-
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: Adventure fiction
Bertram Mitford’s In the Whirl of the Rising
Last week I found myself in the mood for some adventure fiction, and that made me immediately think of Bertram Mitford! A contemporary and competitor of sorts of H. Rider Haggard, Bertram Mitford (1855-1914) was a prolific writer of novels set … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction
Leave a comment
Rosa Praed’s Fugitive Anne (1902)
Since nearly the beginning of my blog, I’ve been a fan of Valancourt Books, which publishes a lot of wonderful and neglected works from the 19th and early 20th centuries. I’ve blogged about a lot of them, some of which … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction
Leave a comment
A. Merritt’s The Ship of Ishtar
(I’ve been working on a particularly difficult science post for a week now, and the end is still a ways off. In the meantime, I thought I’d catch up a little on my weird fiction posts.) Author A. Merritt (1884-1943) … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Robert E. Howard, Weird fiction
3 Comments
Robert E. Howard’s El Borak
Finally, I’ve gotten to read some new Robert E. Howard! Well, not new — Robert E. Howard committed suicide in 1936 — but new to me, anyway! For those who are unfamiliar, Robert E. Howard (1906-1936) was a Texas author … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Robert E. Howard
5 Comments
Johnston McCulley’s The Bat Strikes Again and Again!
Name this scene: Yet he was one man working alone against the crooks and the corrupt politicians who went hand in glove with the evil forces of the underworld. For that reason he must become a figure of sinister import … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Mystery/thriller
5 Comments
The Time Axis by Henry Kuttner
The more I read of Henry Kuttner, the more ashamed I am that I didn’t read all of his works long ago! Henry Kuttner (1915-1958) was a versatile writer of pretty much every genre of weird fiction imaginable: science fiction, … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Mathematics, Weird fiction
7 Comments
Bertram Mitford’s The King’s Assegai
Those who have been reading this blog for a while know that I’ve become a really big fan of Bertram Mitford (1855-1914). His novels, written in the late 1800s, are on the surface adventure novels which draw on his experiences … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Fantasy fiction
1 Comment
Henry Kuttner’s Thunder Jim Wade
Any time I see a book with Henry Kuttner‘s name on it, I pay attention — Kuttner was a masterful author who wrote some true classics of science fiction and fantasy, including one of my favorite stories of all time, … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Robert E. Howard
2 Comments
Bertram Mitford’s Renshaw Fanning’s Quest
Bertram Mitford (1855-1914) could be said to have been the darker cousin to H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925). Both authors wrote adventure novels set in the perilous wilds of Africa, but Mitford seems to have used that setting, and his own … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction
9 Comments
A. Merritt’s The Face in the Abyss
I’ve been continuing my reading of the works of A. Merritt (1884-1943), which began with his first serial novel The Moon Pool (1919), continued to his masterful The Metal Monster (1920) and most recently visited The Dwellers in the Mirage … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction
3 Comments
Skulls in the Stars 