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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
Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama
I must admit that I’ve never been a particularly avid reader of science fiction. I’ve read very few of the works of the classic authors such as Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein, and Bradbury*, and I have many boxes unchecked in my … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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John Wyndham’s “Web”
John Wyndham (1903-1969) is one of those authors who falls into the category of “famous writer that you’ve never heard of.” A number of his novels are undeniable classics that were made, and remade, into movies and television series multiple … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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H.G. Wells’ zombies
These days, zombies are everywhere: from television series, to movies, to books, even to television commercials. If you were to ask people how this craze got started, most would point back to the classic 1968 film Night of the Living … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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Basil Copper’s “Necropolis” and “Into the Silence”
Thanks to a busy workload over the past few months, I’m way behind in my blogging on a variety of topics! I thought I’d start catching up first on my backlog of weird fiction, as I’ve been reading an immense … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller
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R.I.P. Richard Matheson (1926-2013)
Yesterday, I learned via Boing Boing that Richard Matheson, amazing author of speculative fiction, horror, and much more, died at the age of 87. One of my earliest blog posts was a “horror masters” post on Richard Matheson, who I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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Ted Kosmatka’s Prophet of Bones
Sometimes a book comes out with an idea so compelling and intriguing and yet so simple that I wonder to myself why someone didn’t think of it ages ago! Such is the case when I first learned about Ted Kosmatka’s … Continue reading
Posted in Mystery/thriller
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Jack Finney’s The Body Snatchers
This post continues a long-neglected series of posts about classic novels of science fiction and horror that were adapted into movies of the 1950s and 1960s. Years past, I talked about John Wyndham’s The Midwich Cuckoos and The Day of … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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J.B. Priestley’s Benighted
Valancourt Books, traditionally specializing in fiction of Edwardian era and older, has recently started printing new editions of excellent but forgotten 20th century novels. I, of course, have written introductions for a number of the books of John Blackburn (Bury … Continue reading
Posted in Mystery/thriller
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Colin Wilson’s The Philosopher’s Stone
I have to admit: I almost didn’t finish reading Colin Wilson‘s 1969 novel The Philosopher’s Stone, recently reprinted by Valancourt Books. The novel is, in my opinion, a slow-starter; it takes quite some time for this curious story to find … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft, Science fiction
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Vimana: a sci-fi short film kickstarter
I’ve been quite busy with a lot of official work lately, so posting new science stuff has been light. There are a few posts in the works, but they require a bit more research before publishing. In the meantime, I … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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