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 Anvil’s Mark (The Queen’s Blade #3) – D. K. Holmberg

A deadly power upends everything a Blade knows. The Queen’s Blade saga continues.

Zaren, steadily forging alliances in the bustling Busal City, finds solace in his growing network, a stark contrast to the oversight of his mentor. This newfound stability, however, is short-lived.

The unearthing of a mysterious and arcane ritual on the city’s fringes catapults Zaren into action, exposing gaps in his preparedness.

A series of sinister events, marked by an escalating number of casualties, propels Zaren into a quest for clarity. In his search, he leans on his allies for insights, but unexpectedly, it’s his enemies who shed light on the true magnitude of what’s at stake. The conspiracy he’s long feared stretches deeper than he has known.

And the Queen’s Blade may be all that stands before a deadly power that threatens to consume the city.

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Eagle’s Flight (The Chronicles of Adalmearc #1) – D. E. Olesen

The King is dead. His heir too young to rule. Who will claim the crown?

The noble houses gather to choose a new Lord Protector, sparking old rivalries. If they can’t agree, civil war looms. That is if foreign kingdoms don’t smell blood in the water and invade first.

Lord Vale wants to take up the mantle, spurred by his ambitious brother Konstans.

Lord Isarn likewise seeks this power. He is aided – or thwarted – by the return of his brother, the knight and war hero Athelstan, whose squire, Brand, hopes to restore his family’s fortunes no matter the cost.

Through all of this, an enigmatic traveler makes plans with jarls, scribes, and priests for his own mysterious purpose.

Only one thing is for certain: War is inevitable.

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Fallacy (Starship Lost #5) – Craig Martelle

The preliminaries are out of the way. The real fight begins.

The Malibor are putting up staunch resistance, fighting as if their lives depend on it.

Which they do and they don’t. The Borwyn aren’t using a scorched earth approach. They’re not destroying everything in their path. They’re willing to live in peace with the Malibor.

Which is something the Malibor have no interest in. Victory or death! They will defeat the Borwyn, or they will die trying.

There is no glory for anything other than the one who is still standing after the battle is over.

Read the latest installment of this military space adventure.

The battle is joined.

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Mythica: Revenant – Dean Henegar

A warrior reborn. An enemy fueled by death. A fight for humanity.

Mercenary captain Sabine Giroux knew that death was a constant companion in her line of work, and when it finally happened, she wasn’t surprised.

What surprised her was that she didn’t stay dead.

Brought back as an undead revenant by the god Gnessos, Sabine is tasked with stopping a foe that seeks to siphon the power of death and destroy everything she holds dear in the process.

With a lifetime of combat experience to draw upon, Sabine must gain Gnessos’ favor to grow more powerful and fulfill her role as his champion. But with every rank of favor that Sabine gains, more of her humanity is lost as her undead nature threatens to take over…

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Mongol Moon – Mark Sibley

World War III began years ago, and the American government didn’t even know it.

For years, while Iran and North Korea kept Western diplomats busy, China and Russia have been quietly seeding the US with spies and soldiers.

Now a silent army of occupation lurks inside US borders, and for America, it is already too late.

On Christmas Eve, the assault begins.

Mongol Moon is Mark Sibley’s acclaimed debut novel about the individual impact of a global war for survival that looks increasingly plausible with each passing day.

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Sevenfold Sword Online: Leveling – Johnathan Moeller

The greatest epic fantasy MMORPG ever made has a dark secret.

Noah Carver is still playing Sevenfold Sword Online, trying to find proof of the game’s dangerous secret.

Namely, that the game was built using dangerous technology taken from humanity’s greatest enemy, technology that might give the enemy a way to return.

But Carver hasn’t found proof that will get the authorities to act.

So when an old friend from the military offers help, Carver has no choice but to accept.

But that help might have some dangerous strings attached…

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Starship For Rent – M. R. Forbes

When Noah sees an advertisement offering him a chance to rent a starship, he’s convinced it has to be a trick.

Already mired in the worst day of his life, he’s willing to do anything to escape, including a field trip to the middle of nowhere to follow the lead. Except there is no trick. The starship is real. And Noah’s life will never be the same.

All he has to do is sign the contract.

The ship barely reaches orbit before the voyage goes sideways, and what starts as a leisurely jaunt through the solar system becomes an unscheduled detour through a galaxy more bizarre, dangerous, and incredible than Noah ever imagined. And what at first seems accidental might be anything but.…

From tragedy to triumph. His true destiny awaits.

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Jim Breyfogle’s A Bad Case of Dead – a Kickstarter campaign by P. Alexander

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!

A Bad Case of Dead is an enchanting fairytale adventure, filled with action, magic, strange creatures, deadly perils, and romance!