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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
Sinister Barrier, by Eric Frank Russell
Writing a book about the history and science of invisibility has led me to read things that I would otherwise never have encountered, including a whole slew of science fiction tales about invisibility and invisible creatures. I thought I would … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Science fiction
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H.G. Wells insults the entire human race (1924)
Most everyone knows the name H.G. Wells: he is one of the founders of science fiction as a popular and accepted form of literature, thanks to his brilliant novels The Time Machine (1895), The War of the Worlds (1898), and … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Science fiction
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Spoiler-filled The Rise of Skywalker thoughts…
Back from China and hoping to get some more blogging done! After some 24 hours of non-stop travel, I got back on the 23rd and decided to stay awake as long as possible by going to see the final movie … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Personal, Science fiction
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A chat with H.G. Wells (1897)!
Now that Falling Felines is out, I’m doing research for my next popular science book, which I will talk more about soon! In the meantime, I will share interesting tidbits that I come across in my explorations, such as this … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Science fiction
4 Comments
The Dragon Corps, by Natalie Grey
One thing I really enjoy about being on twitter is meeting and learning about authors that I might otherwise not have encountered in my rather limited experience. These experiences are pretty much always rewarding, and the same is true with … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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The City and the Stars, by Arthur C. Clarke
I have such a big backlog of books to blog about — even though I’ve been struggling to focus on reading for fun! But there are so many good books that I’ve read, from a variety of eras and writers, … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Dreadnought, by April Daniels
A young girl, who is alienated from her friends and family because she feels she must hide who she truly is, witnesses a battle between the world’s greatest superhero, Dreadnought, and a mysterious powerful new enemy. In the end, Dreadnought … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Science fiction
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Of Men and Monsters, by William Tenn
I’ve noted a few times already that the series of SF Masterworks released by the Orion Publishing Group is a great way to get exposed to some great science fiction that has otherwise fallen off the radar in recent years. … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Nicola Griffith’s Ammonite (1992)
I’ve been quite interested in reading more science fiction in recent months, to make up for my lack of knowledge about the field. It so turns out that The Orion Publishing Group has released an extensive series called “SF Masterworks” … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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The Broken Earth Trilogy, by N.K. Jemisin
Let’s start with the end of the world, why don’t we? Get it over with and move on to more interesting things. So begins the beautiful, haunting, and apocalyptic Broken Earth Trilogy, written by N.K. Jemisin. It begins with The … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy fiction, Science fiction
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