Time Travel discussion

The entire story available online:

http://www.rivermill-academy.org/comm...

Any other Ray Bradbury fans out there?

Yeah, I'm a long-time Bradbury fan. I thought this one was a bit below par for him. (view spoiler)[For one thing, the election result was an obvious ending. Maybe I'm being too picky, but if the written language were that different then there'd be many more radical differences than that. (hide spoiler)]

Mark wrote: "Yeah, I'm a long-time Bradbury fan. I thought this one was a bit below par for him. [spoilers removed]"

I agree with your spoiler remark, but as to it being below par for Bradbury, consider that at the time he wrote it it was probably a very new idea. As the preamble blurb says, they named the "Butterfly Effect" after the concept found in this story.

Of course, that seems strange, since the Butterfly Effect generally refers to something only similar, the concept that a minor action in one part of the world can effect great consequences far away. But anyway, right?

Mordechai wrote: "Mark wrote: "Yeah, I'm a long-time Bradbury fan. I thought this one was a bit below par for him. [spoilers removed]"

I agree with your spoiler remark, but as to it being below par for Bradbury, co..."
I did mean to be more generous to Bradbury because it probably was an innovative idea at the time. Quite how innovative, I'm not sure. Something is nagging at me about a story or two which predates this.

Mark wrote: "I did mean to be more generous to Bradbury because it probably was an innovative idea at the time. Quite how innovative, I'm not sure. Something is nagging at me about a story or two which predates this. "

I looked and, as far as I can tell, the importance of initial conditions has been known since the late 19th century. But Bradbury was the first to point out what is now known as the Butterfly Effect.

But what happens in the story is a pretty weak example. They discuss a more reasonable series of extinction level events as the result of stepping on an insect... but Ray settled for the less sensible alphabet change and voting misfortune.

I ended up downgrading my rating, on the ratings thread. Unfortunately, this did not live up to my memory, from decades back.

I think I'm coming to realize that my favourite Bradbury stories are not the science fiction ones. His fantasy and horror stories (ex. the book, "Dandelion Wine"; the short story, "The Foghorn"). I fear that I wouldn't enjoy "The Martian Chronicles" as much... though I think I still would.

In this case, I couldn't get past the fact that they discussed the more likely outcome, but settled for the gimme.

Mark wrote: "Something is nagging at me about a story or two which predates this."

Yeah, that's bugging me too. i mean, the concept of changing the present by fooling with the past MUST have been thought of before the fifties. I'd expect. Perhaps, though, just the subtlety of the little change fanning out to make big changes....

But I admit that I also thought the mention of the election was rather blatant, but then, I've read this story before, and I can't be certain that I thought it blatant the first time I read the story.

Story time with The Temporal Jester...

So in the mid 80's when I was about 8 or 9 years old. My dad bought a cassette tape of A Sound of Thunder back then I never read anything so this was a fun way to listen to the story. It was more than a book on tape it was a dramatization with music and sound effects. I remember it being very engaging.

On Side B of that cassette was the dramatization of A Screaming Woman another story by Ray Bradbury involving a woman being buried alive, and again not just book on tape but the sound of shovels and dirt and screaming and muffled screaming.

Forever in my mind super cool Dinosaur story will be associated with super terrifying idea of someone needs to rescue that poor woman!

Thank you for joining me for Story Time with the Temporal Jester.

...I will comment on the story itself once I have read it anew shortly.

My favorite Ray Bradbury is also more of a fantasy story: Something Wicked This Way Comes. I thought this one was kind of weak but looking at it from years later. I give it a 3. I watched the very bad movie based on this story a few weeks ago.

I did enjoy the circularity of the "thunder" theme. Other than that, I was pretty meh about it. I'll go with a 3 as well.

Me too. I've no doubt it's influential, *possibly* ground-breaking, but, yeah, ok. I wasn't convinced by the characterizations, or even the set-up, either.

If this is an almost illegal operation, why don't they vet and orientate the clients *before* sending them on the quest?

Railings on the walkways would have been a simple solution too.

Favorite line:

"Does this safari guarantee I come back alive?

"We guarantee nothing," said the official. "Except the dinosaurs."

Most amusing line: "This makes Africa look like Illinois." Because bits of Africa actually do look remarkably like Illinois. Apart from the lions, of course.

Biggest plot hole: (view spoiler)[Stepping on a butterfly alters the future but killing dozens of dinosaurs doesn't. Yes yes they'll die two minutes later -- but what about the damage they do in dropping dead after they're shot? Crushing millions of blades of grass, possibly a key tiny mammal? Also the bullets: he has to get the bullets back, but what if the animal had fallen a different direction and they couldn't get them back without leaving the path? (hide spoiler)]

But what I love most about this story is Bradbury's writing style. So much of his prose reads like poetry; the description of the T. Rex on page 5 ("delicate watchmaker's claws...pebbled skin like the mail of a terrible warrior...") is simple gorgeous.

Michele wrote: "But what I love most about this story is Bradbury's writing style. So much of his prose reads like poetry; the description of the T. Rex on page 5 ("delicate watchmaker's claws...pebbled skin like the mail of a terrible warrior...") is simple gorgeous. "

Yes, his writing style is unique and gorgeous.

I thought this was good...I have read it maybe 10 times over my lifetime...and listened to the dramatization as I mentioned before. Just fun to see cause and affect over time makes my imagination run wild...

Also, can't but help feel empathy for the man...Sometimes we find ourselves in over our heads and we just have to wing it and feign confidence...hopefully our actions don't have such long term lasting consequences.

I had my Unitarian Sunday school class act this out a few years ago at the time of Bradbury 's death. He, along with several other famous sci-fi writers, was Unitarian. We read the story and found a version on YouTube from a series Bradbury was associated with. The kids were about 10 years old and really enjoyed it. We even created a T Rex. Then we showed the version from The Simpsons, which is hilarious.

Robin wrote: "He, along with several other famous sci-fi writers, was Unitarian."

No, actually, he was not. Just to clarify:

"Bradbury has been called a Unitarian, but he rejects that term. He dislikes labels of any kind."

"He describes himself as a "delicatessen religionist." He's inspired by Eastern and Western religions."

Sci-fi legend Ray Bradbury on God, 'monsters and angels'

Still, it would be fun to perform it w/ children. What (if anything) did they understand about the theme(s), that you recall?

James wrote: "Robin wrote: "He, along with several other famous sci-fi writers, was Unitarian."

No, actually, he was not. Just to clarify:

"Bradbury has been called a Unitarian, but he rejects that term. He di..."
Thanks for the correction. We do tend to claim some questionable people.

Robin wrote: "Thanks for the correction.

You're welcome.

Robin wrote: We do tend to claim some questionable people. "

Or questionable claims about awesome people.

Not LOL. Not appropriate. Deleted.

Amy wrote: "Not LOL. Not appropriate. Deleted."

Um, ok. Sorry. I heard it from two Unitarian friends of mine; they thought it was funny and so did I.

It's best not to joke about race, religion, politics, or terrorism here. There's often a fine line with such jokes between funny and offensive.