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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
Spoiler-filled The Last Jedi thoughts and open discussion thread (updated)
When I saw The Force Awakens two years ago, I needed a place to share my thoughts without sharing Star Wars spoilers all over the internet, and my blog turned out to be the perfect place to do it. The … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Personal, Science fiction
31 Comments
The Southern Reach trilogy, by Jeff VanderMeer
I’m not entirely sure why it took me three years to read Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy. One of his earlier novels, Finch, is on a very short list of “best books I’ve ever read.” I suspect that I simply … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction, Weird fiction
1 Comment
The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin
After reading the epic Foundation series of novels by Asimov, I was in the mood for a change of pace in science fiction. I turned to another brilliant author, Ursula K. Le Guin, and her classic 1969 novel The Left … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
3 Comments
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
1 Comment
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
6 Comments
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
12 Comments
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
1 Comment
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
3 Comments
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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