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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: Weird fiction
Non-Stop, by Brian Aldiss
I often come across classic books to read through unexpected, even surprising, avenues. An example of this is Non-Stop (1958), by Brian Aldiss, which I just finished reading the other day and enjoyed immensely. I only learned about Non-Stop because … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Fred Saberhagen’s Berserker
They are intelligent machines the size of a small moon, packed with enough weaponry to cauterize the surface of countless planets and destroy any defenders. They bear the scars of countless battles, which they have always won. They were built … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Spoiler-filled The Last Jedi thoughts and open discussion thread (updated)
When I saw The Force Awakens two years ago, I needed a place to share my thoughts without sharing Star Wars spoilers all over the internet, and my blog turned out to be the perfect place to do it. The … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Personal, Science fiction
31 Comments
Never Bet the Devil and Other Warnings, by Orrin Grey
The first time I encountered Orrin Grey’s work, it wasn’t even his fiction! He wrote the introduction to the Valancourt edition of J.B. Priestley’s 1927 novel Benighted, and I was struck then with his knowledge and insight into classic horror. … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Weird fiction
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John Blackburn’s A Book of the Dead
If you’ve read my blog enough, you know that I occasionally write introductions for volumes released by the excellent Valancourt Books, in particular a lot of introductions to the work of the late John Blackburn (1923-1993), master of horror and … Continue reading
Posted in Mystery/thriller, Personal
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The Southern Reach trilogy, by Jeff VanderMeer
I’m not entirely sure why it took me three years to read Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy. One of his earlier novels, Finch, is on a very short list of “best books I’ve ever read.” I suspect that I simply … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction, Weird fiction
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The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin
After reading the epic Foundation series of novels by Asimov, I was in the mood for a change of pace in science fiction. I turned to another brilliant author, Ursula K. Le Guin, and her classic 1969 novel The Left … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Foundation’s Edge, Foundation and Earth, by Isaac Asimov
Been rather preoccupied recently with life, but I finally have a moment to catch up on a bit of my book blogging, including discussing the “final” two books of Asimov’s classic Foundation series, namely, Foundation’s Edge (1982) and Foundation and … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy
I’ve recently been trying to become more acquainted with science fiction as a genre, as most of my life I’ve been focused primarily on horror fiction. A natural and obvious place to place some emphasis is on classic works from the … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Skulls in the Stars 