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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Culmination (Battle Mage Farmer #9) – Seth Ring

They started the fight. John is going to end it.

Despite John’s best efforts to avoid getting pulled into a war, the Resplendent Empire is determined to crush John and Candle Scholar Tower. No sooner had he returned from the once a millennium magical competition than he discovers that the Empire has declared war, confident that they will be able to roll over John and his allies with little trouble.

Yet little do they know what sort of force they have provoked. No longer a man of two minds, John sets out to end things once and for all. As the Dragon Empress Kalmeric marshall’s her forces, John puts the lessons he learned on the battlefield all those years ago to work.

Venturing out from his beloved farm, John is intent on making this adventure his last so he can spend the rest of his days sitting on his porch watching his wheat grow next to those he loves.

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The Hope Ornament – Nick Thacker

Harvey Bennett didn’t sign up for this Christmas adventure.

When a small-town holiday festival turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse, Ben and Julie are thrust into a chilling mystery buried beneath the snow-covered streets of Hope, Alaska. At the center of it all is a legendary golden ornament—a piece of local history said to hold the key to a fortune in lost gold. But someone else wants that fortune, and they’ll stop at nothing to claim it.

As a ruthless financier and his dangerous crew close in, Ben and Julie follow a trail of cryptic clues carved into tombstones and hidden in long-forgotten rail tunnels. Each step draws them deeper into Alaska’s wilderness—and closer to a treasure that’s as cursed as it is valuable.

With a massive storm bearing down and their enemies closing in, Ben and Julie must outwit their pursuers and uncover the truth behind The Heart of the Mountain. But the deeper they dig, the more they realize the gold isn’t the only thing at stake—their lives, the town’s legacy, and their chance at a peaceful Christmas with their daughter all hang in the balance.

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Juggernaut (Starship Jericho #3) – Toby Neighbors

War has come to the Casa system, and the crew of the S.D.F. Jericho are stuck in the middle of it.

Surrounded by enemy warships, Captain Zeke Darius must lead his crew in what will certainly become the fight of their lives. Outnumbered in an alien star system, the future looks bleak. But in the massive, alien ship Renegade the crew has a fighting chance. And the Ashi Empire has never faced the indomitable human spirit!

On the planet Casasil a few brave Space Marines are preparing to make a last stand. With few resources and even less hope, the special operations team is right in its element. Doing the impossible is what they do best, and Master Sergeant Remmy Steel is prepared to give their alien enemies all the fight they can handle.

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Masquerade (Book of the Dead #3) – RinoZ 

Magnin and Beory are dead, but Tyron is still alive.

He has hidden himself, adopted a false name, taken up an apprenticeship, living a quiet but prosperous life in the provincial capital of Kenmor.

However, the flame of vengeance burns in his chest, and only one thing can quench it.

Join Tyron as he weaves his plot of revenge right under the noses of those responsible for his pain, mastering the Necromantic arts and growing his undead horde, one body at a time.

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Orc-Hoard (Half-Elven Thief #4) –  Jonathan Moeller

Competitions between thieves always end in betrayal.

Rivah Half-Elven has risen high in the Court of the Masked King, the thieves’ guild of the imperial city of Tar-Carmatheion.

When a powerful wizard demands that the Court obtain a magical relic for him, Rivah and her crew are the obvious choice.

But the wizard wants the thieves of the Court to compete for the honor of stealing the relic.

Unless Rivah uses all her courage and cunning, she won’t be the last one standing.

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Star Empires – Jasper T. Scott

Born to royalty, raised by corsairs, and bound by vengeance.

His destiny waits to be reclaimed…

Corvus Centauri rises from the ashes of betrayal and loss to carve his destiny among the stars. Once a child of noble blood, now a battle-hardened warrior raised among corsairs, Corvus must navigate a galaxy rife with treachery, ambition, and the haunting echoes of his past.

As he pieces together the mysteries behind his family’s fall, Corvus discovers long-buried secrets that could tip the balance of power in Frontier Space.

But to reclaim his birthright, Corvus must wield more than a blaster or a plasma sword—he must become a wise and cunning leader like his father, one that knows not only how to fight, but who to fight, and when not to.