly two hundred men and women unlawfully.

The obvious solution carries complications. Rescuing them may well fire up hostilities between the human Federation and the Xinthal Empire. Edgar wrestles with his conscience, not to mention a sacred duty that outlasted his service to the military. The authorities may not be able to offer aid, which means a private citizen with nothing to lose will have to do the unthinkable.

Form a team, cross the border, and save the people himself.

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ANVIL: Iron Age Magazine Issue #2 – a crowdfunding campaign from IronAge Media

In this age of derivative and propagandistic mainstream media, creators across mediums and genres have begun pushing back. ANVIL celebrates and highlights those artists and authors drawing inspiration from the roots of comics and pulp. Heralding the rediscovery and refocus on quality over ideology which is already underway, and gaining momentum.

Published and organized by IronAge.Media, a site focused on connecting Iron Age creators with new fans, edited by Daniel P. Riley, of Whimsyland and supported by Jacob Calta of 365 Infantry as Designer. Issue #2 is upping the ante with more fiction and more comics than before, over one hundred pages of short fiction and comics will give you a taste of the best the indie sphere has to offer.

This crowdfunding campaign will remain open until 1 September, 2023.

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Saga of the Swordbreaker: Invincible Under Heaven – a crowdfunding campaign by Kit Sun Cheah

Previously on SAGA OF THE SWORDBREAKER, Li Ming entered the martial forest, filled with dreams of fighting evil and attaining immortality. He battled beasts and bandits, became ensnared in the schemes of the Five States and Ten Corporations, and discovered the dark undercurrents of the rivers and lakes. In the space of a year, all his delusions were stripped away, leaving him wondering what he should do with his life.

Now in the second half of the series, INVINCIBLE UNDER HEAVEN, Li Ming’s journey reaches its climax.

Follow Li Ming as he journeys to attain the apex of martial skill. Witness his rise through the ranks of martial cultivators. Fight beside him as he battles secret societies, powerful monsters, and devil cultivators.

And together, discover the true meaning of the ancient phrase ‘invincible under heaven’.

This crowdfunding campaign will remain open until 21 August, 2023.