Well, I know there are some SF fans around here, I'm sure you must have heard by now, but thought I'd post anyway just in case.

Ray Bradbury, a boundlessly imaginative novelist who wrote some of the most popular science fiction books of all time, including “Fahrenheit 451” and “The Martian Chronicles,” and who transformed the genre of flying saucers and little green men into a medium exploring childhood terrors, colonialism and the erosion of individual thought, died June 5. He was 91.

The New York Times' obituary stated that Bradbury was "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream."The Los Angeles Times credited Bradbury with the ability "to write lyrically and evocatively of lands an imagination away, worlds he anchored in the here and now with a sense of visual clarity and small-town familiarity".

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/ray-bradbury-sci-fi-author-of-fahrenheit-451-martian-chronicles-dies-at-91/2012/06/06/gJQAy9HiIV_story.html

Well, he lived a full  and productive life.  Still, it's always sad to see one of the greats go.

More here:  http://berkley.patch.com/articles/remembering-ray-bradbury-books-available-at-local-libraries

Some well-known RB titles:

1950) The Martian Chronicles

• (1953) Fahrenheit 451
• (1957) Dandelion Wine –
• (1962) Something Wicked This Way Comes
• (1951) The Illustrated Man
• (1955) The October Country
• (1972) The Halloween Tree

 ...and many more - around 400 titles.

RIP RB.... and Slaughterhouse 5, Sirens of Titan, A Recipe for Melancholy....

He had a good innings and made a useful contribution to the team.   (Seriously - 400 titles!!!! )  

There are many writers, but few whose work achieves such exposure and is spoken of as being influential.

I've always liked his writing, and not just his science fiction.  He was a master storyteller.  Rest in peace, Mr. B.

Such a great author, some very memorable stories. He had this knack for storytelling, even things that kids could pick up , which for sci-fi can be quite hard compared to many other authors.

I alos loved the Ray Bradbury theater TV series back in the day.

This man could weave tapestries with words like no other. His prose never fails to leave me spellbound.

I highly recommend two of his lesser known works: Death is a Lonely Business and  A Graveyard for Lunatics. Both are mysteries that incorporate semi-autobiogrphical elements. 

He has left us such a wonderful legacy. Thank you so much, Mr. B. May you dance with angels.

@tincup2
I think you might have meant A Medicine for Melancholy. Also, The Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse 5 are by Kurt Vonnegut. 

Originally Posted By Traveller (6 JUN 2012 2:06pm)

"The Los Angeles Times credited Bradbury with the ability "to write lyrically and evocatively of lands an imagination away, worlds he anchored in the here and now with a sense of visual clarity and small-town familiarity".

 

This, I think, is what resonates with me the most regarding Bradbury's work, having lived much of my life in small town and rural settings something like what he also grew up in, and came to be the backdrop of much of his writing. That ability to ground the unreal with the very real and homely added another dimension to his stories that was truly special. Combined with a strong moral center to his work, without being awkwardly didactic, he quickly became one of my favorite writers of any genre, let alone science fiction.

When Bradbury was a child a carnival entertainer dubbed him with a sword and declared over him, "Live forever!" Little could anyone have guessed at the time just how immortal Bradbury would become through his work, and in the hearts and minds of those who loved his stories. Live forever, Ray Bradbury!

Originally Posted By karla (6 JUN 2012 11:12pm)

@tincup2
I think you might have meant A Medicine for Melancholy. Also, The Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse 5 are by Kurt Vonnegut. 

haha oh well... 3 strikes and you're out. Guess it's just shows what two writers I was reading at the same time when I was fourteen.. The funny thing is, until you pointed it out I probably had works of theirs inter-mixed since the start - even with their paperbacks neatly lined up on my SF shelves to this day... turning a new page, Martian Chronicles... RIP

Originally Posted By Andromus (8 JUN 2012 6:54pm)

 

When Bradbury was a child a carnival entertainer dubbed him with a sword and declared over him, "Live forever!" Little could anyone have guessed at the time just how immortal Bradbury would become through his work, and in the hearts and minds of those who loved his stories. Live forever, Ray Bradbury!

Wow, that's a lovely anecdote and sentiment, Andromus!