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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
John Blackburn’s The Cyclops Goblet
Another new Valancourt Books edition of a classic John Blackburn book has been released, and it includes another masterful* introduction by me! This time, the book is John Blackburn’s 1977 novel The Cyclops Goblet. John Blackburn (1923-1993) was a prolific … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Larry Blamire’s Tales of the Callamo Mountains
One of the things I love about using Twitter is the opportunity to connect with people whose work I admire, from writers to scientists to artists to actors to musicians. Those connections can then lead you to new “discoveries” that … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Robert E. Howard
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Basil Copper’s The Black Death
Ever since reading author Basil Copper’s The Great White Space (1974) and Necropolis (1980), both of which were recently reprinted by Valancourt Books, I’ve been binge-reading the works of Basil Copper. I’ve read two of his short story collections so … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller
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Thomas Hinde’s The Day the Call Came
Harry Bale is a perfectly ordinary fellow. His lives in the suburbs with his wife and two children, works in his attic studio, and indulges in gardening when the season is right. His neighbors are an eclectic but friendly collection, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Laird Barron’s The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All
I am a HUGE fan of Laird Barron’s work! I haven’t been as excited about an author of horror and weird fiction since I discovered Ramsey Campbell‘s work about two decades ago. Since I first ran across Barron’s work in … Continue reading
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John Wyndham’s “Web”
John Wyndham (1903-1969) is one of those authors who falls into the category of “famous writer that you’ve never heard of.” A number of his novels are undeniable classics that were made, and remade, into movies and television series multiple … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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Basil Copper’s “And Afterward, the Dark”
I’ve been reading and blogging about the works of Basil Copper (here, here, & here) over the past few months, and have a nice backlog of his works to go through. Most recently, I finished the second of his collection … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Basil Copper’s “From Evil’s Pillow”
It is always a great joy to discover the works of an author that I’ve previously been completely unaware of. Recently, I started reading the works of Basil Copper (1924-2013), thanks to the Valancourt Books re-release of his 1974 novel … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft
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Halloween Treats 2013
Every year since I started this blog back in 2007, I’ve been posting a collection of “Halloween Treats”: classic short stories of horror that are freely available to read on the internet. You can read my previous editions: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft
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H.G. Wells’ zombies
These days, zombies are everywhere: from television series, to movies, to books, even to television commercials. If you were to ask people how this craze got started, most would point back to the classic 1968 film Night of the Living … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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