Close Encounters with the Deity Stories Author:Michael Bishop A spiritual tour de force of daring proportion, Close Encounters with the Deity presents such powerful situations and asks so many stimulating questions that its images linger in the mind long after the book is finished. Through the means of what he calls "speculative fiction", Michael Bishop examines the various links between man and the supern... more »atural by exploring 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.
From School Library Journal
YA Bishop has the rare gift of clear expression and boundless imagination. He is a dreamer of poetic dreams. Close Encounters with the Deity is a collection of his short stories that were originally published in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, as well as in various other anthologies and periodicals. The book's unifying theme is man's concept of the Deity. Bishop's stories intermingle humor, horror, and awe in a manner similar to Vonnegut. In the title story, enlightenment occurs as the hero's space ship falls into a black hole. In "Dogs' Lives,'' the main character fantasizes a trip through space accompanied by his cybernetic canine companion, flashing backwards and forwards through memories of childhood pet dogs' horrible fates and their love and devotion to their human masters. "The Gospel According to Gamaliel Crucis'' is written in chapter and verse format and relates the story of an extraterrestrial savior who is a giant praying mantis. The book should prove popular with young people, as Bishop seems to have a strong sympathy for them. His questioning of traditional religion is in every sense a healthy, vital return to the wonder we all felt when we lay on our backs and gazed up at the stars, wondering where we came from. Jennifer John Reavis, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, Tex.« less