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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Author Archives: skullsinthestars
The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper
Have you ever remembered a book that you read as a child that you were curious to read again but you can’t remember the name of the book or the author or even enough detail to track it down? That … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy fiction
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Consider the Platypus, by Maggie Ryan Sandford
As I’ve said a number of times, the pandemic really destroyed my ability to read, and now that I’ve achieved some sense of mental stability again I’m working to catch up on a bunch of the books that I just … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, General science
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Physics demonstrations: Oculus Mundi
So, for some reason, my ten year old video on the Barkhausen effect went viral on YouTube the past few weeks, and brought me quite a few new followers there. I thought I’d do a short video to say “thanks … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Optics, Physics demos
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Nothing but Blackened Teeth, by Cassandra Khaw
Now that I’m back in the book reading habit, I’m also back in the book impulse-buying habit. A few weeks back, I happened to see Cassandra Khaw’s Nothing but Blackened Teeth (2021), on the shelf, and was intrigued. It is … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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My moment of glory on Twitter
The destruction of Twitter at such a fast rate that you can pretty much watch it collapse in real time is a bit melancholy for me. Though I’m happy to see Billionaire Baby demonstrate clearly his level of actual competence, … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Personal, Silliness
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The Black Maybe, by Attila Veres
I first encountered the work of Attila Veres in the first volume of The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, which came out in late 2020. The series, now on volume 2, collects the best works of foreign horror authors … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Fake Book Titles Extravaganza, Part 6!
It’s been a while since I compiled my fake book title posts from Twitter, so it’s time to do so again! You can see compilation 1, compilation 2, compilation 3, compilation 4 and compilation 5 at the links. For those who don’t recall, this is … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Silliness
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An intro to Mastodon from a relative newcomer!
“So your favorite social media site has been taken over by a bumbling fascist-friendly narcissist.” Mine, too. With Twitter under new management that leaves me very pessimistic about its future as a viable communications site, I’ve been taking a look … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Personal
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Fellstones, by Ramsey Campbell
Ramsey Campbell remains my favorite horror author and, in my opinion, one of the greatest writers of all time, period. So any time a new Campbell novel appears, I snap it up without hesitation. The most recent is Fellstones, which … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Skulls in the Stars 