History Literature / ASoundOfThunder

* AllGermansAreNazis: The fascistic candidate Deutscher's name is based on the UsefulNotes/{{German| language}} word for German.

* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong: Who thought it was a good idea to make big-game time travelling, knowing full well what the risks and consequences were? What sort of monetary gain could be worth the risk of waking up one morning to [[RetGone have never existed]]? Simple: ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney.

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: The sentient Allosaurs.

* RuleOfCool: Alternate universes filled with [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs dinosaurs]], samurai, sapient pterodactyls, cyborgs, and [[ModernMayincatecEmpire Aztecs]]. At one point it is hinted that there is even an entire universe filled with [[CatGirl cat people]].

* StockDinosaurs: The only dinosaur that appears in the entire story is the infamous ''Tyrannosaurus rex''.

The year is 2055. A hunter known simply as "Eckels" prepares to take the trip of a lifetime: going back in time to the Mesozoic to hunt the [[StockDinosaurs greatest predators]] that ever lived. However, when he goes back to the Late Cretaceous he panics when confronted with a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', and falls off the path and crushes a butterfly, breaking some of the myriad of rules the time agency has to keep the time line from changing. When the party returns to the future, they find out that the world has changed for the worse. In the original timeline, the [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent United States presidential election]] was recently won by Keith, a fairly moderate candidate, as opposed to [[GratuitousGerman Deutscher]], a [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything fascist extremist]]. However, in this changed timeline, the reverse is true ([[MyNaymeIs words and phrases are also spelled differently]]). A distraught Eckels pleads with Travis, the guide, to take him back in time and fix what he's done, but Travis, having previously warned him that it's impossible (the time machine skips over any moment in history that they've already visited, due to NeverTheSelvesShallMeet), silently lifts and fires his rifle, presumably at Eckels.

First written by Creator/RayBradbury as a short story for ''Collier's'' magazine in 1952, "A Sound of Thunder" has become the most republished science-fiction story of all time. Its influence can be seen all over the fictional world, particularly due to its [[TropeCodifier introduction of]] the TimeTravel plot in which "[[ButterflyOfDoom small changes in the past snowball into the future]]". It is one of the TropeNamers for ButterflyOfDoom, which is... well, exactly what it stated above. This story has also led to the creation of numerous other works, including a spin-off novel series and the short story series ''Rivers of Time''. Oh, and [[Film/ASoundOfThunder a movie]], released by Creator/WarnerBros in 2005.

[[http://www.scaryforkids.com/a-sound-of-thunder/ This page has some nice illustrations.]]...lifted straight from an Creator/ECComics adaptation.

* TitleDrop: Twice in the narration.

* ScienceMarchesOn: Travis mentions that some dinosaurs have two brains: besides the regular one, apparently they had another one farther down the spinal cord, near the hips, which isn't true; it was based on an old theory based on the wide holes in those dinosaurs' hip vertebrae—bigger, in some cases, than the brain case. In reality, most terrestrial vertebrates' spinal cords are thicker where more motor control is needed, like with using large limbs, such as hindlimbs. The confusion is compounded in some dinosaur fossils because nerves might not be the only thing filling up the holes in their spines. One theory is that it could've been filled with another organ called a "glycogen body", which birds (dino descendants) today have, but it's still very unclear what that organ does.

—but not to the point of replicating the brain's functions. The confusion was confounded by the

The year is 2055. A hunter known simply as "Eckels" prepares to take the trip of a lifetime: going back in time to the Mesozoic to hunt the [[StockDinosaurs greatest predators]] that ever lived. However, when he goes back to the Late Cretaceous he panics when confronted with a ''TyrannosaurusRex'', and falls off the path and crushes a butterfly, breaking some of the myriad of rules the time agency has to keep the time line from changing. When the party returns to the future, they find out that the world has changed for the worse. In the original timeline, the [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent United States presidential election]] was recently won by Keith, a fairly moderate candidate, as opposed to [[GratuitousGerman Deutscher]], a [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything fascist extremist]]. However, in this changed timeline, the reverse is true ([[MyNaymeIs words and phrases are also spelled differently]]). A distraught Eckels pleads with Travis, the guide, to take him back in time and fix what he's done, but Travis, having previously warned him that it's impossible (the time machine skips over any moment in history that they've already visited, due to NeverTheSelvesShallMeet), silently lifts and fires his rifle, presumably at Eckels.

* StockDinosaurs: The only dinosaur that appears in the entire story is the infamous ''TyrannosaurusRex''.

* ButterflyOfDoom: The {{Trope Namer|s}}

* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong: Who thought it was a good idea to make big-game time travelling, knowing full well what the risks and consequences were? What sort of monetary gain could be worth the risk of waking up one morning to [[RetGone have never existed]]?
** Simple: ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney

[[http://www.scaryforkids.com/a-sound-of-thunder/ This page has some nice illustrations.]]...lifted straight from an ECComics adaptation.

* DumbDinos: The ''T. rex'' is described as monstrous and devoid of emotion.
** But also awesomely majestic.

* ScienceMarchesOn: Mentioned as a warning is one outdated theory that some dinosaurs supposedly had two brains: the regular one in the head, and another one far down the spine near the hips. (Even then, this was a theory suggested of the famously small-brained ''Stegosaurus'', not a T-rex.)

First written by Creator/RayBradbury as a short story for ''Collier's'' magazine in 1952, "A Sound of Thunder" has become the most republished science-fiction story of all time. Its influence can be seen all over the fictional world, particularly due to its [[TropeCodifier introduction of]] the TimeTravel plot in which "[[ButterflyOfDoom small changes in the past snowball into the future]]". It is one of the TropeNamers for ButterflyOfDoom, which is... well, exactly what it stated above. This story has also led to the creation of numerous other works, including a spin-off novel series and the short story series ''Rivers of Time''. Oh, and [[Film/ASoundOfThunder a movie]], released by Creator/WarnerBros in 2005, starring Edward Burns, Creator/BenKingsley and Catherine [=McCormack=], and directed by Peter Hyams. But [[http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/A_Sound_of_Thunder_2005.aspx someone else]] can walk you through that better than we can.

[[http://www.scaryforkids.com/a-sound-of-thunder/ This page has some nice illustrations.]]

The year is 2055. A hunter known simply as "Eckels" prepares to take the trip of a lifetime: going back in time to the Mesozoic to hunt the [[StockDinosaurs greatest predators]] that ever lived. However, when he goes back to the Late Cretaceous he panics when confronted with a ''TyrannosaurusRex'', and falls off the path and crushes a butterfly, breaking some of the myriad of rules the time agency has to keep the time line from changing. When the party returns to the future, they find out that the world has changed for the worse. In the original timeline, the [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent United States presidential election]] was recently won by Keith, a fairly moderate candidate, as opposed to [[GratuitousGerman Deutscher]], a [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything fascist extremist]]. However, in this changed timeline, the reverse is true ([[MyNaymeIs words and phrases are also spelled differently]]). A distraught Eckels pleads with Travis, the guide, to take him back in time and fix what he's done, but Travis, having previously warned him that it's impossible (the time machine skips over any moment in history that they've already visited), silently lifts and fires his rifle, presumably at Eckels.

[[quoteright:350:[[Series/RayBradburyTheatre http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7768_5808.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[ButterflyOfDoom Whoops.]]]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7768_5808.png]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Series/RayBradburyTheater http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7768_5808.png]]]]

* ForWantOfANail: The seemingly inconsequential death of a prehistoric butterfly manages to result in a political victory of ANaziByOtherName in the modern day and possibly mainstream society's embrace of Fascism, while changing the basics of English grammar and graphemes.

* ForWantOfANail: The seemingly inconsequential death of a prehistoric butterfly manages to result in a political victory in the modern day, while changing the basics of English grammar and graphemes.

First written by Creator/RayBradbury as a short story for ''Collier's'' magazine in 1952, "A Sound of Thunder" has become the most republished science-fiction story of all time. Its influence can be seen all over the fictional world, particularly due to its [[TropeCodifier introduction of]] the TimeTravel plot in which "[[ButterflyOfDoom small changes in the past snowball into the future]]". It is one of the TropeNamers for ButterflyOfDoom, which is... well, exactly what it stated above. This story has also led to the creation of numerous other works, including a spin-off novel series and the short story series ''Rivers of Time''. Oh, and a movie, released by Creator/WarnerBros in 2005, starring Edward Burns, Creator/BenKingsley and Catherine [=McCormack=], and directed by Peter Hyams. But [[http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/A_Sound_of_Thunder_2005.aspx someone else]] can walk you through that better than we can.

----
!!The movie contains examples of:
* AdaptationExpansion: Turning a short story into a feature film might be a good cause for the awfulness.
* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Where do we ''start''!
** [[{{Whateversaurus}} Baboonasaurs]], that's where. Alternately "Baboonizards." There's also the flying "Batboonizards," and "miscellaneous underwater shark-eel-thing."
** And we continue with the claim that lions are descended from Allosaurs. Congratulations.
** The claim that humans were "the last species to evolve." That's... nowhere NEAR how evolution works.
* CuttingCorners: The whole situation started because of a "perfect storm" of 1) somebody panicking and stepping off the path and 2) Haddon shutting down the time machine's bio-filter (which ''would'' have prevented this) in order to save money on electricity.
* DelayedRippleEffect: Taken to ridiculous extremes. Translucent blasts called ''timewaves'' come out of nowhere and start knocking people around. And each time they do more species become "devolved".
* DullSurprise: [[http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/A_Sound_of_Thunder_2005.aspx "Pierce Brosnan was originally slated to star. Unfortunately, he was replaced by a wooden marionette that looks a lot like Edward Burns."]] (It's a running gag on the recap seeing how his facial expressions are the same for most of the film.)
* SexyManInstantHarem: Ryer bangs a client.
* ShoutOut: Haddon kiss-assingly compares his clients to "[[FamousFamousFictional Columbus discovering America. Armstrong stepping on the moon. Brubaker landing on Mars]]". The latter is a reference to ''Film/CapricornOne'', Hyams' debut film, where Brubaker was the captain of a faked Mars landing.
* {{Tagline}}: "Evolve or die" and "Some rules should never be broken".
* VoodooShark: Apparently the reason big-game hunters are so eager to go back in time to hunt dinosaurs is because... wait for it... ''all animals are extinct'' in 2055. This is mentioned in one scene and then never referenced again, and doesn't explain why people wouldn't be willing to pay to use time travel for more peaceful sightseeing purposes.
** PlotHole: If the time waves cause existing organisms to de-evolve (we know this because that one female character turns into a white lemur thing at the last wave), and all animals were extinct by 2055 then where did the originals come from?
* YouGetWhatYouPayFor: The boss of the safari company shutting down a key component of the time machine to save power contributed to the catastrophe at hand.

* ScienceMarchesOn: Numerous facts about dinosaur biology, particularly about them having two brains.

* InSpiteOfANail: Despite changing the political landscape just enough to ensure the rise of Fascism and the basic tenets of the English language, nothing else of major importance seems to have changed in the modern day.

* AsYouKnow

* ForWantOfANail

* InSpiteOfANail
* RippleEffectProofMemory

* StayOnThePath

* TyrannosaurusRex

* MoneyDearBoy: Ben Kingsley.