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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: Horror
The Auctioneer, by Joan Samson
I recently started thinking about the structure of horror stories in a new way: relating them to the behavior of natural disasters. Some stories are unpredictable, with sudden bursts of terror, like lightning strikes or tornadoes. Others build up a … Continue reading
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The Hole of the Pit, by Adrian Ross
Been working ridiculously hard lately, which is the explanation for my long absence from posting. Sorry about that! Hope to get back into the swing of things with this horror novel post. The most fun books to read are often … Continue reading
The Searching Dead and Born to the Dark, by Ramsey Campbell
Though Ramsey Campbell is my favorite horror author, I somehow manage to always be “late to the party” when it comes to his newest releases. In the most recent case, however, it was entirely my fault: I ordered a signed, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Dead Reckonings #23 is available!
Interested in reading literary critiques of the latest horror fiction, and analyses of the same? Well, you’re in luck, because issue #23 of the Hippocampus Press literary magazine Dead Reckonings is now available! As in a number of earlier volumes, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Personal
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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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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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Never Bet the Devil and Other Warnings, by Orrin Grey
The first time I encountered Orrin Grey’s work, it wasn’t even his fiction! He wrote the introduction to the Valancourt edition of J.B. Priestley’s 1927 novel Benighted, and I was struck then with his knowledge and insight into classic horror. … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Weird fiction
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The Endless Fall, by Jeffrey Thomas
Though I’ve been in a bit of a reading funk the past few months due to life, work and stress, I managed to find one thing that helped me break out of it: long airline flights. Between recent trips to … Continue reading
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The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories, Volume 2
Just in time to enjoy for Halloween, Valancourt Books has recently released their second volume of horror stories, in The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories, Volume 2! The volume contains 14 stories of terror and the supernatural in VBHSv2, encompassing … Continue reading
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Halloween Treats 2017
It is getting really challenging not to repeat myself with these annual samples of classic horror stories for Halloween, as I’ve been doing this for ten years! You can read the old editions here: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and my 2010 post on the … Continue reading
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