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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. -
Category Archives: Lovecraft
A. Merritt’s Dwellers in the Mirage
Abraham Merritt (1888-1943) was one of the greats of pulp fiction, although up until recently his work was largely forgotten. Recently, two of his novels were reprinted, The Moon Pool (1919) and The Metal Monster (1920), both of which I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Weird fiction
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A. Merritt’s The Metal Monster
Last week I discussed A. Merritt’s book The Moon Pool (1919), an adventure/horror novel showing genuine flashes of weird brilliance but marred by some rather stereotypical pulp conventions. Merritt’s next novel, The Metal Monster (1920), is something else entirely! Perhaps … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft, Weird fiction
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A. Merritt’s The Moon Pool
Occasionally my random impulse buys at the bookstore turn out to be unusually fruitful! After Christmas, I was looking to spend some of my gift card money and happened across a copy of A. Merritt’s The Moon Pool (1919): I … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft, Weird fiction
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H.P. Lovecraft on Superstition
I’m in between blog major blog posts right now, but I thought I’d highlight another very timely essay of H.P. Lovecraft’s, in which he discusses superstition in times of trouble. This can be found in the excellent collection of Lovecraft’s … Continue reading
Posted in Lovecraft
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Happy, happy birthday to Ron Perlman!
I would be seriously remiss if I didn’t mention that today is the birthday of one of the great horror/scifi actors, Ron Perlman! He’s been involved with so many cool projects it’s hard to do them all justice: He’s probably … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Lovecraft
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Lovecraft on “Time and Space”
I was browsing through H.P. Lovecraft’s writings again, in particular his collected philosophical works, and came across an interesting essay: “Time and Space”, printed in Conservative 4, No. 1 (July 1918). Though extremely flowery and poetic, the essay does justice … Continue reading
Who ya gonna call? Ghost doctor, ghost-finder, or ghost-seer?
“Psychic detectives” are very much in vogue again on television these days. Shows such as Medium and Ghost Whisperer try and entertain viewers with psychic-types attempting to solve crimes and right past wrongs using their supernatural abilities. The idea of … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft
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The more things change…
Most people are hopefully aware of the very strong religious right movement to incorporate creationism (the belief that God created the world and everything in it in its present form) in science classes as valid topic of study alongside evolution … Continue reading
Horror Masters: “Themes” of horror fiction writers
I’m planning to write little posts highlighting the works of a lot of the true masters of horror fiction, including a bit about them and what I consider to be their most enjoyable yarns. One aspect that I will address … Continue reading
An interesting intersection of Lovecraft and relativity theory
My thesis advisor has often lamented the rise of email in society, mainly because the electronic correspondence isn’t as permanent as the written letter, and lots of interesting historical anecdotes can get lost. I delved into one of these recently … Continue reading
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