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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Express Elevator to Hell (Universes at War #1) – edited by Chris Kennedy and April Kelley Jones

Attack! Attack! Attack!

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and for the people on a starship waiting to make a planetary assault, that trip will be as fast as possible so they can—hopefully—make it through the enemy’s defenses. Some liken such a trip as being on an express elevator to hell.

But a planetary assault is a dangerous thing, and it can have consequences for the assaulters as well as those being assaulted. Are you ready to join the attack?

Fifteen of today’s leading scifi authors take you on a variety of science fiction assaults that will have you on the edge of your seats as you go in with the first wave. Are you ready to jump on board the express elevator to hell?

You better be, because it’s going down!

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The Forbidden Isle – Nik Thacker and Craig Hart

A cure for cancer. A forbidden island. And no one comes back alive.

When Dash Boone agrees to guide billionaire Greyson Redmayne and renowned scientist Dr. Kim Kirby to the elusive Menchal Island, he thinks he’s signing on for a high-stakes adventure.

But their true mission—a desperate search for a potential cure for cancer hidden within the island’s dense jungles—quickly turns deadly. Menchal’s chilling reputation is no myth; the island guards its secrets fiercely, and no one who ventures into its heart has ever returned to tell the tale.

As Dash, Kim, and Greyson push deeper into the island, they encounter ancient symbols, terrifying phenomena, and signs that something far darker than a miracle cure lies waiting for them.

Pursued by unseen forces and faced with the island’s ruthless defenses, they must unravel Menchal’s mysteries before they, too, become part of its legend.

Some places are meant to stay hidden. Menchal is one of them.

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Martian Trash (Honor of the Fleet #2) – Felix R. Savage

A murder on Phobos. A plot to destroy Martian independence. It’s time for Radrick Siegn to take out the trash.

The Fleet gave Siegn a second chance as a criminal investigator. When a woman with ties to Mars’s most-feared gang is murdered on Phobos, he has to prove he can do the job.

Shouldn’t be too hard. After all, he knows these guys from way back. Just gotta hope the boss doesn’t find out about Siegn’s unorthodox methods…

But the investigation takes a dangerous turn when outsiders try to frame a Martian billionaire. Now Siegn must find and punish the true criminals, from the luxurious orbital habitats of the rich, to the corrupt recycling industry, and even on the dust-choked surface of Mars. If he fails, Mars may lose its independence—and he’ll definitely never be able to buy a new piano.

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Owning a Spacebar – John Walker

When Carson Flint traded his Commonwealth military badge for the quiet life, he thought he’d left his battles behind.

Two years of running a saloon called the Bulwark, a volatile hub for refugees, smugglers, and the occasional war-weary soldier, was the peace he’d been looking for.

He’s never had it easier, or been so bored.

But when a fugitive Commonwealth operative arrives with dangerous secrets and a war criminal on his tail, Carson’s sanctuary quickly becomes a target. Drawn back into a world of interstellar conspiracy and dangerous militias, Carson faces a decision that could alter the fate of not just the Bulwark, but perhaps the entire galaxy: risk everything to help old allies or turn his back and let the chaos close in.

The Bulwark may have given Carson an escape from his past, but adventure and old debts are calling.

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Tales from the Starship Discovery – edited by Samuel Peralta and Chloe Cotter

Board the Starship Discovery and venture into the depths of space, where reality bends and the limits of technology—and humanity—are tested.

This special edition volume includes a selection of eight novellas and short stories, including three new short stories not previously available in earlier editions, or in any other Discover Sci-Fi collection.

What happens when a mercenary’s loyalty clashes with a rising AI consciousness? When a pair of siblings uncover a galaxy-shaking conspiracy in the uncharted reaches of space? Or when a brilliant scientist’s best-laid plans fall apart as an alien fleet closes in on Earth?

Journey to the outer reaches of the imagination with interplanetary adventurers, apocalyptic survivors, and interdimensional rogues as they test the limits of human courage and endurance against inscrutable aliens, human colonial empires, and the unknown.

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The Fist (The Convergence War #4) – M. R. Forbes

A child captured. A battle lost. A desperate fight for survival.

Still reeling from their defeat, Soren and his allies are beaten back but not defeated. With their sights set on a new target—one of ultimate importance to the enemy—the fight for the fate of the galaxy continues.

The stakes are high. The cost, higher. And even if they emerge victorious, survival is anything but assured.