Project Gutenberg 2022-02-06 Public domain in the USA. 128 Wilson, Richard 1920 1987 Wilson, Dick Halibut, Edward The Futile Flight of John Arthur Benn $aUnited States :$bRoyal Publications, Inc,$c1955. Produced from Infinity Science Fiction, February 1956 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Futile Flight of John Arthur Benn" by Edward Halibut is a science fiction short story published in the mid-20th century. The narrative explores the concept of time travel through the experiences of the protagonist, John Arthur Benn, as he navigates various historical periods and reflections on life, ultimately arriving at a poignant, tragic conclusion. With its unique premise and dark humor, the tale delves into the futility of escapism and the consequences of one’s choices. The story follows John Arthur Benn as he embarks on a whimsical yet perilous journey backwards in time, gaining fleeting glimpses of history—from the roaring twenties to the prehistoric era. His sense of adventure quickly turns to futility as he grapples with the absurdities of his situation, punctured by dangerous encounters, like being chased by a wild boar. After experiencing the disorienting effects of time travel and the subsequent realization of his inescapable reality, Benn finds himself back in 1956, leading to a tragic and darkly ironic self-conclusion. The story serves as a satirical reflection on the human desire to avoid present struggles through escapism, exposing the often harsh realities that lie beneath. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20211107112428halibut 1955 US Reading ease score: 67.4 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Science fiction Short stories Time travel -- Fiction PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Humour 28943 2025-06-26T12:27:11.401033 text/html 4858 2024-10-18T19:12:49 text/html 282371 2025-06-26T12:27:13.084045 application/epub+zip 281199 2025-06-26T12:27:11.952028 application/epub+zip 72305 2025-06-26T12:27:11.717025 application/epub+zip 312024 2025-06-26T12:27:14.110008 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 304940 2025-06-26T12:27:12.885023 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 96245 2022-09-30T09:29:36.405938 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 23082 2025-06-26T12:27:11.322029 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 3149 2024-10-18T19:12:49 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17223 2025-06-26T12:27:14.232015 application/rdf+xml 28243 2025-06-26T12:27:11.822017 image/jpeg 4440 2025-06-26T12:27:11.770015 image/jpeg 370459 2025-06-26T12:27:11.412053 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia