A Sound of Thunder, By Ray Bradbury (1952)

rating: 6.8

I am not a fiction supporter nor do I like heroic material; however, the sound of thunder had a special setting that differentiates from classical heroic fiction. Although the story itself follows the structure of heroic fiction, the protagonist, Eckel, is depicted as a coward, dastardly, and selfish. As all heroic fiction does Eckel who used to live in his original world enters into a new world by time machine. Travis, a guide to the new world, takes Eckel back to 60million years ago.  Before the adventure to fight off a tyrannosaurus, there was an unbreakable rule which was no other creature could be killed except for the red-spotted creature, tyrannosaurus. During the fight with the monster, Eckel did nothing but run far away to hide into the machine. When he comes back to the present he notices eccentric. Instructions were written in language that is hard to interpret, the air was different and the result of the election changed due to a single butterfly Eckel killed. I personally liked the concept and the message author tried to convey. Everyone once in their life imagines themselves time traveling. Sometimes because of deep sorrow by loss of family or single mistake one made in a test. No matter how tragic the incident is, I think the author wants to tell us that there is only one timeline existing in nature. Utilizing familiar material, time-traveling, the author reveals the definite message that history is unchangeable. Further on, the way that I elaborated was fatalism. The way that history is destined cannot change by such humans. The book personally conveyed a message that there are certain things that are made to be and when humans engage in destined history it is followed with big consequence, the butterfly effect.