Michael Bishop was born in 1945 in Lincoln, Nebraska. After receiving a master's degree 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 science fiction magazines. His first novel, A FUNERAL FOR THE EYES OF FIRE, was first published in 1975 and was followed by such critically acclaimed works as AND STRANGE AT ECBATAN THE TREES, STOLEN FACES, A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE, CATACOMB YEARS, TRANSFIGURATIONS, ENCOUNTERS WITH THE DIETY, ANCIENT DAYS, and COUNTER GEIGER'S BLUES. Bishop's shorter fiction has appeared in numerous periodicals, anthologies, and best-of-the-year compilations. Since 1974, the author, his wife, and two children have resided in Pine Mountain, Georgia.