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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
Black Mad Wheel, by Josh Malerman
Book 3 of my 26 books for 2024 goal! Some books look so appealing that I grab them off the shelf at the bookstore without hesitation, but somehow take forever to get around to reading. That is the case with … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Gods of Jade and Shadow, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Book 2 of my 26 books for 2024 goal! Still roughly on track, though I want to pick up the pace. One reason I like book blogging is that I pay more attention to things like book introductions and that … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Weird fiction
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The fate of Charles Delaunay on TikTok!
Hey folks, I posted a new short history of science video on TikTok, telling a slightly eerie story in the spirit of Victorian Christmas ghost stories about the fate of astronomer Charles Delaunay.
Posted in History of science, Horror
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Paperbacks from Hell, by Grady Hendrix
Okay, I finally decided that I needed to read Paperbacks from Hell, by Grady Hendrix, which was first published in 2017! Back in October, I wrote about the 1984 horror novel Carnosaur, and it sent me fondly reminiscing about all … Continue reading
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Orchard of the Dead, by Stefan Grabinski
As readers of the blog know, I’ve been on a Valancourt Books world horror kick recently (see here, here and here), as they’ve been releasing English translations of world horror authors, many of the stories and collections appearing in English … Continue reading
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Karl Edward Wagner’s In a Lonely Place
I’m having a lot of fun these days catching up on all of Valancourt Books’ impressive recent releases, which includes stuff never before released and reprints of rare and classic tomes of horror. On a short trip to Chicago to … Continue reading
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Keene and SanGiovanni bookstore fundraiser!
In the midst of work and travel, I happened to see that fantastic horror authors and amazing people Brian Keene and Mary SanGiovanni are raising funds to open a bookstore specializing in horror, sci-fi, and basically everything weird! They wanted … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Personal
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The Secret Life of Insects, by Bernardo Esquinca
Thanks to Valancourt Books, I’ve been on a world horror kick lately, aided by their recent slew of foreign language horror collections translated into English, most of the stories translated for the first time. Quite recently, I read A Different … Continue reading
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Edgar Allan Poe’s The Premature Burial and its references
One bonus post for Blogtober: an old post where I look back at Poe’s surprisingly inspirational story and the now-obscure books that he references in it.
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Richard Le Gallienne’s The Worshipper of the Image (1899)
For my final day of Blogtober, I look back at another fascinating novel of horror that most people have never heard of! Richard Le Gallienne’s “The Worshipper of the Image” is a short 1899 novel that is about a man’s … Continue reading
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