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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
Margaret Cavendish’s The Blazing World (1666)
It is somewhat fascinating to note that certain genres of fiction have their beginnings much earlier than generally appreciated. Two years ago, I blogged about Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s unusual 1871 novel, The Coming Race, a utopian novel that counts as one … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Richard Marsh’s A Second Coming
I’ve discussed the works of Richard Marsh (1857-1915) quite often on this blog; he was a British-born author of horror and thrillers, and was stunningly successful at it in his time. His most famous novel was his breakout supernatural story … Continue reading
Posted in Religion, Weird fiction
2 Comments
Henry Kuttner’s The Well of the Worlds
Have I mentioned how much I love Henry Kuttner’s writing? I’ve reviewed quite a few of his books here — Elak of Atlantis, Thunder Jim Wade, The Time Axis, Destination Infinity — and have greatly enjoyed all of them. Kuttner … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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My favorite weird fiction of the past 3 years
Happy (belated) blogiversary to me! August 14th was the 3rd year anniversary of this blog, a milestone that I missed yet again in the hubbub of daily life. Nevertheless, an anniversary is a good time for reflection, and one thing … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Weird fiction, [Etc]
12 Comments
Manly Wade Wellman’s Who Fears the Devil?
For those who are new to Skulls in the Stars, my other major topic — other than science — is “weird fiction”, often but not exclusively of the late 1800s/early 1900s. “Weird fiction” is a term that broadly describes any … Continue reading
Posted in Weird fiction
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Marie Corelli’s Vendetta
Marie Corelli (1855-1924) is another of those curious set of authors whose work was stunningly successful during their lifetime but is virtually unknown today. This neglect is often independent of the quality of the writing: Richard Marsh, another Victorian/Edwardian era … Continue reading
Posted in Mystery/thriller
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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
Richard Marsh’s The Goddess: A Demon (Valancourt edition)
With the release of the Valancourt edition of Richard Marsh’s The Goddess: A Demon, I thought I’d repost my earlier review of the book, with some modifications specific to this edition. I’ve read a lot of the books of Richard … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller
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Jeff VanderMeer’s Finch
I’ve had the good fortune to read many good works of weird fiction since starting this blog — in fact, one of the major motivations for starting the blog was to “force” myself to get back into reading strange and … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction, Weird fiction
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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
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