Farewell to the Master

They reached the canal.  It was long and straight and cool and wet and reflective in the night.

"I've always wanted to see a Martian," said Michael.  "Where are they, Dad?  You promised."

"There they are," said Dad, and he shifted Michael on his shoulder and pointed straight down.

The Martians were there.  Timothy began to shiver.

The Martians were there--in the canal--reflected in the water.  Timothy and Michael and Robert and Mom and Dad.

The Martians stared back up at them for a long, long silent time from the rippling water. . . .

--Ray Bradbury, "The Million-Year Picnic"

In one of The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween specials, Homer tries to fix his toaster and inadvertently transports himself millions of years into the past. When he realizes what has happened, he thinks back on the advice his father gave him on his wedding day: "If you ever travel back in time, don't step on anything. Because even the slightest change can alter the future in ways you can't imagine." Of course, Grandpa Simpson is referencing a familiar cliche in the world of science fiction, a cliche that originated in "A Sound of Thunder," a short story by Ray Bradbury, who died yesterday at the age of 91.

Ray Bradbury was a legend. Along with Isaac Asimov, Bradbury essentially defined twentieth-century American science-fiction, the main difference between the two being that Bradbury could actually write. You could also argue that Bradbury's science fiction had absolutely nothing to do with science, and you would be correct. Bradbury was first and foremost a humanist; his stories told of completely recognizable people in completely recognizable situations. His "Mars" bears no resemblance to the actual planet, much less the darker fantasies of Phillip K. Dick or any of numerous modern writers and filmmakers; instead, the red planet is a more-or-less hospitable version of the small town in which Bradbury grew up, complete with a breathable atmosphere.

As you know, I don't like to toot my own horn. (WOS: ?!?!!!!) I did, however, write the book on Ray Bradbury. Well, OK, not so much the BOOK as the entry, in The Encyclopedia of American Literature.  I said everything there that I need to say about Bradbury's body of work.  Sadly, though, the first line, about Bradbury being "the greatest living science-fiction writer," is no longer accurate.  He certainly had a long and productive life, and his works will live on for years to come.  Still, Ray Bradbury was a unique voice in the world of science-fiction--and, indeed, of literature in general.  He will be missed.