It's late, so I'll be brief: the world will truly miss Ray Bradbury. Here are a few of the better pieces I've seen today:

• Ray Bradbury brought literary respect to science fiction (USA Today)
• Dreams of Ray Bradbury: 10 predictions that came true (Washington Post)

And here are two from Neil Gaiman:

• Ray Bradbury


• Ray Bradbury: In Memoriam and In Green Town Illinois

Of course I’ve read numerous Bradbury stories throughout my life and watched them on film, but, hard though it is for me to believe, I only read Fahrenheit 451 for the first time near the beginning of 2011. I was stunned by the craftsmanship. As a child, the imaginative tales got me, but as an adult I realized that the man could flat-out write. And that he'd influenced everyone and everything to the point that some of today's successful writers and directors wouldn't have created quite the same stories were it not for Bradbury. Stephen King. Steven Spielberg. Mark Frost (co-creator of Twin Peaks) has been paying tribute to him all day on Twitter.

Here's Bradbury's official web site.

This was already in the publication hopper before he passed away: I'll likely pick it up when it is released in July: Shadow Show

He was kind: based on everything I've heard (co-worker knew him) and read, he used his powers for good. He encouraged so many young writers by generously giving them his time, focus, and counsel. He loved cats. He was an enthusiastic advocate for libraries. He never won a Pulitzer, but even Pulitzer belatedly recognized his contributions by honoring him with a special citation in 2007 “for his distinguished, prolific and deeply influential career as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy.”

Thank you, Mr. Bradbury, for sharing all the trips through your imagination with the rest of us. It was truly a marvelous ride.