Category Archives: Horror

A Skeleton at the Helm, edited by John Richard Stephens

Posted on November 17, 2008 by skullsinthestars

The post-Halloween season is a good time to snoop around for bargain Halloween books at Barnes & Noble, and two weeks ago I stumbled across a very nice collection of classic horror stories set on the high seas!  The collection, … Continue reading →

Posted in Horror | 3 Comments

John Wyndham’s The Kraken Wakes

Posted on November 6, 2008 by skullsinthestars

John Wyndham either didn’t like the world much or worried about it a lot!  In a previous post, I discussed his classic horror/sci-fi novel The Day of the Triffids (1951), in which a meteor shower leaves most of the world … Continue reading →

Posted in Horror, Weird fiction | 1 Comment

Happy Halloween! Some stories to go to bed with…

Posted on October 31, 2008 by skullsinthestars

Though I listed some good Halloween reading a few days ago, I couldn’t resist suggesting a few more!  I’m sure most people will be heading to bed soon, so here’s a few bedtime-themed stories to think about while falling asleep. … Continue reading →

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Bertram Mitford’s The Sign of the Spider

Posted on October 30, 2008 by skullsinthestars

It’s hard to find out information about author Bertram Mitford (1855-1914).  Even Wikipedia doesn’t have information about him, instead redirecting to another Bertram Mitford who wrote about Japan.  He was, like H. Rider Haggard, a writer of adventure stories set … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure fiction, Horror | 7 Comments

Halloween Treats, 2008

Posted on October 29, 2008 by skullsinthestars

It’s time for my yearly installment of classic horror stories for some good Halloween chills!  My 2007 edition can be found here.  Happy reading, and Happy Halloween! The Dead Valley, Ralph Adams Cram.  A man recounts a tale from his … Continue reading →

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John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids (1951)

Posted on October 26, 2008 by skullsinthestars

This continues my brief foray into 1950s/1960s horror/science fiction, which I started with John W. Campbell’s Who Goes There?, which was the source for The Thing From Another World and John Carpenter’s The Thing.  Today let’s talk triffids!  A couple … Continue reading →

Posted in Horror | 5 Comments

Thomas M. Disch’s The M.D.: A Horror Story

Posted on October 12, 2008 by skullsinthestars

My post-doc advisor once suggested that the ultimate sign of a good movie is whether or not it ‘stays’ with you after it’s over.  The same can also be said about good fiction, which will end up haunting the reader … Continue reading →

Posted in Horror | 7 Comments

Valancourt Books continues its evil plot to free me of my money!

Posted on October 10, 2008 by skullsinthestars

Anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while knows that I’m a big fan of Valancourt Books, especially their excellent reprints of classic works by Richard Marsh.  Well, I’ve been trying to cut back on my book buying recently, … Continue reading →

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Dracula’s forefathers: Lord Ruthven, Varney and Carmilla

Posted on October 5, 2008 by skullsinthestars

The depiction of the vampire which we see in most of contemporary horror fiction has its roots in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897).  Of course, vampires have lurked in the shadows of folklore through recorded history, and Stoker drew upon that … Continue reading →

Posted in Horror | 8 Comments

John W. Campbell Jr.’s Who Goes There?

Posted on September 27, 2008 by skullsinthestars

I’ll be getting back to some physics posts this week — I promise!  In the meantime, I thought I’d step away from reading old, old classic horror of the 19th century for a bit and look to a different era: … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Horror | 6 Comments