Knock

by Fredric Brown

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Horror, Thriller, Fiction

Paperback

Published December 1, 1948

About the author

Fredric Brown was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was one of the boldest early writers in genre fiction in his use of narrative experimentation. While never in the front rank of popularity in his lifetime, Brown has developed a considerable cult following in the almost half century since he last wrote. His works have been periodically reprinted and he has a worldwide fan base, most notably in the U.S. and Europe, and especially in France, where there have been several recent movie adaptations of his work. He also remains popular in Japan.

Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.

Reviews

[Mbgile · Rating 5 out of 5]

" The last man on Earth sat alone in a room.
There was a knock on the door..."

[Jim Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this again in an anthology and it was just as good as when I read it the first time many years ago. The second paragraph - "The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door......." - has been quoted some places as the shortest known SF story. Unfortunately it isn't since it only exists as part of the larger story, but taken by itself it does send shivers up your spine the first time you read it. The story then adds the last woman on Earth, the aliens who killed everybody else and a great ending that includes a snake. Am I wrong or do there appear to be some biblical overtones here?

[Hannah DCamp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading these short stories and watching me get ahead in my Goodreads challenge is one of those things that feels illegal but isn't. I might up my challenge anyway to counteract them because apparently I feel strongly about it.

This starts off by saying it's not a horror story, that it's not horrible at all. It's lying. Walter? Creepy as heck. The zoo situation? Creepy as heck. The ensuing Noah's arc/garden of Eden situation? CREEPY AS HECK.



I'm going to stress eat some mini pretzel sticks now.

[Reggy De]

Ik heb meermaals geprobeerd, maar het is onmogelijk om het boek uit te lezen. Ik kan de spanning niet aan.

[Rao Javed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I googled the shortest short story ever and I got to read this. Very good honestly.

[Kerry Short · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 2 sentence novel. Very clever in my opinion! Is it aliens? Who knows?!

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satirical, somewhat, answer to the question contained in the horror story of “The last man on the world sat in a room by himself. Then a knock came at the door…” So aliens arrive and kill off all the creatures but not before picking up some samples for their zoo. But turns out they don’t quite understand how life works on Earth. Brown’s light and breezy still works well with this kind of subject, which doesn’t dwell on the horror, just as the protagonist doesn’t dwell on it, and instead gets on with what comes after that ellipsis. Fun.

[Anatoly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The short story "Knock" by American science fiction and mystery writer Fredric Brown starts with a description of "a sweet little horror story that is only two sentences long."

"The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door..."

This is how the story ends, with one exception, the last person knows who is behind the door, and this person is not the last... Maybe this knock on the door will save doomed humanity.

This is a link to the text of the story:
http://koapp.narod.ru/english/fantast...

[Chris Aldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mindwebs audiobook 57. From “Contact” edited by Noel Keyes. Excellent. Fairly interesting explanation of how the Earths flora might at least temporarily escape the ravages of humanity before we ruin it. If such aliens did arrive and performed these actions it would still be the most terrible mass extermination, and the end of humanity but at least something might evolve worthy of this gift of life.

[Lstran Kng · Rating 5 out of 5]

เรื่องสั้นอีกเรื่องของ Fredric Brown เจ้าของผลงานเรื่อง Arena ที่คอไซไฟรู้จักกันดี ซึ่งเรื่อง Knock นี้ก็ดังไม่แพ้กัน โดยกล่าวถึงประโยคสั้นๆ
“The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door…”
ซึ่งจุดประกายจินตนาการให้ต่อยอดไปได้หลากหลายว่าอะไรจะเกิดขึ้นต่อจากนั้น ถ้าเป็นปรมาจารย์บางท่าน อาจเอาไปเขียนเป็นแนวไซไฟปรัชญาล้ำๆ หรือนักเขียนบางคนก็อาจจะเอาไปต่อยอดเป็นแนว Cosmic-Horror ไปเลยก็ได้
แต่ลุง Fredric Brown แกบอกว่าไม่ต้องไปซีเรียสขนาดนั้นหรอก แล้วก็เขียนออกมาเป็นเรื่องแนวไซไฟเอเลี่ยนขำขันล้อเลียนจิกกัดนิดๆหน่อยๆผสมความมุ้งมิ้งที่อ่านแล้วต้องอมยิ้มนอนหลับฝันดี ได้อารมณ์เหมือนตอนอ่านเล่ม Nightmares and Geezenstacks ที่ลุงแกเก่งในการเขียนเรื่องสั้นแบบสั้นๆ สยองขวัญกวนโอ๊ยจี้เส้นพล็อตแหวกแนวที่อ่านจบต้องคิดในใจว่า เออ คิดได้ยังไง

[Andy Hickman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knock, by Fredric Brown
Last man – alone! Aliens killed all else except pairs of each species. A woman and a snake that kills the aliens (Genesis ‘Creation and Flood’ narration). Borderline misogyny. “I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on Earth.” “Well, I am.”

[Floyd Liff · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good short story. Reminded me a lot of an old episode of the twilight zone.

[TheUniqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reaper was probably the one knocking

[Zen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Answer to The Knock:

"Just a minute. I'm in the Bath."

[suzi (●'◡'●) · Rating 4 out of 5]

spooky.......