BISCHOFF, David F(redrick)

(1951-)

   US writer who began publishing sf with "The Sky's an Oyster; The Stars are Pearls" in 1975, and who quickly established himself as a versatile and adaptable novelist, though his practice of working in collaboration has tended to muffle any sense that he has, in his own right, either a distinctive style or concerns which could be thought of as personal. His first novel, The Seeker (1976 Canada) with Chris LAMPTON, is in a sense, therefore, typical, for there is nothing in particular to remember about this competent sf adventure featuring a fugitive ALIEN on Earth and a chase. Forbidden World (fixup 1978) with Ted WHITE is, in the same way, efficiently anonymous; and the Dragonstar sequence - Day of the Dragonstar (1983), Night of the Dragonstar (1985) and Dragonstar Destiny (1989), all with Thomas F. MONTELEONE - explores with impersonal ingenuity a giant artificial-world-cum-zoo in space (see BIG DUMB OBJECTS) full of escaped menaces and a hidden agenda or two. The most memorable of his collaborations are Tin Woodman (1979) with Dennis R. Bailey - a complex adventure involving a telepathic human, a living alien starship, a convincingly psychopathic villain, and a galactic chase - and The Selkie (1982) with Charles SHEFFIELD, a fantasy.Much the same impression of a genial but impersonal skilfulness is generated by some of DFB's solo fiction, too, although Nightworld (1979) interestingly combines elements of RECURSIVE SF - in the shape of an ancient ANDROID who replicates the physique and personality of H.G. WELLS - and SCIENCE FANTASY as the protagonist, Wells and a girl who must grow up combine to brave the COMPUTER-generated vampires of the forgotten colony planet of Styx; but the sequel, The Vampires of Nightworld (1981), merely exploits the already-established venue. Set on a starship with a cosmic troubleshooting mission, the Star Fall books - Star Fall: A Space Fantasy (1980) and Star Spring: A Space Operetta (1982) - show an uneasy lightness of tone, though the VIRTUAL-REALITY-like shuffling of pulp venues at its heart is enjoyable. The Star Hounds sequence - The Infinite Battle (1985), Galactic Warriors (1985) and The Macrocosmic Conflict (1986)-drifts dangerously close to the routine. On the other hand the UFO Conspiracy sequence - Abduction: The UFO Conspiracy (1990), Deception (1991) and Revelation (1991) - is a gripping excursion into camp PARANOIA. Companionable and chameleon, DFB seems at the time of writing (1992) to be a jack-of-all-trades who might well, one day, speak out on his own.

   JC

   Other works: Quest (anth 1977 chap); Strange Encounters (anth 1977 chap); The Phantom of the Opera * (1977), a juvenile version; Mandala (1983 in Chrysalis 10, anth ed Roy Torgeson as "The Warmth of the Stars"; exp 1983); WarGames * (1983), a film tie; a Time Machine tie, Time Machine \#2: Search for Dinosaurs * (1984); The Crunch Bunch (1985); the Gaming Magi fantasy sequence, comprising The Destiny Dice (1985), Wraith Board (1985) and The Unicorn Gambit (1986); A Personal Demon (fixup 1985) with Rich Brown (1942-) and Linda Richardson (1944-), comprising several stories published in Fantastic as by Michael F.X. Milhaus; The Manhattan Project * (1986), a film tie; Some Kind of Wonderer (1987); The Blob * (1988), a film tie; Gremlins 2: The New Batch * (1990), a film tie; two contributions to the sequence of Bill, the Galactic Hero tied sequels, Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Tasteless Pleasures * (1991) and Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Ten Thousand Bars * (1991; vt Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of the Hippies from Hell 1993 UK), both with Harry HARRISON; the Mutants Amok sequence, comprising Mutants Amok (1991), \#2: Mutant Hell (1991), \#3: Rebel Attack (1991), \#4: Holocaust Horror (1991) and \#5: Mutants Amok at Christmastime (1992), all as by Mark Grant; Daniel M. Pinkwater's Melvinge of the Megaverse \#1: Night of the Living Shark! * (1991) (Daniel M. PINKWATER); Star Trek, the Next Generation: Grounded * (1993); the Dr. Dimension sequence of comic science fantasies comprising Dr.Dimension (1993) and Dr. Dimension: Masters of Spacetime (1994), both with John DECHANCIE; two Aliens ties: Aliens: Genocide * (1993) and Aliens Vs. Predator: Hutner's Planet * (1994); seaQuest DSV: The Ancient * (1994), tied to the televisions series.

   See also: MONSTERS; UFOS.