“Project Mastodon”
1955-03-00
novelette
By Clifford D. Simak

Synopsis

Three men attempt to start a sovereign nation, seperated from the United States not by distance, but by time.

History

First publication: Galaxy, March 1955

Expanded into the novel Mastodonia.

Review

The writing and character in this story are rather simple and basic. The plot devices are pretty standard for 50s SF. Even so the idea here is pretty interesting. People had written about time travelers going into the past and causing paradoxes. There had been stories about time traveling big game hunters. To my knowledge nobody had thought about going into the past to exploit resources or to colonize. But that only makes this an interesting story, not a great one. Recommended to those who love Simak or 50s SF in general, or those who like a different twist on time travel.


Videos


We have the story in these editions:

All the Traps of Earth and Other Stories, paperback, Avon Books, 1988-07-00

Dusty Zebra and Other Stories, trade paperback, Open Road Integrated Media, 2021-10-12