Source: Freaky Trigger
Length: 1 hr
Reader: Elisha Sessions

The story: Time Safari, Incorporated offers trips back in time, allowing those who can afford it the chance to shoot prehistoric animals. Eccles joins a group on an expedition to bag “the biggest game of all time,” a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The safari leader, Travis, gives Eccles and the others two orders: 1) don’t kill anything you’re not told to shoot and 2) don’t go off the path.

This story is a classic of the time travel subgenre of science fiction. Ever since Bradbury wrote this in 1952, there have been enough variations of this story’s theme that it has passed into the Big Book of Science Fiction Tropes. Yet, Bradbury writes with such lyricism that the story is still entertaining. His foreshadowing makes the ending apparent from the beginning, but the last few lines are still a surprise. More than anything, the appearance of the Tyrannosaurus is so heart-stopping and menacing that it’s worth the listen even you have no interest in the rest of the story.

Rating: 8/10

The reader: Mr. Sessions reads this story with great skill. His voice for Eccles reflects the character’s smug self-interest. When describing the Tyrannosaurus, his voice drops to a whisper that set my heart racing. A few sound effects provide background atmosphere, but without being Mickey Mouse illustrative foley effects. This recording is part of a podcast in which a panel discusses Bradbury’s work, including this story. The story is presented first and by itself lasts about 30 minutes.

‘A Sound of Thunder & Other Stories’ is a collection of Ray Bradbury short stories published between 1943 and 1956. Originally published as ‘The Golden Apples of the Sun,’ the collection features 32 of Bradbury’s best short stories. In ‘The Fog Horn,’ the inspiration for the 1953 black and white science fiction classic `The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms,’ the nameless protagonist and his boss are putting in a night’s work at a remote lighthouse when the resonating fog horn attracts one of many `mysteries of the sea.’ In the futuristic tale `The Pedestrian,’ Bradbury presents an eerie tale that might make you think twice before you step outside for an evening walk. And in `A Sound of Thunder’ upon which the Peter Hyams film of 2005 is loosely based - very, very loosely - Time Safari, Inc. promises safaris anywhere in time to hunt prehistoric animals. Every precaution is implemented to avoid a time paradox and disturbing history, based on the principle that even the slightest change can cause major changes in the future. Travelers may only shoot animals already predestined for death by natural causes or circumstances at the exact moment and are required to stay on a path that hovers above the ground. Unfortunately for the protagonist, he unintentionally deviates from the path and takes one small errant step…

Ray Bradbury, perhaps best-known today for his work `Fahrenheit 451′, had once seized the minds of American readers for decades and inspired many more to follow in his literary footsteps. His stories have been the basis of screenplays for the classic television series `The Twilight Zone’ and `The Outer Limits,’ and feature films such as François Truffaut’s brilliantly visionary film `Fahrenheit 451.’ His stories are at once imaginatively complex yet simplistic in literary style. If you love science fiction - the imaginative, visionary, thought-provoking, classic form of science fiction - Ray Bradbury is a must for your personal collection.

Tags: Ray Bradbury