Ray Bradbury: 1920-2012

I’ve mentioned Bradbury several times on this site not only because he was a great writer, but because he was a great writer of science fiction with dark fantastical elements who loved Halloween. When I felt my style getting stale, I’d flip open something by him to inspire me.

Even his writing for a younger audience is sophisticated enough for adults, thanks to the layers of his stories and the beauty and elegance of his prose. Something Wicked This Way Comes is a wonderful exploration of the loss of youth through the evil carnival that rolls through town. The Halloween Tree is a fun and educational boyhood tale, and also a love-letter to my favorite holiday.

Perhaps he is best known for his science-fiction works Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. In any case, the man was a true genius at blending genre fiction with literary fiction, and he is a perfect example of the art that can be created by using horror, science fiction, fantasy, and other speculative genres.

But let us not mourn his passing; let’s instead celebrate the truly amazing things he gave us in his long lifetime, for his legend will live on.

“He felt the vague pain in his chest. If I run, he thought, what will happen? Is Death important? No. Everything that happens before Death is what counts. And we’ve done fine tonight. Even Death can’t spoil it.”

–Something Wicked This Way Comes