Close Encounters With the Deity

Michael Bishop

Oct 2013 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

Through the means of what he calls "speculative fiction", Michael Bishop examines the various links between man and the supernatural by exploring the relationships and conflicts between mortals and deities of other worlds, in other times and within other cultures. His scope isn't limited to alien environments, however. Bishop's talent for transforming the commonplace into the fantastic often reaches into our own backyards, and the results are astounding:

- A father's love for his son and the influence of the evangelist's strange teachings prompt a desperate and violent act.
- In a surreal world of unceasing movies where the inhabitants serve constantly as an audience, one man seeks to confront he ultimate power which controls their lives.
- A young boy's talent for ventriloquism results in an irresistible summons from an all-powerful source.
- A Midwestern farmer's compelling visions draw him to the oceanic god of an unusual cult.
- Mysterious airborne hieroglyphics become a young scientist's obsession.

With these and other stories, Michael Bishop weaves a colourful tapestry of character, theme and circumstance which attests to his position as on of the best in the field.

About the author

Michael Bishop (1945 - )
Michael Bishop was born in 1945 in Lincoln, Nebraska. After receiving an MA in English from the University of Georgia, Bishop taught at the USAF Academy Preparatory School in Colorado, but soon began placing his short stories with the likes of Galaxy Science Fiction, If and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. His first novel, A Funeral For The Eyes Of Fire, brought comparisons with Ursula K. Le Guin and James Tiptree, Jr and received a Nebula nomination. It was followed by a number of critically acclaimed works including BSFA Award-nominated Transfigurations, Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated Ancient Of Days, and No Enemy But Time, for which he won the Nebula Award for Best Novel. Michael Bishop lives in Georgia, where he was writer-in-residence at LaGrange College until spring 2012.

For more information see www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/bishop_michael