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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
Carnosaur, by Harry Adam Knight
Day 13 of Blogtober, a Friday the 13th! Which makes it an appropriate time to talk about a real classic! I have a special fondness for paperback horror of the 1980s, as that was the era that I first started … Continue reading
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Our Lady of Pain, by John Blackburn
Day 12 of Blogtober, and I look back at one of the best novels written by John Blackburn, who was in essence the British Stephen King of his era (1960s-1970s). Our Lady of Pain is a novel inspired by the … Continue reading
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A. Merritt’s The Metal Monster
For day 11 of Blogtober, here’s a reblog about another truly classic but relatively unknown book of cosmic horror. A. Merritt was practically the Stephen King of his day, his writings wildly popular, and his best is The Metal Monster. … Continue reading
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John Wyndham’s The Kraken Wakes
Here’s another classic reblog to celebrate Blogtober, this one a novel by the famed author John Wyndham. Even if you haven’t heard of Wyndham, you have: he wrote The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos, both of which … Continue reading
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The Thing From the Lake, by Eleanor Ingram (1921)
For day 9 of Blogtober, I look back again at a completely obscure novel of the supernatural that came out in 1921, a rare gem that very few people have heard of! The author died young soon after the publication … Continue reading
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Larry Blamire’s Tales of the Callamo Mountains
For day 8 of Blogtober, let me share again a post about Larry Blamire’s sublime collection of Western horror stories, set in his unique setting of the haunted Callamo Mountains! Since the first collection came out, there has been a … Continue reading
The September House by Carissa Orlando
Day 7 of my Blogtober series to celebrate the Halloween month! What better way to celebrate the spooky season than a story about a haunted house? While at the bookstore recently, the recently released debut novel of Carissa Orlando, The … Continue reading
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Ghosts Know, by Ramsey Campbell
For day 6 of Blogtober, I look back at one of the most unconventional novels by my favorite horror author, Ramsey Campbell. Is it a supernatural story or a murder mystery? Or both?
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The Animated Skeleton, by Anonymous
For day 5 of Blogtober, let me go back to one of my earliest posts about spooky fiction, which I wrote in 2008! The book itself goes back much further — it is a gothic novel from 1798! This post … Continue reading
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The Hole of the Pit, by Adrian Ross
Day 4 of Blogtober! Here I reblog a post about a relatively unknown but absolutely wonderful 1914 novel of supernatural horror, curses, and unfathomable monsters.
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Skulls in the Stars 