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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
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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Foundation, by Isaac Asimov
It is a truly daunting task to try and write a blog post about an utterly unique and undisputed classic of literature like Isaac Asimov’s Foundation (1951). On the other hand, it is almost impossible to not write about such … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Science fiction
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The Doomed City, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
The first indication that something is seriously wrong in the city is the arrival of the baboons. They appear without warning at the garbage dump by the hundreds, rapidly fanning out through the rest of the city and wreaking havoc … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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The Sword of Midras, by Tracy Hickman and Richard Garriott
I’ve been getting very nostalgic recently for the video fantasy role-playing games of my youth, most notably the Ultima series of games. I played Ultima I – V when I was young, and even watched a complete walkthrough of Ultima … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy fiction
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Stanislaw Lem’s Solaris
I am nowhere near as versed in science fiction as I am in horror fiction, and recently I’ve been trying to remedy that somewhat, in particular focusing on science fiction by Russian and Eastern European authors. Back in March I … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Chuck Wendig’s Invasive
Insects have long been ready protagonists for horror and thriller fiction. A few famous examples that come to mind are H.G. Wells’ 1903 story The Valley of Spiders and Carl Stephenson’s 1937 story Leiningen Versus the Ants. In the wild and terrifying … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller
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Hiroshi Yamamoto’s MM9
I don’t recall how I came across Hiroshi Yamamoto’s fun monster-hunting novel MM9 (2007). Perhaps it was a recommendation for me on Amazon, based on my more recent forays into translated science fiction, such as Metro 2033 and Roadside Picnic? In any … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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Valley of the Flame, by Henry Kuttner
Henry Kuttner (1915-1958) may be referred to as “one of the most important science fiction authors you’ve never heard of.” He was incredibly prolific and versatile, writing countless short stories of science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, and adventure, as well … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Weird fiction
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Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
Ever since I read Dmitry Glukhovsky’s sublime 2005 novel Metro 2033, I’ve been interested in reading more Russian science fiction. The next natural choice was the classic 1972 novel Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. It’s a bit daunting to … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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