| Revision as of 15:26, 1 April 2014 edit129.82.37.207 (talk)No edit summaryTag: section blanking← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 13:13, 18 December 2024 edit undoPjedicke (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,197 edits →Adaptations: added a mention of this story | ||
| (339 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Short description|1952 science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury}} | |||
| {{About|the short story by Ray Bradbury|other uses|Sound of Thunder (disambiguation)}} | {{About|the short story by Ray Bradbury|other uses|Sound of Thunder (disambiguation)}} | ||
| {{ |
{{Use American English|date=December 2022}} | ||
| {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}} | |||
| {{Infobox short story | {{Infobox short story | ||
| | name = A Sound of Thunder | | name = A Sound of Thunder | ||
| | title_orig |
| title_orig = | ||
| | translator |
| translator = | ||
| | author = ] | | author = ] | ||
| | country = ] | | country = ] | ||
| | language = ] | | language = ] | ||
| | series |
| series = | ||
| | |
| published_in = '']'' | ||
| | pub_date = June 28, 1952 | |||
| | | |||
| | genre = ] | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| "'''A Sound of Thunder'''" is a ] ] by American writer ], first published in '']'' magazine on June 28, 1952, and later in Bradbury's 1953 collection '']''.<ref name="Birx2009">{{cite book|last=Birx|first=H. James|title=Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b3ddWSxmi9cC&pg=PA109|access-date=November 22, 2015|date=January 13, 2009|publisher=Sage Publications|isbn=9781412941648|pages=109–}}</ref> | |||
| "'''A Sound of Thunder'''" is a ] ] by ], first published in '']'' magazine in the June 28, ] issue and '']'' in June 1956.<ref name="SFF">{{cite web| last=Willis|first=Jesse| title=A Sound Of Thunder| url=http://www.sffaudio.com/?p=28318 |work=Radio Drama Revival: Bradbury 13 |publisher=SFFaudio |accessdate=30 November 2013| date=30 March 2011}}</ref> As of 1984 it was the most re-published ] story up to the present time.<ref>William G. Contento, , January 2008</ref> It is based on the idea of the ] (though the story predates that phrase). | |||
| ==Plot summary== | ==Plot summary== | ||
| In the year 2055, ] has become a practical reality, and the company Time Safari Inc. offers wealthy adventurers the chance to travel back in time to hunt extinct species such as ]. A hunter named Eckels pays $10,000 to join a hunting party that will travel back 65 million years to the ] period, on a guided safari to kill a '']''. As the party waits to depart, they discuss the recent presidential elections in which a candidate, Deutscher, has been defeated by his opponent Keith, to the relief of many concerned. | |||
| When the party arrives in the past, Travis, the hunting guide, and his assistant warn Eckels and the two other hunters about the necessity of minimizing the events they change before they go back, since even the smallest alterations to the distant past could snowball into catastrophic changes in history. Travis explains that the hunters are obliged to stay on a levitating path to avoid disrupting the environment, any deviation will be punished with hefty fines and prosecution, Time Safari scouts had been sent back to select and tag prey whose death will have minimal effect on the future prior to the hunt, and the time machine "steps aside" to prevent people from encountering themselves in the past. | |||
| Despite his earlier eagerness to begin the hunt, Eckels loses his nerve at the sight of the ''Tyrannosaurus''. Travis tells him he cannot leave, but Eckels panics and veers off the path. The two guides kill the dinosaur, and shortly afterward the tree that would have killed the T-Rex lands on top. As soon as it is over Travis quickly finds Eckels and sees by his muddy boots that he did in fact fall off the path. Travis threatens to leave Eckels in the past unless Eckels removes the bullets from the dinosaur’s body, as they cannot be left behind. | |||
| Although Eckels is initially excited about the hunt, when the monstrous ''Tyrannosaurus'' approaches, he loses his nerve. Travis tells him to go back to the time machine, but Eckels panics, steps off the path, and stumbles into the forest. The other four shoot and kill the dinosaur and see that Eckels has found his way back to the time machine. Travis threatens to leave him in the past before ordering him to remove the bullets from the dinosaur's body, as they cannot be left behind. | |||
| Upon returning to the present, Eckels notices subtle changes. English words are now ], people behave differently, and, worst of all, Deutscher has won the election instead of Keith. Looking through the mud on his boots, Eckels finds a ], whose death was apparently the cause of many changes. He frantically pleads with Travis to take him back into the past to undo the damage, but in reply Travis deactivates his weapon's ], and there is only an ominous "sound of thunder", the same sound which had previously preceded the arrival of the ''Tyrannosaurus''. It is ambiguous as to whether Travis shot Eckels or himself, but it makes undoing his actions impossible either way. As well as just shooting randomly or a the man at the desk, these are all possible ways. | |||
| Upon returning to 2055, Eckels and the rest of the party notice major changes; English words are now spelled ], and worst of all, Deutscher has won the election to the approval of the ] populace. Looking at the mud on his boots, Eckels finds a crushed golden butterfly, whose death has apparently changed the nature of the alternative present to which the safari has returned. He frantically pleads to undo the damage, and the story ends on a gunshot fired by Travis. | |||
| ==Adaptations== | ==Adaptations== | ||
| A comic-book version appeared in issue #25 of ]'s '']'' (1954), adapted by ] with art by ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comics.org/issue/11548/#99449/ |title=Weird Science-Fantasy #3 |publisher=Grand Comics Database |access-date=February 4, 2019}}</ref> | |||
| The story was aired on ''The Ray Bradbury Theater'' on October 8, 1989.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/the-ray-bradbury-theater/a-sound-of-thunder-110331/ |title=The Ray Bradbury Theater - Season 4, Episode 6: A Sound of Thunder |publisher=TV.com |date=2007-05-22 |accessdate=2013-10-05}}</ref> In this adaptation Travis levels a pistol at Eckels' head prior to a "sound of thunder" and a quick cut to credits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-xuq3kOwGGw |title=Sound of Thunder - 3 of 3 |publisher=YouTube |date=2007-09-26 |accessdate=2013-10-05}}</ref> | |||
| The story was adapted for the first issue of Topp's Publishing's ''Ray Bradbury Comics'' (1993) with art by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comics.org/issue/52596/ |title=Ray Bradbury Comics #1 |website=TV.com |date=May 22, 2007 |access-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref> | |||
| The story was also parodied in the ''Time and Punishment'' section of '']'' episode "]". | |||
| The story was adapted for the fourth season episode six of '']'' on October 8, 1989, starring ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/the-ray-bradbury-theater/a-sound-of-thunder-110331/ |title=The Ray Bradbury Theater — Season 4, Episode 6: A Sound of Thunder |website=TV.com |access-date=February 4, 2019 |archive-date=November 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106205026/http://www.tv.com/shows/the-ray-bradbury-theater/a-sound-of-thunder-110331/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
| Warner Bros. developed ] under the same title, which was targeted for a 2003 release but ultimately delayed until September 2005. The film continues the story beyond Bradbury's work, bringing to life how the death of a single butterfly would impact evolution and humanity's chance of survival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318081/|title=A Sound of Thunder (2005)|publisher=IMDb.com|accessdate=2013-10-05}}</ref> The movie failed at the box office and received poor reviews. | |||
| A ] starring ], ], and ] was released in 2005.<ref name="Ebert2013">{{cite book|last=Ebert |first=Roger| author-link= Roger Ebert| title=Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SbAEim_dVQkC&pg=PA648| access-date= November 22, 2015|date=February 5, 2013| publisher= Andrews McMeel Publishing|isbn=9780740792199|pages=648–}}</ref> Famed film critic ] stated that while he "cannot endorse it, can appreciate it" as a film that is bad because it "want so much to be terrific that explode under the strain."<ref name= "Ebert2013"/> | |||
| ⚫ | A ] ] was also released. It was finished in time for the film's planned 2003 release, delayed along with it and ultimately released in February 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ca.ign.com/articles/2005/03/02/a-sound-of-thunder-2 |title=A Sound of Thunder |
||
| ⚫ | A ] ] was also released. It was finished in time for the film's planned 2003 release, delayed along with it, and ultimately released in February 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ca.ign.com/articles/2005/03/02/a-sound-of-thunder-2 |title=A Sound of Thunder |publisher= IGN | work= ca.ign.com |date=March 2, 2005 |access-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref> Planned console ports were canceled. | ||
| The story is parodied in the ''Time and Punishment'' section of '']'' episode "]."<ref name="RogersStevens2015">{{cite book|last1=Rogers|first1=Brett M.|last2=Stevens|first2=Benjamin Eldon|title=Classical Traditions in Science Fiction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eA27BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA322|access-date=November 22, 2015|date=February 9, 2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190228330|pages=322}}</ref> | |||
| The story is referenced in a brief scene at the beginning of the '']'' episode "]."<ref name="DoctorWho2024">{{cite AV media |people=Gatwa, Ncuti (actor) and Gibson, Millie (actor) |date=May 4, 2024 |title=The Butterfly Effect! {{!}} PREVIEW {{!}} Space Babies {{!}} Doctor Who |trans-title= |type=YouTube preview |language=English |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHGW3PlUKMY |access-date=June 10, 2024 |archive-url= |archive-date= |format= |time= |location= |publisher=BBC Studios |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= }}</ref> | |||
| The story is mentioned by the protagonists in the novel '']'' by ] on page 648. | |||
| ==Influence== | |||
| "A Sound of Thunder" is often credited as the origin of the term "]", a concept of ] in which the flapping of a butterfly's wings in one part of the world could create a hurricane on the opposite side of the globe. The term was actually introduced by meteorologist ] in the 1960s. However, Bradbury's concept of how the death of a butterfly in the past could have drastic changes in the future is a representation of the butterfly effect and is used as an example of how to consider ] and the physics of time travel.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/evolution/Time-and-The-Physics-of-Ray-Bradbury--.html | title = The Physics of Ray Bradbury's 'A Sound of Thunder' | work = ] | date = June 15, 2012 | access-date = September 2, 2015 | first= Faye | last = Flam}}</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * {{annotated link|A Gun for Dinosaur|"A Gun for Dinosaur"}} | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{Reflist}} | {{Reflist|35em}} | ||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| * {{Cite book |last=Paradowski |first=Robert J. |chapter=Ray Bradbury |title=Critical Survey Of Long Fiction |edition=4th |year=2010 |pages=1–9 |publisher=Literary Reference Center}} | |||
| * {{Cite book |last=Weller |first=Sam |title=The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury |location=New York |publisher=William Morrow |year=2005}} | |||
| * {{Cite journal |last=Holmes |first=Neil |title=Fateful butterfly |journal=New Scientist |volume=182 |issue=2443 |year=2004 |page=31 |url=https://www.newscientist.com/letter/mg18224435-500-fateful-butterfly/}} | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| {{Spoken Misplaced Pages|20120607 wiki ASoundOfThunder.ogg|2012 |
{{Spoken Misplaced Pages|20120607 wiki ASoundOfThunder.ogg|date=June 7, 2012}} | ||
| * {{ |
* {{ISFDB title|id=61488}} | ||
| * {{IMDb title | 0683183 | A Sound of Thunder}} | |||
| * | |||
| {{Ray Bradbury|state=collapsed}} | {{Ray Bradbury|state=collapsed}} | ||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Sound Of Thunder}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Sound Of Thunder}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 13:13, 18 December 2024
1952 science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury This article is about the short story by Ray Bradbury. For other uses, see Sound of Thunder (disambiguation).
| "A Sound of Thunder" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Ray Bradbury | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Collier's |
| Publication date | June 28, 1952 |
"A Sound of Thunder" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in Collier's magazine on June 28, 1952, and later in Bradbury's 1953 collection The Golden Apples of the Sun.
Plot summary
In the year 2055, time travel has become a practical reality, and the company Time Safari Inc. offers wealthy adventurers the chance to travel back in time to hunt extinct species such as dinosaurs. A hunter named Eckels pays $10,000 to join a hunting party that will travel back 65 million years to the Late Cretaceous period, on a guided safari to kill a Tyrannosaurus rex. As the party waits to depart, they discuss the recent presidential elections in which a candidate, Deutscher, has been defeated by his opponent Keith, to the relief of many concerned.
When the party arrives in the past, Travis, the hunting guide, and his assistant warn Eckels and the two other hunters about the necessity of minimizing the events they change before they go back, since even the smallest alterations to the distant past could snowball into catastrophic changes in history. Travis explains that the hunters are obliged to stay on a levitating path to avoid disrupting the environment, any deviation will be punished with hefty fines and prosecution, Time Safari scouts had been sent back to select and tag prey whose death will have minimal effect on the future prior to the hunt, and the time machine "steps aside" to prevent people from encountering themselves in the past.
Although Eckels is initially excited about the hunt, when the monstrous Tyrannosaurus approaches, he loses his nerve. Travis tells him to go back to the time machine, but Eckels panics, steps off the path, and stumbles into the forest. The other four shoot and kill the dinosaur and see that Eckels has found his way back to the time machine. Travis threatens to leave him in the past before ordering him to remove the bullets from the dinosaur's body, as they cannot be left behind.
Upon returning to 2055, Eckels and the rest of the party notice major changes; English words are now spelled phonetically, and worst of all, Deutscher has won the election to the approval of the pro-fascist populace. Looking at the mud on his boots, Eckels finds a crushed golden butterfly, whose death has apparently changed the nature of the alternative present to which the safari has returned. He frantically pleads to undo the damage, and the story ends on a gunshot fired by Travis.
Adaptations
A comic-book version appeared in issue #25 of EC Comics's Weird Science-Fantasy (1954), adapted by Al Feldstein with art by Al Williamson and Angelo Torres.
The story was adapted for the first issue of Topp's Publishing's Ray Bradbury Comics (1993) with art by Richard Corben.
The story was adapted for the fourth season episode six of The Ray Bradbury Theater on October 8, 1989, starring Kiel Martin.
A film adaptation of the same name starring Ben Kingsley, Edward Burns, and Catherine McCormack was released in 2005. Famed film critic Roger Ebert stated that while he "cannot endorse it, can appreciate it" as a film that is bad because it "want so much to be terrific that explode under the strain."
A Game Boy Advance video game based on the film was also released. It was finished in time for the film's planned 2003 release, delayed along with it, and ultimately released in February 2005. Planned console ports were canceled.
The story is parodied in the Time and Punishment section of The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror V."
The story is referenced in a brief scene at the beginning of the Doctor Who episode "Space Babies."
The story is mentioned by the protagonists in the novel 11/22/63 by Stephen King on page 648.
Influence
"A Sound of Thunder" is often credited as the origin of the term "butterfly effect", a concept of chaos theory in which the flapping of a butterfly's wings in one part of the world could create a hurricane on the opposite side of the globe. The term was actually introduced by meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz in the 1960s. However, Bradbury's concept of how the death of a butterfly in the past could have drastic changes in the future is a representation of the butterfly effect and is used as an example of how to consider chaos theory and the physics of time travel.
See also
- "A Gun for Dinosaur" – Short story by L. Sprague de Camp
References
- Birx, H. James (January 13, 2009). Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture. Sage Publications. pp. 109–. ISBN 9781412941648. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- "Weird Science-Fantasy #3". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- "Ray Bradbury Comics #1". TV.com. May 22, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- "The Ray Bradbury Theater — Season 4, Episode 6: A Sound of Thunder". TV.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (February 5, 2013). Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 648–. ISBN 9780740792199. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- "A Sound of Thunder". ca.ign.com. IGN. March 2, 2005. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- Rogers, Brett M.; Stevens, Benjamin Eldon (February 9, 2015). Classical Traditions in Science Fiction. Oxford University Press. p. 322. ISBN 9780190228330. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- Gatwa, Ncuti (actor) and Gibson, Millie (actor) (May 4, 2024). The Butterfly Effect! | PREVIEW | Space Babies | Doctor Who (YouTube preview). BBC Studios. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- Flam, Faye (June 15, 2012). "The Physics of Ray Bradbury's 'A Sound of Thunder'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
Further reading
- Paradowski, Robert J. (2010). "Ray Bradbury". Critical Survey Of Long Fiction (4th ed.). Literary Reference Center. pp. 1–9.
- Weller, Sam (2005). The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury. New York: William Morrow.
- Holmes, Neil (2004). "Fateful butterfly". New Scientist. 182 (2443): 31.
External links
Listen to this article (4 minutes)
This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 7 June 2012 (2012-06-07), and does not reflect subsequent edits.(Audio help · More spoken articles)
- A Sound of Thunder title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- A Sound of Thunder at IMDb