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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 Shadowy Thing, by H.B. Drake
I’ve been having a lot of good luck with my fiction reading lately, and have a backlog of really good (and weird) fiction to blog about. One that actually gave me a pleasant surprise is The Shadowy Thing (1928), by … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft
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Richard Matheson’s Shadow on the Sun
No matter how much Richard Matheson I’ve read — and I’ve read a lot — it always turns out that there’s a bit more out there that I’ve managed to miss! If you aren’t familiar with Richard Matheson‘s name, you’re … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Graham Masterton’s Blind Panic
About a month ago, I picked up the most recent novel by horror author Graham Masterton, Blind Panic (2010): Buying this novel was a no-brainer for me, because the back cover description completely intrigued me: It began without warning. Across … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Jeff Rice’s The Kolchak Papers
On Saturday, April 25, at about 2:30 A.M., Cheryl Ann Hughes was tapping her foot angrily as she waited at the corner of Second and Fremont streets. She glanced repeatedly at her watch. The young man she was currently living … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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“The Wicker Tree?” (Updated)
This one was an immediate WTF moment for me: Robin Hardy, the writer/director of the original version of the film The Wicker Man (1973), is “reimagining” his film as The Wicker Tree, slated for release sometime this year: For those … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Entertainment, Horror, Robert E. Howard
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“Supernatural Buchan”, by John Buchan
One of the truly fascinating things about writers of weird fiction is how many of them are remarkably accomplished in other aspects of their lives. We have folks such as A. Merritt, who had a very successful career as a … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Weird fiction
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Sesqua Valley and Other Haunts, by W.H. Pugmire
One of H.P. Lovecraft’s enduring legacies as a writer is the creation of a cosmology that could and would be imitated by his followers. Many great authors of horror fiction got their start writing Lovecraft pastiches, such as Brian Lumley … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft
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Which Winston Churchill wrote “Man Overboard!”?
Horror fiction is often burdened by the popular impression that it is the refuge of the anti-social, the unliterary, the morbid, and even the perverse. However, a surprising number of authors of classic literature have dabbled in macabre fiction, such … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Horror
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Richard Marsh’s A Spoiler of Men
I have yet to be really disappointed by the works of Richard Marsh (1857-1915)! Over the Christmas holiday, I spent some time reading A Spoiler of Men (1905) , which has recently been reprinted by the always great Valancourt Books, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller
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The Beast with Five Fingers by W.F. Harvey
I’ve been trying to keep up with my weird fiction reading while I’ve been working on my physics textbook, though it’s been pretty hard to read a major work considering I spend most of my evenings doing research for the … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller
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