Recommendation – The Last Question

By Parrothead Jeff, on 6 September 2007

The last question was asked for the first time, half in jest, on May 21, 2061, at a time when humanity first stepped into the light. The question came about as a result of a five-dollar bet over highballs, and it happened this way:

I stumbled upon this today whilst surfing the web and I have to say that it is now one of my favorite stories of all time. That such a story can be read in a matter of minutes yet can have the impact that this one does is a testament to the talent of the writer.

Isaac Asimov is often cited as one of the great science fiction writers and thinkers of all time. “I Robot” was even turned into a film starring Will Smith.

Here’s what Mr. Asimov had to say about this story which was first copyrighted in 1956:

This is by far my favorite story of all those I have written.

After all, I undertook to tell several trillion years of human history in the space of a short story and I leave it to you as to how well I succeeded. I also undertook another task, but I won’t tell you what that was lest l spoil the story for you.

It is a curious fact that innumerable readers have asked me if I wrote this story. They seem never to remember the title of the story or (for sure) the author, except for the vague thought it might be me. But, of course, they never forget the story itself especially the ending. The idea seems to drown out everything — and I’m satisfied that it should.

Go and read it here .