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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
A. Merritt’s The Metal Monster
Last week I discussed A. Merritt’s book The Moon Pool (1919), an adventure/horror novel showing genuine flashes of weird brilliance but marred by some rather stereotypical pulp conventions. Merritt’s next novel, The Metal Monster (1920), is something else entirely! Perhaps … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft, Weird fiction
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A. Merritt’s The Moon Pool
Occasionally my random impulse buys at the bookstore turn out to be unusually fruitful! After Christmas, I was looking to spend some of my gift card money and happened across a copy of A. Merritt’s The Moon Pool (1919): I … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft, Weird fiction
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John Wyndham’s The Midwich Cuckoos
I’ve been reading through a number of classic science fiction novels that were adapted into the classic science fiction movies of the 50s and 60s; so far, I’ve tackled John W. Campbell’s Who Goes There? (turned into The Thing From … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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The Crystal World, by J.G. Ballard
I’ve been slowly working my way through a huge collection of apocalyptic novels in preparation for another major blog post. Amazon has clued in to my bleak, weird taste in books and recommended The Crystal World (1966), by J.G. Ballard: … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Weird fiction
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Lafcadio Hearn’s Oriental Ghost Stories
Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) was a very interesting fellow. Reading through his Wikipedia entry, he was definitely not one to run with the crowd. He was raised in Dublin, but moved to Cincinatti, Ohio at the age of 19. Though he … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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A Skeleton at the Helm, edited by John Richard Stephens
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
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John Wyndham’s The Kraken Wakes
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
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Happy Halloween! Some stories to go to bed with…
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
Posted in Horror
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Bertram Mitford’s The Sign of the Spider
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
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Halloween Treats, 2008
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
Posted in Horror
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