The Machine Man of Arthadia story

shortstory: The Machine Man of Arthadia (1927) · 1927-11 · Francis Flagg

An unsuspecting man is visited by a human descendant from twenty-eight thousand years in the future.

11 total · 4 major · 7 minor

ThemeLevelMotivation
cyborg major The alien-looking time traveler was encased in a transparent capsule and fully integrated with tubes and machines to the extend that he could not live without them. Moreover, he was from a race of similar beings who had evolved from human beings.
future point of view major The time traveler considered Matthews and his contemporaries to be primitive, bestial creatures. It was particularly disgusted by the fact that humans ingested food through the mouth and eliminated waste products from the "alimentary canal".
the future of human evolution major The time traveled explained in much detail about how his species had evolved from human beings.
time travel major Matthews conversed with a distant descendant of humankind who traveled back in time twenty-eight thousand years.
artificial body part minor The time traveler explained that his species' ancestor the Bi-Chanics had developed crude artificial hearts. The Bi-Chanics descendants the Tri-Namics advanced artificial heart technology. Artificial hearts were natural to the time traveler's species. [heart]
artificial womb minor The time traveler's species raised their young from embryos in ecto-genetic incubators.
gender neutral being minor The time traveler's species was genderless.
life extension technology minor The time traveler's species used technology to extend their lifespans to 1500 years on average.
polygamy minor Matthews was visited by the time traveler just when he was about to take some notes on plural marriages from one of Engels' works.
the limits of language minor The time traveler restricted at times expressing himself in Matthews' primitive language consisting of only a few thousand words.