No question the passing of Ray Bradbury is a loss for the literary world.
There will be many-a-tome written in the next few days, weeks, even years about the marvelous works of the man described as “the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream”
To me, he was one of a handful of world-builders who breathed life in my desire to be an author.
The funny thing is, my introduction to Bradbury was via the somewhat cheesy television mini series The Martian Chronicles I saw back when it debuted in 1980.
Of course when I was a kid, I thought it was amazingly awesome. And I wanted one of those Martian gyro-copters!
But my older brother told me that the books were even better. So I read The Martian Chronicles.
Then I read Something Wicked This Way Comes. Followed by Fahrenheit 451, The Halloween Tree, Dandelion Wine and every short story I could get my hands on.
This lead me to Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and a boatload of other writers I still read to this day.
My imagination was ignited all those years ago. It still burns bright today.
With any luck, it will burn until the day I turn to ashes.
We’ll miss you, Mr. Bradbury.
Peace