Brighten to Incandescence: 17 Stories

From Booklist
These 17 stories show off Bishop's versatility. They range from an exercise in subtle creepiness to a nicely turned space-station whodunit. First up is "Thirteen Lies about Hummingbirds," an occasionally horrifying meditation on the pitfalls of human relationships. Last story in the book is "Help Me, Rondo," about B-movie actor Rondo Hatton, who, cursed with acromegaly (enlargement and deformation of the head), was typecast as a brute, and a man who claims to be his son; for it, Bishop adopts the form of a screenplay. In the other tales, Bishop covers a lot of concepts, including time travel, reincarnation, and running away to join the circus. And the book includes two choice collaborations, "'We're All in This Alone'" with Paul Di Filippo and the aforementioned whodunit, "Murder on Lupozny Station," with Gerald W. Page. In the volume-closing essay, "A Lingering Incandescence," Bishop opens a window on the stories' creation. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Publishers Weekly
"A writer of deep human insight, powerful visionary imagination and masterful prose."

Locus
"Michael Bishop [is] one of the best short story writers in the field today."

Book Description
Seventeen of writer Michael Bishop's favorite stories were handpicked from his previously uncollected works to create this compelling collection, providing an excellent overview of a career that includes award-winning science fiction, horror, fantasy, satire, space opera, and mystery. In "A Tapestry of Little Murders," a murderer attempts to escape along a literal road to self-destruction. A medical missionary, tortured by government thugs, reveals her dying wish in "With a Little Help from Her Friends." In "The Procedure," an operation to remove a tumorous growth will hopefully excise from the patient's mind and body all tendencies toward faith and superstition. From futuristic mystery and Vietnam-era dark fantasy to theological speculation on Christ's death, a variety of lyrical voices speak through these haunting stories. An essay by the author divulges the genesis of each story.

About the Author
Michael Bishop is the Nebula Award-winning author of Blue Kansas Sky, Would It Kill You to Smile?, and Brittle Innings. He lives in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Lucius Shepard is a winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards.


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Brighten to Incandescence: 17 Stories, by Michael Bishop (Blue Kansas Sky), includes uncollected, in many cases revised, tales that run from "A Tapestry of Little Murders" (1971) to "Last Night Out," written especially for this volume a week after September 11. In his introduction, Lucius Shepard extols the truth and moral honesty in Bishop's wide-ranging speculative fiction. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.


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