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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. Archives
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Category Archives: Horror
Dean Koontz: Subtle patterns in the darkness
I haven’t done a “Horror Masters” post for a while, and it’s long past due! Even if you’ve never read a Dean Koontz novel, you’re familiar with his work. Airport bookstores are constantly stocked with his books; finding a horror … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Horror Masters
3 Comments
Richard Laymon and a bit of a horror fiction pet peeve
As I believe I’ve mentioned before, part of my motivation for writing this blog was to give myself a reason to reinvestigate one of my “lost loves”: horror fiction. I’ve been reading massive amounts of horror since then, from some … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
26 Comments
Tim Lebbon: “Berserk” and “The Everlasting”
I haven’t been doing much horror blogging recently, though I have been busy with horror reading. A couple of books by Tim Lebbon recently caught my eye, and I thought I’d offer a few thoughts about them. First, a rhetorical … Continue reading
The Animated Skeleton, by Anonymous
I have a tendency, when I start to study a subject, of pushing continuously further back in the subject’s history. This is certainly true of my horror readings, in which I’ve now regressed into studying early Gothic fiction. I’ve mentioned … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
3 Comments
The secret life of cities…
Cities, in spite of their liveliness, or perhaps because of it, can seem just as mysterious and unknowable as a lonely cemetery or underground catacomb. There’s always something going on in the city, and if you’re attentive, you can catch … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
7 Comments
Happy, happy birthday to Ron Perlman!
I would be seriously remiss if I didn’t mention that today is the birthday of one of the great horror/scifi actors, Ron Perlman! He’s been involved with so many cool projects it’s hard to do them all justice: He’s probably … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Lovecraft
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Lovecraft on “Time and Space”
I was browsing through H.P. Lovecraft’s writings again, in particular his collected philosophical works, and came across an interesting essay: “Time and Space”, printed in Conservative 4, No. 1 (July 1918). Though extremely flowery and poetic, the essay does justice … Continue reading
Richard Marsh’s The Beetle: A Mystery
As I’ve mentioned previously, Wordsworth Mystery & Supernatural is publishing an excellent collection of long out of print Victorian-era novels and short stories. I just finished reading one of them, a neglected novel of suspense and the supernatural, Richard Marsh’s … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
7 Comments
Ramsey Campbell’s thoughts on horror (updated)
I haven’t stopped by Ramsey Campbell’s official website for a while, but it was updated since I last saw it with an introduction that talks about why he writes horror and why it is a worthy literary pursuit. It’s a … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
4 Comments
Max Brooks’ World War Z
I’ve previously described Max Brooks’ first book, The Zombie Survival Guide, which I found to be a both amusing and chilling fictional field guide written in the wake of a world-wide zombie holocaust. My favorite part of that book was … Continue reading
