91, I didn't know he was still alive. I love my Scifi. He's definitely was one of the great ones !

He was a very talented and multi facerted man It's a sad day that he has assumed Fahrenheit 72.

BTW for those who don't know, he did much more than scifi. He wrote plays, TV shows, stories for children and much more.

Ray Bradbury was one of the all-time greats, like the late Robert Heinlein and Philip K. Dick. Authors like those were to sci-fi what the late J.R.R. Tolkien was to high fantasy, and the late Robert E. Howard was to sword-and-sorcery fantasy (I'm a big fan of all three genres).

Such authors will be missed, and unfortunately, they simply won't be replaced. Followed and supplemented, yes, but never replaced.

A sad loss.

Larry

My fiancé and I saw him speak at Comic Con in 2008, shortly after we started dating. His work was one of our first shared interests. He will be missed greatly.

[goes digging for his battered old copy of Dandelion Wine]

He was launched into space by a rocket?

Bradbury was one of the first Sci-Fi authors that I read. An amazing mix or science fiction and fantasy. Re-read Somthing Wicked This Way Comes recently, and it was just as good as it was the first time I read it 40+ years ago.

Bradbury preferred his work to be thought of fitting the Fantasy genre.

All of the truly great sci-fi authors are ultimately real philosophers. Strip away the death rays and the future science, and look at how he viewed civilizations. Wonderful insight into sentient creatures, us and the imagined.

John S.

A great loss. I met him once at a Planetary Society convention in 1991. Very unassuming.

Bill

I was lucky enough to meet him back in 2006 at the Tarzana, CA library. He was giving a speech and signing books. He autographed my copy of The Martian Chronicles and he was gracious enough to pose for a picture with me. You will be missed Ray.

Is that a Jack O' Lantern tie? Must've been sometime near Halloween.

Correct! The picture was taken in late September of 2006.

- Geoff

My elementary school reading teachers back in the mid-1960's had us read and critique short sci-fi writings of Mr. Bradbury and a few others who were regarded as the best authors in that style. I remember our class having fun also expanding on his stories about what might be, say in year 2012.....I guess we're there now.

He was a strange guy, lived in LA and never learned to drive.

Carl

Thanks for this - not the news, but for introducing me to a new (to me) author.

I grew up reading E E Doc Smith (Lensman series) and F G Rayer. Rayer was also a radio enthusiast and wrote several technical books as well as the science fiction. Michael Moorcock is also a great author as is Terry Pratchett.

As a life-long fan of Star Trek and science/fantasy fiction I thank the OP for his post.

Your welcome.

Having grown up, in the Los Angeles area, I just assumed everybody (into sci fi) new Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 was required reading, in school. I prefer his short stories. For long drawn out epics, I lean towards Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. And if you want all those sci fi, science and technology questions answered, then there's the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. That answers question, on how come I can understand an alien from the other side of the galaxy, and how he got here, so quick, are all answered:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy

Also, the ultimate question:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltm583i6Gek

Best consumed, in written form.

Also could be a generational thing. I'm 53. How old are you ?

I'm a 1962 baby So am almost 50!

Kiddies!

I grew up with Asimov and Bradbury and the other greats of that era.

A very successful company out here is iRobot

Carl