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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: Science fiction
Berserker’s Planet, by Fred Saberhagen
Book 11 for my 2025 goal of 30 books for the year! Still going! Suddenly, I found myself back in a Fred Saberhagen mood. Saberhagen is one of those science fiction/fantasy authors who doesn’t get enough attention these days, considering … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy fiction, Science fiction
Tagged book review, books, fantasy, Fiction, science fiction
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Inverted World, by Christopher Priest
Book 10 for my 2025 goal of 30 books for the year! One third of the way through my goal for the year, even though it’s not even one sixth of the year! I am desperate for distractions these days. … Continue reading
Tau Zero, by Poul Anderson
Book 7 for my 2025 goal of 30 books for the year! I love a good science fiction story that really leans into one of the weird aspects of modern physics, and so as soon as I learned the premise … Continue reading
The Andromeda Anthology, by Fred Hoyle and John Elliot
Book 5 for 2025! My goal is 30 this year, and I’m off to a great start. Since I’ve been enjoying the “SF Masterworks” series like Connie Willis’ Doomsday Book, I popped by the store a week ago to see … Continue reading
Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
Book 3 for 2025! My goal is 30 this year. Now that my rush to fulfill my arbitrary book-reading deadline for last year is done, I can relax and read books that are a bit longer. One I’ve had on … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
Tagged book review, book-reviews, books, Fiction, science fiction
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The Gods Themselves, by Isaac Asimov
Book 23 of 26 books for 2024! I managed to sneak in one more for 2024; next year, I’m aiming for 30. I’ve written a lot about Michael Faraday on this blog, and one of my favorite anecdotes is the … Continue reading
Raft, by Stephen Baxter
Book 16 of 26 books for 2024! Still aiming for 20. There’s a series of works published by Orion Publishing Group known as SF Masterworks, and it has been going since 1999 and so far has nearly two hundred unique titles. … Continue reading
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Aliens: Phalanx, by Scott Sigler
Book 11 of my 26 books for 2024 goal! Still gonna try to make it to 26! Sometimes I come across a book premise that is so intriguing that I snap up the book almost as a reflex action. Such … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy fiction, Horror, Science fiction
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The Space Vampires, by Colin Wilson
Book 4 of my 26 books for 2024 goal! I’m a little behind, but in fairness, February is a short month. Why 26 books? I normally can read much, much faster than that pace, but the way life and work … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft, Science fiction
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Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
For day 14 of Blogtober, we look at a book that is technically science fiction, but it is also horrific in a number of ways! This science fiction classic describes an area of the planet where aliens made a pit-stop … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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