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 Last Battleship – Joshua T. Calvert

Humanity’s endless war and a crew of outcasts on a decommissioned warship who could change the future.

First contact with the alien “Clicks” led to a generations’ long war. The Terran Federation still knows very little about the enemy.

Captain Konrad Bradley commands the decommissioned battleship Oberon, the last remaining Titan of the fleet. Mocked as a flying museum – too expensive, too cumbersome, too old – Bradley and his crew of outcasts from a long-vanished colony lead a dull life on the farthest edge of human hegemony.

Bradley’s hope to go quietly into the night ends with the arrival of the legendary Strike Group 2 and the delivery of a secret so great it could end the war. That’s why Lagunia was chosen for its construction.

Getting the system operational doesn’t go as expected leaving Bradley and the Oberon to clean up the mess that has drawn the attention of those they hoped would never find them.

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Light Unto Another World #8 – Yakov Merkin

In war, there will always be things that go wrong. How one acts when that happens will decide the outcome.

Information, and the ability to gather intelligence, is more important than many realize

But what do you do when the enemy is always one step ahead?

While Uriel and his team have made it through another tough scrape against the enemy Swords and the archmage Sienzai, things aren’t getting any easier.

They didn’t escape unscathed this time, and now another member of his team has to live in the shadow of something terrifying.

In a more immediate concern, the enemy seems almost resurgent now, and, crucially, seems to hold an intelligence edge that is making the difference.

Tasked with holding a key city, Uriel and his friends must piece together what’s going on in time to foil the enemy’s plans, or risk seeing everything they’ve fought for completely undone.

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Prince Liberator (The Prince of Britannia Saga #6) – Fred Hughes

Alone and unafraid…

The former Earth colony of Serenity is safe from the Mordorian Horde… for the moment. Hazard King’s expeditionary force, battered and bruised, stands guard, protecting the system. But to complete his original mission—to get to Earth and obtain the Black Dragon information he needs to save the kingdom—Hazard will need reinforcements. His mother, Empress Elizabeth, is willing to organize that help, but it will take time.

For the moment, Hazard is on his own.

When Imperial scouts discover a major enemy base in the MT Pegasi System, Hazard’s plans change. The former colony, 90 light years from Earth, is home to a large Mordorian Fleet, a fleet that Hazard must defeat. They not only block the way forward but have enslaved two million humans.

With the majority of reinforcements yet to arrive, and against the advice of his commanders, Hazard attacks the system to open the way to Earth and free the subjugated colony. He is the man the colony needs.

He is… Prince Liberator.

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Swain’s Justice – Arthur D. Howden

“I will wait for nothing,” retorted Swain fiercely. “No man ever put such a slight upon me and lived. He shall pay me for it to the bitter end. Ha, he was not satisfied with Jarl Rognvald’s justice! Well, now he shall taste of Swain’s justice.”

Throughout the years Swain Olaf’s son won much fame and honor as a viking-farer. No man ever defied him and escaped with his life, except one: The murderer Olvir Rosta. For decades Olvir has evaded Swain’s sword, but now his pursuer has finally caught up with him. The bitterest blood-feud the North has ever seen will come to an end—but who will survive?

As Deuce Richardson writes in the introduction, “Howden Smith based his tales directly upon what is known as the Orkneyinga Saga, the Norse account of the jarls (earls) of the Orkney isles north of Scotland. From all accounts, Swain was an uncommonly adept viking and he exerted outsized political sway in the Orkneys and Norway. The pulp version of Swain is all that viking adventure fans could ask for. Raise an ale-horn in honor of one of the great pulp fiction heroes, sword-brothers. Skoal!”

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Vigil’s Wrath (Vigil Bound #4) – James Hunter

When the Wyld Hunt rides, no one is safe. Not even the most Vigilant.

Marine turned Monster Hunter, Boyd Knight, has found himself trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the Fae Queen of Oblivion. Although the first leg of the Wyld Hunt has drawn to a close, there are still two more Hunts to go, and the targets will only get deadlier.

After slaying a Vampire Monarch and being cheated out of victory, the time for fun and games is officially over, and Boyd is ready to unleash some good ol’ fashioned fire and brimstone on anyone who gets in his way again. But it’s not just the nightmarish monsters and Fae champions that Boyd has to worry about—the Dark Queen has some nasty tricks up her sleeves, and if Boyd isn’t careful, he could find himself facing off against some of his closest allies.

If Boyd has any hope of survival, he’s going to need to make a few dark deals of his own to level the playing field and deliver some well-deserved Old Testament Wrath in the process…

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Kamen America #8 – a Kickstarter campaign from Timothy Lim and Mark Pellegrini

“Charlotte ‘Carly’ Vanders was a fashion designer whose fateful encounter with a cosmic collision transformed her into a supercharged henshin heroine! Shedding her corporate overlords and driven by good ol’ American grit and determination, she is the patriotic paladin known as KAMEN AMERICA!”

Kamen America, Volume 8 finds a fractured Kamen Corps having to reconvene in Nevada to stop a destructive plan from the Zenerengers and a mob of Dark Suit hooligans! That’s easier said that done, however, as they’ll have to coordinate their efforts while facing an onslaught from a team of Otomotons who have their own set of tricks!

It’s an all-out battle royale as the two henshin-hero groups fight for this piece of ground! Who will emerge victorious and what repercussions will this have on our heroine and her world?

This Kickstarter will remain open until 2 August, 2023.

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The Mighty Sons of Hercules – a Kickstarter campaign from Cirsova

Long ago, in ages past… there were men who travelled the world, seeking adventure. Fighting injustice, defending the weak and the helpless, looking to right wrongs wherever they are found: these were the Mighty Sons of Hercules!

Cirsova Publishing invites you to join eight of the Mighty Sons of Hercules on their daring adventures! You’ll be amazed by their impressive feats of superhuman strength. You’ll be dazzled by the exotic and dangerous beauties who would seek their downfall. You’ll cheer as they save the innocent from peril and mete out justice to dastardly villains.

Wherever righteousness must have a champion, there you will find the Mighty Sons of Hercules! Whenever there is need and no mortal man can suffice, a Mighty Son of Hercules shall appear!

This Kickstarter will remain open until 31 July, 2023.