time travel paradox short stories

One common theme is the grandfather paradox. This is where a time traveler goes back in time and does something that would prevent their own existence, like killing their grandfather before their father was born. Another theme is the bootstrap paradox, where an object or information has no origin because it was brought back in time and became its own source.

Predestination is a common theme. For example, in stories where a character goes back in time to prevent an event but ends up causing it. Another theme is the bootstrap paradox, like when an object or information has no origin but is passed through time loops. Also, the idea of alternate timelines often pops up, where a change in the past creates a new future that branches off from the original one.

There's 'A Sound of Thunder' by Ray Bradbury. In this story, a small change in the past during a time - traveling safari has far - reaching and unexpected consequences, creating a sort of butterfly - effect - like paradox. It shows how a seemingly minor alteration in the past can completely change the future in unforeseen ways.

A great example is 'The Sound of Thunder' by Ray Bradbury. In this short story, a time traveler steps on a prehistoric butterfly during a safari in the past. This small action has huge consequences in the present, creating a butterfly - effect - like paradox that shows how even the tiniest change in the past can drastically alter the future.

In a paradox time travel story, causality is often disrupted. One type could be the predestination paradox. Say a time traveler goes back to give a famous scientist an idea that leads to a great invention. But it turns out that the time traveler only knew about the idea because of the invention in the first place. It makes you wonder about the nature of time and whether events are fixed or can be changed.

A lesser - known but great time travel paradox fiction is 'Time and Again' by Jack Finney. It dives deep into the idea of traveling back in time and the paradoxes that can occur. It's a thought - provoking read that really makes you consider the implications of time travel on the past, present, and future.

Another theme is the circular nature of time. Sometimes in these short stories, events seem to loop. Like a character keeps repeating the same actions in different time periods without being able to break the cycle. It shows how time can be like a never - ending circle in a time paradox situation. Also, the idea of self - fulfilling prophecies is common. A character might try to avoid something they know will happen in the future, but in the process of trying to avoid it, they end up causing it.

One common theme is the butterfly effect. A small action in the past can cause huge changes in the future, creating paradoxes. For example, in 'A Sound of Thunder', stepping on a butterfly in the past changes the entire future world. Another theme is self - causation. Characters often become the cause of their own existence or problems through time travel, like in 'All You Zombies'.

A different approach is self - correction. In some time travel paradox fictions, the universe has a way of self - correcting. So if you try to create a grandfather - paradox - like situation, some force in the universe will prevent you from doing so. It could be something as simple as events conspiring to stop you from making that final, paradox - creating action, like your gun jamming when you try to shoot your grandfather in the past.

The bootstrap paradox is also quite fascinating. For example, a time traveler goes back in time and gives Shakespeare a copy of his own plays. Shakespeare then publishes them as his own. But the question is, where did the plays really originate? It shows how time travel can mess with the concept of creation and origin. In this case, the information about the plays seems to have no real starting point, creating a paradox.