Comparing "A Sound of Thunder" and "Nethergrave" as Sci-fi

Introduction

The following essay presents my opinion in comparing two stories that are classified as Science Fiction. A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury (1952) and Nethergrave by Gloria Skurzynski (2001) are two narratives that use technology and science to explore events surrounding a specific character. A Sound of Thunder is a science fiction tale about Eckels, a man who desires to go on a hunting expedition back in the age of dinosaurs. To accomplish this, his journey includes time travel by way of a time machine. The main message relayed in this story is that even the smallest changes in the past can make a significant difference in humanity’s future. In Nethergrave, the reader is deeply immersed in the personal mind and life of Jeremy, a lonely young man who enters the reality of the virtual world. His adventure highlights how one's judgment regarding trust can be taken too far. Both stories conclude with the characters being taken away due to their choices and desires: Eckels is killed back in time, and Jeremy is lost forever in the virtual world.

Comparing "A Sound of Thunder" and "Nethergrave" as Sci-fi

Nethergrave provides the reader with a closer connection to the characters involved and is set in a more believable environment. Being side-by-side within Jeremy's mind and personal life made it much easier for me to become part of the story as a reader. The connection he had with his online friends and the details of his choices made it personal. While both stories have their flaws regarding reality, I find Nethergrave to be more believable than A Sound of Thunder and its time machine, and therefore a better representation of Science Fiction. In this essay, I will compare both stories and discuss how, in my opinion, they support the Science Fiction themes of Time Travel, Faster Than Light Travel, and Parallel Universes, with an emphasis on why I believe Nethergrave is, overall, the better Science Fiction story.

Time Travel

Considering the Science Fiction theme of Time Travel, there is no doubt that A Sound of Thunder ranks higher in representing this Science Fiction theme over Nethergrave, since the story involves a Time Machine. Even the definition of Time Travel is typically associated with the use of a time machine. However, the concept of time travel by way of a time machine seems outdated compared to other science fiction themes, in my opinion, and aligns more with far-fetched fantasy. This story presents an intriguing exploration of the butterfly effect, illustrating how minute actions in the past can ripple into massive changes in the future.

Parallel Universe

A Parallel Universe, also known as an alternate reality, is an existence that coexists with one's own. Nethergrave exemplifies this theme perfectly. For example, when Jeremy communicates with the unknown voice from within his computer, he initially rationalizes the voice as a feature his father must have added to the computer before it was given to him. He soon discovers that the voice and everything connected to it originate from another realm or dimension occurring alongside his own existence. This is an example of true Science Fiction with a significant twist of intrigue. The idea alone is thrilling compared to an outdated time machine, even though the themes of Time Travel and Parallel Universes do intersect.

Faster Than Light Travel

Faster Than Light Travel is another hypothetical propagation and pseudoscience belief considered scientific but lacking scientific fact. All three of these Scientific Themes are related to each other. For instance, faster than light travel would be necessary for time travel to occur, which could include arriving at a parallel universe. Considering that Science Fiction is truly only theoretical makes it difficult to declare which story better represents Science Fiction based solely on comparing each story and how it may support these three scientific themes, as they all overlap and intertwine with one another.

Conclusion

My conclusion that Nethergrave is a better representation of Science Fiction has less to do with the three scientific themes I have compared and more with the writer's ability to immerse me in the story believably. Both stories are well-written, but the writer of A Sound of Thunder places me in an unbelievable scenario of fantasy from the start, partly due to the outdated and harder-to-conceive idea of the Time Machine. The writer of Nethergrave managed to draw me into the story naturally, transforming the entire experience. I was no longer reading a theoretical Science Fiction story but found myself in the moment, a part of it. If a Science Fiction writer can achieve this feeling within the reader, in my opinion, that story is by default a better representation of Science Fiction, regardless of specific Science Fiction themes compared to another story that has not achieved the same experience.

References

Bradbury, R. (1952). A Sound of Thunder. Collier's Weekly.

Skurzynski, G. (2001). Nethergrave. In Tomorrowland: Ten Stories About the Future. Scholastic Inc.