A classic in the science-fiction genre. A man called Eckles joins a time-travelling hunt to the late Cretaceous period where he is advised by the guide he can shoot a T-Rex, but to take care lest he affects history. During the expedition, the characters discuss the recent elections, and it seems their country has narrowly escaped a political catastrophe. On coming back to the year 2055 the hunters realise something has changed, a fascist is now President. Then Eckles discovers a crushed butterfly beneath his boot, potentially the cause of this disaster. There is horror in the idea that something could be inextricably altered in the past by a blundering boot, but a deeper threat is the nearness of the worse result in the present.
Ray Bradbury was perhaps the first proper science fiction I read, thanks to my uncle who donated his old books to me and my brother.
First published in Collier’s Magazine, 1952. Collected in The Stories of Ray Bradbury, Knopf, 1980; Everyman Library, 2010
A Personal Anthology 