A master will be missed

Ray Bradbury has died and I couldn’t let the occasion pass without an acknowledgment of some kind. [“ ‘Immortal’ sci-fi writer fired our imaginations,” News, June 7.]

For those who think of Bradbury’s high-watermark of literature to be “The Martian Chronicles” or “Fahrenheit 451,” I would recommend “Driving Blind,” a collection of short stories written late in his career.

Bradbury was a master of the short story, and I challenge you to read “Old Dog Lying in the Dust” without grinning at the imagery ’till your face hurts — or read “House Divided” and not be touched by the melancholy realization of lost youth or that youth’s excitement at the threshold of self-discovery. Masterpieces, both of them.

My personal favorite Bradbury novel is “Dandelion Wine,” a series of interconnected stories set in pastoral America. It was followed up, decades later, by the shorter “Farewell Summer.” Sequels nearly always disappoint and diminish the prior effort. Not this one. It was true to the brilliance of the original in every way.

I will miss him. I entreat you to pick up a collection of his work.

I hope this talented storyteller will speak to you as he has to me and many others.

— Roy McCoskey, Kennewick