The Toynbee Convector by Ray Bradbury

Arnold J. Toynbee, author of 'A Study of History.'

This is one of Bradbury's later works and seems to be indicative of a prolific author running out steam while nearing the end of his creative spark. There really isn't a whole lot of positive takeaways here, other than it was a quick read and doesn't outstay its welcome. 

The plot revolves around Craig Bennett Stiles, a quirky 130-year-old time traveler, who is coming out of retirement for one final trip into the future. At one point, he is recounting to a reporter why he named his time machine after the famous historian Arnold J. Toynbee: "any group, any race, any world that did not run to seize the future and shape it was doomed to dust away in the grave, in the past." Stiles channels Toynbee’s philosophy about humanity needing to embrace the future or face extinction, using it as an inspiration to design a time machine and save humanity from its inevitable self-destruction.

While the premise starts off as promising, the disjointed story fizzles out. The big reveal is also quite silly, lacking the emotional or narrative punch Bradbury usually delivers. Also, how is Mr. Time Traveler 130 years old and still kicking? Did he find the fountain of youth? We never find out, and this detail irked me. 

Unless you’re a completionist like me and feel obligated to read everything Bradbury's ever written, this is an easy one to skip.

“We made it!” he said. “We did it! The future is ours. We rebuilt the cities, freshened the small towns,  cleaned the lakes and rivers, washed the air, saved the dolphins, increased the whales, stopped the wars, tossed solar stations across space to light the world, colonized the moon, moved on to Mars, then 2 Alpha Centauri. We cured cancer and stopped death. We did it—Oh Lord, much thanks—we did it. Oh, future’s bright and beauteous spires, arise!”