But, as I cautioned at the outset, the gadgetry here is hardly the main point. For this writer, the flashy techno-gimmicks of his tales are often embraced a gateway to the child in all of us, a way of recapturing wonder in an age that has too little of it. Inevitably there is a also cost in these stories, and many of his most pointed tales depict the sad fate of those who are slaves to technology. And that is a theme that is even more relevant today than when these stories were first published.
You could never accuse Bradbury of such an indiscretion. It is worth remembering that this author, whose life spanned the period from the introduction of the Model T Ford to the most modern and streamlined hybrid vehicles, never learned to drive a car. He is a proud technophobe who also scorns computers, the Internet and ATMs. But you don’t need a driver’s license to traverse the galaxy in your imagination. And for that, Ray Bradbury is the first person you would want behind the wheel.
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