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

Chords of Fate (The Wayward Chronicles #1) – D. K. Holmberg

We were called the Wayward. It was a derogatory term for some, but it was one we embraced. Most of us truly were Wayward.

Leo Surinar is a wanderer, traveling with his mother in the Wayward caravan in the only life he’s ever known, finding their own peace while parts of the world descend into war. When a traveling minstrel joins the caravan, everything begins to change.

As Leo learns the power of song and begins to dream of a world beyond the caravan—one only the Academy can show him—he starts to think there might be more to the world than what he sees from the top of a wagon.

Until his mother’s illness forces him to make a difficult choice.

Leo soon learns about the world beyond the caravan, the power that can be imbued in song, and power even greater than the song. As he’s hunted by deadly guild assassins and runs from the fae, he must decide between returning to what he’s always known and the knowledge and magic of the Academy.

Ghost in the Veils (Ghost Armor #2) – Johnathan Moeller

When the truth is hidden, unveiling it can be deadly.

Caina faces a new enemy – the insidious serpent men and their mysterious Cult of Rhadamathar. Already they are working to incite war and spread chaos, both within and without the Empire.

So when the ruler of Istarinmul asks Caina to discover why the Cult tried to assassinate his pregnant wife, Caina has no choice but to agree.

But the serpent men have been working in the shadows for centuries…and they have prepared lethal traps for those who seek out their mysteries…

The Queen’s Fixer (Ashes of Entecea #1) – Casey Ezell

All Laethine wanted was to go home.

With the death of her beloved husband, the Jaerl of Antiroc, Laethine knew she had to take his place and be a good leader for her people. However, her husband had a secret, one that would thrust her into the cutthroat world of royal interplanetary politics and dark conspiracies.

Now she’s beset on all sides, and despite her grief, she must pick herself up and move forward with cold precision, even as her heart breaks with every step.

Victory seems impossible, but she cannot fail, for the fate of her entire planet hangs in the balance.

She must become the Queen’s Fixer.

Stars’ Call (Battleship Chronicles #1) – L. Eclaire

It’s time to return to the Fleet to fight for humanity once more, this time in a human body.

Ever since her creation, Light Seeker fought for humanity as a battleship, facing enemy forces that sought to carve out as much human space as they could get away with. She had taken part in hundreds of battles, seen millions die, served under four captains until she lost it all.

Stripped of weapons and with most of her memories restricted, Light Seeker retired into a human body, keeping her promise to a captain she almost lost.

Decades later, she’s back in the Fleet as a cadet and ready to join the fight.
Only this time, she has more than her crew to protect.

Ultimate Conclusions – a Kickstarter from Karl K. Gallagher

Hi, I’m Karl K Gallagher. I’m asking your support to help me put out a collection of my short stories.

I’m best known for my Torchship Trilogy, which is a hard SF adventure story about an undercover spy fighting a government which suppresses uncontrolled computers. The trilogy was a finalist for the Prometheus award for best libertarian science fiction novel.

There’s a few loose ends at the end of the story: what’s going to happen with the uploaded people? Will the humans win their war against the AIs? And how can they rebuild the planets devastated in the war?

I’ve written three new stories tackling those questions and giving a look at the characters we love from the trilogy, which I hope Torchship fans will enjoy

This Kickstarter will be available until 10 April, 2024