First published in
Astounding Stories, July 1937.
For all the talk of the
bold steps the science fiction was taking in the 30s and 40s, this
story feels very old fashioned even in comparison to the previous
volume. Not only is it very heavily influenced by Wells’ The
Time Machine (that’s being kind) which was 40 years old by the
time this came out, but it has a nested narrative of the ‘traveller’s
tale’ sort that was the a huge feature of fantastic fiction from
the17th century on.
Like The Time
Machine, this story is a vehicle to provide us with snapshots of
the future of humanity. It gives us a look at five periods of the
future, although some are glimpsed only briefly. The protagonist –
Glyn Weston – comes from the year 1998. He spends a short time in
2007 – just long enough to conclude that his device works – and
then travels forward to 2486 where he spends a bit more time, and
then 34,656 where spends several days. He ends up 75,000 or so years
in the future, from where he tells his story to the remains of
humanity who have abandoned the barren Earth in favour of Venus.
It’s a combo of
speculation of observing trends and considering where they might lead
and Swiftian satire. As such, it inevitably tells us more about the
times it was written than the future.
