A Sound Of Thunder

Ray Bradbury’s short story “A Sound of Thunder” was first published in Collier’s magazine on June 28, 1952 and was later reprinted in his 1953 short story collection A Golden Apple in the Sun. It was adapted into a comic book, 2005 film, and made into a video game. In this science fiction/dystopian story, the Time Safari time travel agency brings hunters back in time to hunt now-extinct animals for a fee of several thousand dollars.

The story opens with the customer, Eckels, standing at the front desk of Time Safari, waiting to be taken back in time to hunt a Tyrannosaurus Rex. As he hands over his check for $10,000, he asks whether his survival during the journey is guaranteed, to which the official beyond the desk answers that nothing is guaranteed; he must obey directions strictly, as there are numerous rules for how the members of the hunting party must behave. They must, above all, listen to Travis, their safari leader. Eckels remarks on how glad he is that Keith has won last night’s election, instead of the tyrannical and dictatorial Deutscher. He points out that he may have tried to escape back in time had Deutscher won.