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Featured image for Two Boundaries, One Question: A Comparative Field Study of the Backrooms and Area X

Two Boundaries, One Question: A Comparative Field Study of the Backrooms and Area X

Dr. Richard Clark presents a research-style comparison of two of the most-discussed anomalous zones of the last decade — the Backrooms and Area X from the Southern Reach material — treating both as real for the purposes of analysis while noting that Area X remains the intellectual property of Jeff VanderMeer.

Dr. Richard Clark·August 11, 2026·Anomalous Research
Featured image for The History of Avalon Hill: How One Baltimore Company Invented the Modern Board Game Hobby

The History of Avalon Hill: How One Baltimore Company Invented the Modern Board Game Hobby

A 3,000-word history of Avalon Hill — the founding by Charles S. Roberts in 1952, the invention of the modern wargame, the golden age of Squad Leader and Diplomacy, The General magazine, the 1998 sale to Hasbro, and the imprint's life today under Wizards of the Coast.

Lurking Fear Publishing·July 11, 2026·Games
Featured image for Pulp Fiction Forever: How Sci-Fi, Horror, Crime, and Fantasy Paperbacks From the 1950s to the 1980s Built Modern Genre Storytelling

Pulp Fiction Forever: How Sci-Fi, Horror, Crime, and Fantasy Paperbacks From the 1950s to the 1980s Built Modern Genre Storytelling

A 4,000-word deep dive into the golden age of pulp paperbacks — the writers, illustrators, magazines, and movements that shaped sci-fi, horror, crime, and fantasy fiction from 1950 through 1989, and the modern indie books carrying the tradition forward.

Lurking Fear·May 9, 2026·Genre History
Featured image for The Art of the Pseudonym

The Art of the Pseudonym

How Pen Names Unlock New Literary Identities. A name is a powerful thing — for writers, sometimes one name isn't enough to contain all the stories they need to tell.

Lurking Fear·October 10, 2025·Writing