You are reading an artsy story, told in the second-person, about a time traveler from AD 2181 who hunts a brontosaurus.
Time for listening to the oracle is past; you’re beyond the stage for omens, you’re now headed in for the kill, yours or his; superstition has had its little day for today; from now on, only this windy nerve of yours, this shakey conglomeration of muscle entangled untraceably beneath the sweat-shiny carapice of skin, this bloody little urge to slay the dragon, is going to answer all your orisons.

Tags

(9)

Variants

(3)
  1. “Poor Little Warrior!,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1958.
    2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
  2. first publication as Brian Aldiss.
    “Poor Little Warrior!” by Brian Aldiss, in No Time Like Tomorrow (Signet, July 1957.
    3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss
  3. alternative title.
    “Poor Little Warrior,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], Venture Science Fiction, September 1965.
    4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss

Translations

(14)
  1. Croatian.
    “Nemoćni mali ratnik,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], Sirius #15, September 1977.
    2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Nikola Popović
  2. Dutch.
    “Arm vechtersbaasje!” by Brian Aldiss, in Monsterlijke uitdaging (Born, 1969).
    3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by David Brisk
  3. Dutch.
    “Arme kleine strijder!,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], in Fontein science fiction, edited by Brian W. Aldiss (De Fontein, 1976).
    4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Hans Kemming
  4. French.
    “Comment tuer un brontosaure” by Brian Aldiss [Error: Missing ']]' tag for wikilink] [The byline of Brian W. Aldiss listed at the ISFDB may be incorrect, based on the cover of Fiction #63. We have used the name Brian Aldiss, which is the name listed on the cover.].
    5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by unknown persons
  5. French.
    “Pauvre petit guerrier,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], Fiction #337, February 1983.
    6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Michel Deutsch
  6. German.
    “Armer kleiner Krieger!,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], in Der unmögliche Stern (Insel, 1972).
    7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Rudolf Hermstein
  7. German.
    “Armer kleiner Krieger!,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], in 30 Jahre Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, edited by Edward L. Ferman (Heyne, 1981).
    8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Reinhard Heinz
  8. German.
    “Armes Drachentöterlein,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], in Die besten Horror-Stories, edited by Edward L. Ferman and Anne Jordan (Droemer Knaur, 1989).
    9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Stefan Troßbach
  9. German.
    “Armer kleiner Krieger,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], in Das große Dinosaurier-Lesebuch, edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois (Goldmann, June 1992).
    10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Michael Kubiak
  10. German: alternative title of “Armer kleiner Krieger!.”
    “Armer kleiner Krieger,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], in Gefährliche Possen, edited by Peter Haining (Heyne, 1997).
    11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Rudolf Hermstein
  11. Italian.
    “Povero guerriero!,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], in Interplanetary Europa 5, edited by Gianfranco de Turris, Sebastiano Fusco, and Sandro Sandrelli (Edizioni dell'Albero, May 1964).
    12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Sebastiano Fusco
  12. Italian.
    “Povero piccolo guerriero!,” as by [~B. W. Aldiss~], Gamma #1, October 1965 [The byline of Brian W. Aldiss listed at the ISFDB may be incorrect, based on the cover of Gamma #1. We have used the byname B. W. Aldiss, which is the name listed on the cover.].
    13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by B. W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Valentino De Carlo
  13. Slovenian.
    “Ubogi mali bojevnik,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], in Prodajalna svetov: Znanstvenofantastične zgodbe, edited by Drago Bajt, Bogdan Gradišnik, and Branko Gradišnik (Mladinska Knjiga, 1979).
    14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Drago Bajt
    Bogdan Gradišnik
    Branko Gradišnik
  14. Swedish.
    “Sanningens ögonblick,” as by [~Brian W. Aldiss~], in Det hände i morgon, edited by Sam J. Lundwall (Delta, 1973).
    15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Brian Aldiss as by Brian W. Aldiss
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by unknown persons