Michael Bishop is an acclaimed American author of science fiction and fantasy, whose extensive body of work is distinguished by its profound exploration of human psychology and societal themes. His writing often transcends genre boundaries, blending introspective narratives with futuristic and fantastical elements. He frequently delves into moral dilemmas and complex interpersonal relationships within unconventional settings. Bishop's skill in crafting insightful characters and evocative worlds solidifies his status as a significant voice in modern speculative fiction.
Set in Crown Heights, the narrative follows a young man's journey of discovering his passion for music. Initially influenced by the sounds of home, he becomes captivated by the vibrant street music he encounters at a summer block party. This energetic and familiar yet distinct sound ignites a lifelong love for what would later be recognized as Hip Hop. The story captures the essence of a cultural movement and the transformative power of music in shaping identity and community.
Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel Revised Fortieth Anniversary Edition Joshua Kampa, the illegitimate son of a mute Spanish whore and a black serviceman, has always dreamed of Africa. But his dreams are of an Africa far in the past and are so vivid and in such hallucinatory detail that he is able to question the understanding of eminent paleontologists. As a result, Joshua is invited to join a most unusual time travel project and is transported millions of years into the past of his dreams. In early Pleistocene Africa, living among the pre-human species Homo habilis, experiencing the same hardships and the same intense pleasures, Joshua finds, for the first time in his troubled life, not only contentment but real love - a love that transcends almost everything. Intelligent, thoughtful and deeply moving, No Enemy but Time brilliantly evokes the remote past and, at the same time, presents a powerful and convincing portrayal of a relationship surmounting even the most daunting barriers. It is a challenging and highly original novel exploring the nature a nd origins of humankind.
This retrospective Michael Bishop collection of fifty short pieces (thirty-four stories, fifteen poems or prose-poems, and one amusing Moon-based play about writing SF, "The Grape Jelly and Mustard Method") spans the author's entire career, from "Asytages's Dream," written while Bishop was a college student, to "Yahweh's Hour," an acerbic but moving work of science-fantasy political satire composed in 2020. The collection's most distinctive attribute, however, lies in the fact that no contribution is longer than 3,000 words and most are shorter, a kind of Palm-of-the-Hand Stories for lovers of short fiction, heartfelt pieces that afford the reader as much meat as they do flash."A Few Last Words for the Late Immortals," set on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, embodies a requiem for the entire human species. "Philip K. Dick is dead, a lass" memorializes in verse science fiction's preeminent bard of the reality breakdown." "Love's Heresy" and "The Library of Babble" appear to be channeling the labyrinthine mind of Jorge Luis Borges, albeit with surprising jinks all their own. And the list of narrative explorations grows and grows . . .Humor and horror, music and whimsy, primates and pathology, mice and men, religion and rebellion: these stories and poems cover the waterfront of human experience while acknowledging the singularity of each human life.
"Unicorn Mountain, a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winner for Best Novel, includes ranching in Colorado, Ute Indian lore, a Denver-based advertising firm, Swing Era music, an old Bendix TV set that transmits signals from an askew parallel Earth, and, last but no less disquieting, transdimensional migrations of living unicorns."--Publisher marketing
Set in an alternative Atlanta between 2000 and 2070, the story unfolds under a massive artificial dome that obscures the night sky. Citizens live in a tightly controlled environment, spread across nine underground levels, where computer simulations create the illusion of weather and seasons. Despite the oppressive bureaucracy and confined living conditions, the inhabitants find ways to not only survive but thrive, showcasing resilience in a dystopian landscape.
Exploring diverse themes and settings, this collection features four long stories by Michael Bishop, showcasing his unique storytelling prowess. The title tale merges exotic adventure with 1930s pulp elements, while "And Strange at Ecbatan the Trees" presents a distant future where a flawed genius confronts catastrophic challenges. "To the Land of Snow" offers a unique perspective on a starship journey led by an unconventional Dalai Lama, and "The Gospel According to Gamaliel Crucis" presents an evangelist who believes in a sentient insect as a redeemer.
This collection gathers together Michael Bishop's mainstream stories set in Georgia or featuring characters from Georgia. It represents the culmination of a career-long project that Bishop did not fully realize he had embarked upon, but that he did always have in the back of his mind. It opens with a hommage, both poignant and funny, to Flannery O'Connor, and closes with his daringly satirical Nebula Award-nominated novelette "Rattlesnakes and Men."
The narrative centers on a decades-old murder case in Nashville, where a private citizen, Michael Bishop, uncovers evidence suggesting that the wrong man was convicted. The 1964 murder of babysitter Paula Herring, initially blamed on a judge's son, is revealed to involve a conspiracy among elite members of society. With the help of renowned forensic experts, Bishop exposes the truth behind the crime and the subsequent cover-up, including interviews with key figures and a shocking confession, promising to alter Nashville's historical narrative.
On the planet BoskVeld, the alien Asadi daily act out their rituals. Years after the disappearance of anthropologist Egan Chaney, his daughter, Elegy Cather, arrives on BoskVeld to find him. She brings an intelligent ape genetically adapted to resemble the Asadi. Together, they strive to unravel the aliens' secret history.
Joel-Brock Lollis's family has vanished into the labyrinthine Sporangium below a curious Georgia emporium, Big Box Bonanzas. Glimpses of an older J-B Lollis of the Atlanta Braves on a BBB television suggest that Joel-Brock may never get back his parents and sister. The Valorous Smalls--almost-ten Joel-Brock, lively teen Addi, and tiny detective Valona--forge their way into the mushroom realm to change that possible future.
