A Gun for Dinosaur
Encyclopedia
"A Gun for Dinosaur" is a science fiction
story written by L. Sprague de Camp
as part of his Rivers of Time
series. It was first published in the magazine Galaxy Science Fiction
for March, 1956, and first appeared in book form in the anthology
The World That Couldn't Be and 8 Other SF Novelets
(Doubleday, 1959). It has since been reprinted in numerous other anthologies, notably The Time Curve (1968), 3000 Years of Fantasy and Science Fiction
(1972), Dawn of Time
(1979), Science Fiction A to Z (1982), and Dinosaurs! (1990), as well as such collections of de Camp's work as A Gun for Dinosaur and Other Imaginative Tales
(1963), The Best of L. Sprague de Camp
(1978), Rivers of Time
(1993), and Years in the Making: the Time-Travel Stories of L. Sprague de Camp
(2005). It has also been translated into German
.
De Camp revised the story slightly for its inclusion in Rivers of Time to update dated references and obsolete paleontological terms. In one instance the result was unfortunate; in the original version of the story, Rivers estimates Seligman's weight in both pounds and stone; in the revised version both measures are rendered as kilos, resulting in Rivers appearing to make the same estimate twice in as many sentences.
business; Seligman's contributions to the conversation are omitted, and must be inferred from those of Rivers. Rivers informs the client he is not big enough to hunt the dinosaur
s of the Cretaceous
period, illustrating his point with an extended anecdote from a previous expedition, which forms the main portion of the tale.
On the occasion in question, Rivers and his partner Chandra Aiyar conducted two other clients to the past. One of them, Courtney James, was a vain, arrogant and spoiled playboy; the other, August Holtzinger, was a small, timid man recently come into wealth (time safaris are not cheap). Before the journey, they test-fire some guns on the firing range to settle on weapons for each of them. Holtzinger's small size makes him incapable of effectively handling a heavy-caliber weapon (the recoil knocks him over) and, against his better judgment, Rivers lets Holtzinger travel on the safari with a lighter caliber weapon.
James proves unmanageable, shooting at every creature in sight and spoiling Holtzinger's shots. Ultimately James' foolishness gets him in real trouble, when he inadvertently empties his rifle over a slumbering Tyrannosaurus
, which consequently wakes and makes for him. Holtzinger defends James by shooting the dinosaur, but his gun is not of a heavy enough caliber to kill it, and it is only distracted—towards Holtzinger. Despite the best efforts of Rivers and Aiyar to save Holtzinger, the Tyrannosaurus snaps him up and makes off with him. A furious quarrel with James ensues, he and the guides each blaming the other for their companion's death. James tries to kill Rivers, but is knocked out by Aiyar. Afterwards he swears revenge.
Later, after the expedition has returned to the present, James bribes Professor Prochaska, the scientist operating the time chamber, to send him back to the Cretaceous again—but at a point just prior to the emergence of the safari's earlier visit. His plan is to shoot Rivers the moment the latter originally came out of the time machine. Since that obviously had not happened, however, the space-time continuum avoids the paradox by spontaneously snapping James back to the present, the forces involved instantly killing him.
Rivers then concludes his story, emphasizing Holtzinger's fate to make his point with Seligman.
(1993). A tenth story, "Gun, Not for Dinosaur", authored by Chris Bunch
, later appeared in Harry Turtledove
's 2005 tribute anthology honoring L. Sprague de Camp, The Enchanter Completed
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
story written by L. Sprague de Camp
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
as part of his Rivers of Time
Rivers of Time
Rivers of Time is a 1993 collection of short stories by science fiction and fantasy author L. Sprague de Camp, first published in paperback by Baen Books...
series. It was first published in the magazine Galaxy Science Fiction
Galaxy Science Fiction
Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
for March, 1956, and first appeared in book form in the anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
The World That Couldn't Be and 8 Other SF Novelets
The World That Couldn't Be
The World That Couldn't Be is an anthology of science fiction short-stories selected by Galaxy Science Fiction editor, H. L. Gold.-Contents:*The World That Couldn't Be by Clifford D. Simak*Brightside Crossing by Alan E. Nourse...
(Doubleday, 1959). It has since been reprinted in numerous other anthologies, notably The Time Curve (1968), 3000 Years of Fantasy and Science Fiction
3000 Years of Fantasy and Science Fiction
3000 Years of Fantasy and Science Fiction is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories, edited by L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp. It was first published in both hardcover and paperback by Lothrop Lee & Shepard in 1972...
(1972), Dawn of Time
Dawn of Time
Dawn of Time is an American science fiction short story collection edited by Robert Silverberg, Martin H. Greenberg and Joseph Olander.The collection has the tagline 'Prehistory Through Science Fiction'. All the included short stories have paleontology/prehistory as a common theme.-Stories in Dawn...
(1979), Science Fiction A to Z (1982), and Dinosaurs! (1990), as well as such collections of de Camp's work as A Gun for Dinosaur and Other Imaginative Tales
A Gun for Dinosaur and Other Imaginative Tales
A Gun for Dinosaur and Other Imaginative Tales is a short story collection by science fiction and fantasy author L. Sprague de Camp, first published in hardback by Doubleday in 1963, and in paperback by Curtis Books in 1969...
(1963), The Best of L. Sprague de Camp
The Best of L. Sprague de Camp
The Best of L. Sprague de Camp is a 1978 collection of writings by science fiction and fantasy author L. Sprague de Camp, first published in hardback by Nelson Doubleday and in paperback by Ballantine Books the same year...
(1978), Rivers of Time
Rivers of Time
Rivers of Time is a 1993 collection of short stories by science fiction and fantasy author L. Sprague de Camp, first published in paperback by Baen Books...
(1993), and Years in the Making: the Time-Travel Stories of L. Sprague de Camp
Years in the Making: the Time-Travel Stories of L. Sprague de Camp
Years in the Making: the Time-Travel Stories of L. Sprague de Camp is a 2005 collection of short stories by science fiction and fantasy author L. Sprague de Camp edited by Mark L. Olson and illustrated by Bob Eggleton, published in hardcover by NESFA Press....
(2005). It has also been translated into German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
De Camp revised the story slightly for its inclusion in Rivers of Time to update dated references and obsolete paleontological terms. In one instance the result was unfortunate; in the original version of the story, Rivers estimates Seligman's weight in both pounds and stone; in the revised version both measures are rendered as kilos, resulting in Rivers appearing to make the same estimate twice in as many sentences.
Plot summary
The story takes the form of a first-person narrative by the protagonist, time-traveling hunter Reginald Rivers, told to Mr. Seligman, a prospective client of his time safariSafari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
business; Seligman's contributions to the conversation are omitted, and must be inferred from those of Rivers. Rivers informs the client he is not big enough to hunt the dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s of the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
period, illustrating his point with an extended anecdote from a previous expedition, which forms the main portion of the tale.
On the occasion in question, Rivers and his partner Chandra Aiyar conducted two other clients to the past. One of them, Courtney James, was a vain, arrogant and spoiled playboy; the other, August Holtzinger, was a small, timid man recently come into wealth (time safaris are not cheap). Before the journey, they test-fire some guns on the firing range to settle on weapons for each of them. Holtzinger's small size makes him incapable of effectively handling a heavy-caliber weapon (the recoil knocks him over) and, against his better judgment, Rivers lets Holtzinger travel on the safari with a lighter caliber weapon.
James proves unmanageable, shooting at every creature in sight and spoiling Holtzinger's shots. Ultimately James' foolishness gets him in real trouble, when he inadvertently empties his rifle over a slumbering Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
, which consequently wakes and makes for him. Holtzinger defends James by shooting the dinosaur, but his gun is not of a heavy enough caliber to kill it, and it is only distracted—towards Holtzinger. Despite the best efforts of Rivers and Aiyar to save Holtzinger, the Tyrannosaurus snaps him up and makes off with him. A furious quarrel with James ensues, he and the guides each blaming the other for their companion's death. James tries to kill Rivers, but is knocked out by Aiyar. Afterwards he swears revenge.
Later, after the expedition has returned to the present, James bribes Professor Prochaska, the scientist operating the time chamber, to send him back to the Cretaceous again—but at a point just prior to the emergence of the safari's earlier visit. His plan is to shoot Rivers the moment the latter originally came out of the time machine. Since that obviously had not happened, however, the space-time continuum avoids the paradox by spontaneously snapping James back to the present, the forces involved instantly killing him.
Rivers then concludes his story, emphasizing Holtzinger's fate to make his point with Seligman.
Continuations
Many years after writing the story, de Camp penned eight more tales of its protagonist, time-traveling hunter Reginald Rivers; all nine stories were then collected as Rivers of TimeRivers of Time
Rivers of Time is a 1993 collection of short stories by science fiction and fantasy author L. Sprague de Camp, first published in paperback by Baen Books...
(1993). A tenth story, "Gun, Not for Dinosaur", authored by Chris Bunch
Chris Bunch
Christopher R. "Chris" Bunch was an American science fiction, fantasy and television writer, who wrote and co-wrote about thirty novels....
, later appeared in Harry Turtledove
Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
's 2005 tribute anthology honoring L. Sprague de Camp, The Enchanter Completed
The Enchanter Completed: A Tribute Anthology for L. Sprague de Camp
The Enchanter Completed: A Tribute Anthology for L. Sprague de Camp is a 2005 gedenkschrift honoring science fiction and fantasy author L. Sprague de Camp, in the form of an anthology of short stories edited by Harry Turtledove. It was first published in paperback by Baen Books...
.
Listen to
- A Gun for Dinosaur on X Minus OneX Minus OneX Minus One was a half-hour science fiction radio drama series broadcast from April 24, 1955 to January 9, 1958 in various timeslots on NBC.-Overview:...
, NBC radio, 1956
Literary Responses
- David DrakeDavid DrakeDavid Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the premier authors of the military science fiction subgenre.-Biography:...
in his story "Time Safari", uses a very similar set of characters and events. In "Time Safari", the guide character dismisses as a misconception a significant point (to both stories) about the need for a sufficiently large gun to kill a dinosaur, thus contradicting the earlier story. - Author Leonard Richardson mentions his disappointment that this story "is not about a dinosaur who buys a gun" as one of his influences in writing his own short story, "Let Us Now Praise Awesome Dinosaurs."