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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. -
Tag Archives: 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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I Believe in Mister Bones, by Max Booth III
Book 6 for my 2025 goal of 30 books for the year! I’m off to an absurdly good start. Sometimes it takes something very simple to draw me to read a book. In the case of I Believe in Mister … 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
The Night of the Ripper, by Robert Bloch
Book 4 for 2025! My goal is 30 this year. My friends at Valancourt Books have recently been reprinting the works of horror master Robert Bloch, most famous for penning Psycho (1959) but also an award winning author of many … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller
Tagged book review, Fiction, History, Horror, review
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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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Bury Your Gays, by Chuck Tingle
Book 1 of 30 for 2025! I’m off to a great start with a great book. Back in 2023 I read Chuck Tingle’s debut horror novel Camp Damascus and absolutely loved it. Tingle followed up not long after with Bury … Continue reading
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
Twelve Tales of Suspense and the Supernatural, by Davis Grubb
Book 21 of 26 books for 2024! I should be able to reach 22, maybe 23, because I can read a book every 2 days, roughly… I was browsing my shelves for books to read that wouldn’t take that much time, … Continue reading
Posted in Mystery/thriller, Weird fiction
Tagged book review, books, Fiction, Horror, review
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The Citadel of Fear, by Francis Stevens
Book 19 of 26 books for 2024! Can I reach 22 before year’s end? I definitely underestimated Francis Stevens on this one. Stevens was the pseudonym of Gertrude Barrows Bennett (1884-1948), an author of fiction that now tends to fall under … Continue reading
Gwen in Green, by Hugh Zachary
Book 18 of 26 books for 2024! Maybe I’ll make at least 22… Valancourt Books has been doing a great literary service by reprinting “Paperbacks from Hell” such as Carnosaur, and I’ve been reading as many of them as I can … Continue reading
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