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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
Camp Damascus, by Chuck Tingle
One thing I’ve long believed is that truly powerful stories, the ones that stay with you, are the ones that are truly about something meaningful to the author. As a general rule, no great stories are purely “entertainment,” even though … Continue reading
Sister, Maiden, Monster, by Lucy A. Snyder
One of the absolutely wonderful things that has come from social media, in spite of the many, many downsides (RIP Twitter), has been getting acquainted with and becoming online friends with a lot of great writers. One of those writers … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Dead Reckonings #33 is available!
Just a short note to let folks know that issue number 33 of the horror and weird fiction periodical Dead Reckonings is now available, and it includes another review by me! If you enjoy reading reviews and commentary on horror … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Personal
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Night of the Big Heat, by John Lymington
I don’t know exactly what first drew my attention to Night of the Big Heat (1959), by John Lymington. I suspect I was browsing through some Wikipedia posts about alien invasion movies, and caught sight of the 1967 film adaptation … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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Junji Ito’s Tomie and Remina
I’ve been pretty obsessed with Junji Ito lately. I started out by purchasing two of his classics, Uzumaki and Gyo, and since then have been gobbling up various volumes and collections, even though every time I buy a new one … Continue reading
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Invisible Monsters, by John Benyon Harris
Another post about invisibility in science fiction! All because I want to make dang sure that everybody knows that I have a book out about the history and science of invisibility! I’ve seen just about everything in science fiction stories … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Invisibility, Science fiction
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In the Walls of Eryx, by H.P. Lovecraft and Kenneth J. Sterling
A post about another invisibility science fiction story, in anticipation of the release of my non-fiction book Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not to Be Seen! When I started researching invisibility stories, I was not only surprised by … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Lovecraft, Science fiction
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Uzumaki and Gyo, by Junji Ito
I’m very late to the game on this, but I just recently read Junji Ito’s Uzumaki (1999) and Gyo (2002), and was so enthralled by Ito’s horrific visions I thought I’d share a few thoughts! For those unfamiliar, Junji Ito … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Science Chamber of Horrors reminder!
Hi folks, I’ve been a little busy with work lately and unable to do much blogging, but I thought I’d remind y’all that I also have started up my Science Chamber of Horrors Tumblr, where I share creepy tidbits I … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Horror, Personal
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Beneath the Rising, by Premee Mohamed
Still catching up on all the reading I’ve not been able to focus on for ages, and I finally got to read a book by one of my Twitter friends, Premee Mohamed, Beneath the Rising (2020)! Part thriller, part horror, … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Horror, Mystery/thriller
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