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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
Somnium, by Johannes Kepler
I’ve had an interest for a while in ridiculously old science fiction, such as Margaret Cavendish’s 1666 novel The Blazing World, as well as science fiction written by prominent scientists, such as Simon Newcomb’s His Wisdom the Defender (1900), Robert … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Science fiction
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The Stories of Ibis, by Hiroshi Yamamoto
I have a long backlog of book blogging to do, but I had to jump and do the back of the queue first. Every once in a while I read a book that is so thought provoking and moving to … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck, by Alexander Laing
Got a few physics blog posts in the pipeline, but in the meantime I’m still catching up on a lot of book blogging! I’ve had The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck (1934) in my library for some time, as I picked … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller, Science fiction
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City of Darkness, by Ben Bova
I’ve recently been in a mood to shop used bookstores as well as read obscure science fiction. This dangerous combination has resulted in me purchasing a number of books by well-known authors that have been forgotten, probably for the best. … Continue reading
Larry Blamire’s More Tales of the Callamo Mountains
Larry Blamire is a very good writer. That is the first thought that came to mind when I sat down to blog about his recently published collection, More Tales of the Callamo Mountains (2017). As the name suggests, this collection … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Horror
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Connecting a PS2 to an HDMI TV
This past week I had an incredible urge to play the original Katamari Damacy videogame on my old Playstation 2. Unfortunately, the PS2 does not play well with modern HD TVs, as the allowable video modes for the PS2 are … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
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RIP Fluff, 2011-2018
Losing a beloved animal friend is always hard, but it is even harder when they are taken from you too soon. Last night, unexpectedly, our beloved kitty Fluff passed away at the age of 6. He apparently passed very quickly, … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal
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Fred Saberhagen’s Swords Trilogy
At the end of 2017, we were treated to the news that Amazon was planning a new series based on Tolkien’s classic Lord of the Rings series. The response on the internet seemed to be a bit of a collective … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy fiction
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Non-Stop, by Brian Aldiss
I often come across classic books to read through unexpected, even surprising, avenues. An example of this is Non-Stop (1958), by Brian Aldiss, which I just finished reading the other day and enjoyed immensely. I only learned about Non-Stop because … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Fred Saberhagen’s Berserker
They are intelligent machines the size of a small moon, packed with enough weaponry to cauterize the surface of countless planets and destroy any defenders. They bear the scars of countless battles, which they have always won. They were built … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Skulls in the Stars 