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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 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
A shout-out to some excellent horror publishers
Before I started writing this blog, I hadn’t actively hunted down new (and old) horror for some time. Older works were very hard to find and new books were often… lacking, to put it politely. I’ll have a rant about … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy fiction, Horror
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David Morrell’s Creepers
David Morrell is a name which is almost synonymous with ‘thriller’. His first novel, First Blood, spawned the character of John Rambo and gave Sylvester Stallone something to do on and off for twenty-five years. Morrell also has written books … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Dennis Wheatley’s The Devil Rides Out
A lot of fascinating books pass unjustly from immense popularity to relative obscurity as time passes. I just finished reading one such book, The Devil Rides Out (1934), by Dennis Wheatley. Wheatley (1897-1977) was an amazingly prolific author who wrote … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman: Domestic Darkness
Our next horror master is Mary Eleanor Wilkins-Freeman (1852-1930). I think it is fair to call her a ‘minor’ horror master, simply because horror was not her primary fiction focus. An early feminist writer, she penned numerous novels and short … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Horror Masters
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