A Sound of Thunder Review

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Some of the best science fiction short stories have the capacity to inject feelings of horror in just a few pages. One of the greatest examples of this, I think, comes from Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder.”

I absolutely love Ray Bradbury’s work. I read Fahrenheit 451 in high school and never looked back. I’ve also read The Martian Chronicles (I plan to write a review for “There Will Come Soft Rains”). But today I want to talk about “A Sound of Thunder.” Bradbury published the story in Collier’s in 1952. Later, he included it in his short story collection The Golden Apples of the Sun.

In the story, time travel is standard, and tourists have the opportunity to travel back in time to hunt dinosaurs. One hunter, Eckels, pays $10,000 for the chance to hunt a real T-Rex. However, the hunting party needs to stay on a designated path so they don’t cause any significant events that affect the future. As the party journeys to the past and a T-Rex comes in sight, Eckels begins to lose his nerve.

I think the reason I enjoyed this story came from the dual strengths of the action and the suspense. This story involves time travel, so if something goes wrong, it’s disastrous. It makes you ask what might possibly happen and leaves you biting your nails. At least, that’s what it was like for me. I kept reading, knowing something terrible would happen at the end. I won’t spoil the ending, however. The entire time, the story kept me interested because of this suspense and also the action. The characters traipse through an unfamiliar but richly described jungle, and they come upon a T-Rex. At one point, the T-Rex charges them, and after this climax, things start to unravel. I didn’t lose interest at all because of how the story built up.

“Does this safari guarantee I come back alive?”
“We guarantee nothing,” said the official, “except the dinosaurs.”

As for the writing, I noted how the events built toward a satisfying climax. Short stories especially need to hold readers’ interest while working toward a suitable climax, then resolution. I saw this as a good example of a story that keeps the reader engaged while building on the story and characters. There was a lot of exposition of how the time travel actually works, but it’s an organic part of the story. This was information the main character and the reader needed to know, and the other characters naturally gave the information away. I will say that I didn’t see a whole ton of description overall until it came to the T-Rex. The imagery during that portion was so significant and well done. I just wanted to see a little bit more description of the jungle.

If you’re looking for an introduction to Ray Bradbury, time travel short stories, or even just classic science fiction, I recommend you check this one out. It’ll definitely get your blood pumping.

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