# Guy Burckhardt — Short Fiction character guide

> Guy Burckhardt in Short Fiction by Frederik Pohl.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Guy, Burckhardt, And Burckhardt

**First appearance:** 0000-asteroid-of-the-damned

## Snapshot

A suburban commuter whose June 15th keeps restarting, Guy Burckhardt wakes screaming from dreams of explosions only to find his street bellowing freezer jingles at dawn.

## Who they are

Guy Burckhardt is an ordinary husband in an ordinary town, rattled by a sound-truck that blares fire alarms and Feckle Freezer ads before breakfast. His wife Mary treats the uproar as a prank; Guy suspects something worse, and his unease sharpens when a voice named Dorchin addresses him personally. His stubborn refusal to accept the reasonable explanation is what drags him toward the truth about the town he lives in.

## In the story

### [The Tunnel Under the World](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_18_se/chapters/the-tunnel-under-the-world)

Protagonist who begins to question the reality of his world after a recurring nightmare.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_18_se/chapters/i)

Protagonist who wakes from a realistic nightmare and spends the day noticing strange discrepancies in his routine.

### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_18_se/chapters/ii)

Protagonist who wakes from a nightmare, experiences a disruptive ad campaign, discovers his cellar is a metal box, and is manipulated into buying a freezer.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_18_se/chapters/iii)

Wakes to find the date repeating; follows Swanson into a hidden tunnel and learns of the time loop.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_18_se/chapters/iv)

Takes charge, forcing Dorchin to lead them to the FBI; shoots April Horn in desperation.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_18_se/chapters/v)

Confronts Dorchin and learns the truth about his death and the artificial nature of Tylerton.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_18_se/chapters/vi)

Wakes screaming from a nightmare and observes the sound-truck.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_18_se/characters/guy_burckhardt
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_18_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_18_se/characters