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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 Sea of Ash, by Scott Thomas
A short break from my China posts to catch up on some weird fiction blogging! In 1870, a spiritualist named Simon Brinklow disappears as he is pulled into a barrel full of leaves at a farm in Vermont. In 1920, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Weird fiction
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Michael Talbot’s The Bog
A novel about an archaeologist digging up 2000 year-old bog bodies in the UK that have been mauled by some mysterious ancient creature? A supernatural creature that is awakened by the excavations and begins to stalk and kill again? Yes, … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Horror
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Mary SanGiovanni’s “Chaos” and “Thrall”
My first encounter with the work of Mary SanGiovanni was her dark and elegant chapbook No Songs for the Stars, and it left me intrigued and interested in reading more. Fortunately, I had a short vacation to Mexico a few … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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My favorite “classic” horror stories
Even though I blog about horror fiction of all eras, regular readers of this blog know that I particularly love older stuff. There’s something about the ghost and horror stories of the late 1800s and early 1900s that is particularly … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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A.M. Burrage’s Waxwork and Other Stories
I’ve long been a fan of the work of A.M. Burrage — that little of it that I’ve been able to find, that is. His ghost stories, originally published in six volumes from the 1920s to the 1960s, have been rarely … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Robert Aickman’s Dark Entries
It took me far longer than it should have, but I have finally read a collection of short stories by Robert Aickman (1914-1981). Though the 1960s and 1970s, he published 48 supernatural tales, some of which are acknowledged as classics, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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John Blackburn’s Dead Man’s Handle
This post marks a minor personal milestone: with the book featured in it, I have now read all of John Blackburn‘s published works. I put off reading this one for quite some time for a reason that I’ll explain at the … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller
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The Burnaby Experiments, by Stephen Gilbert
I really should be writing about novels other than those published by Valancourt Books, and I will, but they have released so many eye-catching books in recent years that I’ve had a hard time staying away. Most recently, I read their … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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The Elementals, by Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell’s reprinted 1981 novel The Elementals conclusively answers a question that I’ve been wondering for years: why are there so few classic haunted house stories? I’ve always been a fan of such stories, or more generally “old dark house” … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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No Songs for the Stars, by Mary SanGiovanni
I’m rather intrigued these days by the concept of chapbooks, short typically inexpensive books that first became popularized in the 17th and 18th centuries. I guess they never really went away, but recently I’ve been seeing — or noticing — … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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