289 books
—
453 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Last Question” as Want to Read:
The Last Question
by
,
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 ...
Get A Copy
Audio CD, 9 pages
Published
November 2007
by Ziggurat Productions
(first published November 1956)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Last Question,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
John Carter
No, this story stands on its own.
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Last Question
What's the point in giving you a summery for a 4,000-word short story? So here's what I'll do instead: I'll give you a lesson in physics. Sound good? Cool. Ever hear of the second law of thermodynamics? Yes? But you have no clue what it means? Okay, well we can work with that. Here's what Wikipedia has on the subject:
The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of an isolated system never decreases, because isolated systems spontaneously evolve towards thermodynamic equilibrium—t ...more
The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of an isolated system never decreases, because isolated systems spontaneously evolve towards thermodynamic equilibrium—t ...more
JUST GOOGLE IT AND READ IT!!! A very quick 15 minute read and easily one of the best sci-fi short stories I've ever read. Whatever their literary tastes, anyone is capable of thoroughly enjoying this great work by one of the greatest sci-fi authors of all time! The last two sentences will leave your mind more blown than
A short story about…entropy? A reader might question how exciting such a tale can be!
In “The Last Question,” Asimov presents nearly immortal humankind facing the end of all existence, “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 ...” Asimov tells a story that stretches billions of years into the future with bot ...more
In “The Last Question,” Asimov presents nearly immortal humankind facing the end of all existence, “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 ...” Asimov tells a story that stretches billions of years into the future with bot ...more
It’s Asimov, it’s a classic golden age SF short story, it’s original with so much packed into so few pages and just maybe it’s prophetic.
I don’t often split out a particular story from a “best of “ or other compendium of short stories, but this is just so iconic that I’ve rated it as a separate entity
I don’t often split out a particular story from a “best of “ or other compendium of short stories, but this is just so iconic that I’ve rated it as a separate entity
The Last Question (When the World Ends), Isaac Asimov
A science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in the November 1956 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and was anthologized in the collections Nine Tomorrows (1959), The Best of Isaac Asimov (1973), Robot Dreams (1986), the retrospective Opus 100 (1969), and in Isaac Asimov: The Complete Stories, Vol. 1 (1990). "The Last Question" ranks with "Nightfall" (1941) as one of Asimov's best-known and most acclaimed s ...more
A science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in the November 1956 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and was anthologized in the collections Nine Tomorrows (1959), The Best of Isaac Asimov (1973), Robot Dreams (1986), the retrospective Opus 100 (1969), and in Isaac Asimov: The Complete Stories, Vol. 1 (1990). "The Last Question" ranks with "Nightfall" (1941) as one of Asimov's best-known and most acclaimed s ...more
" THERE IS YET INSUFFICIENT VOCABULARY TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL REVIEW OF THIS SHORT-STORY. "
Heck, what enormous stuffs people are capable of thinking!!
And only thing in my mind now is :
...more
Heck, what enormous stuffs people are capable of thinking!!
And only thing in my mind now is :
...more
Mind blown in 5 pages.
I've never wondered so deeply about the walks of our universe in 22 years of my life as much as I have in the span of barely fifteen minutes, which began with me opening this story and ended with me finishing it.
There is no proper review for me to provide to do justice to a book this short-lived and astounding.
Read it and you'll know it.
I've never wondered so deeply about the walks of our universe in 22 years of my life as much as I have in the span of barely fifteen minutes, which began with me opening this story and ended with me finishing it.
There is no proper review for me to provide to do justice to a book this short-lived and astounding.
Read it and you'll know it.
The only question worth asking.
Jan 20, 2016
Kels
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
tr,
books-that-linger,
futuristic,
shorties,
classics,
philosophy,
literature,
favorites,
i-m-still-reeling,
thriller-suspense
Our Sun will support life for billions of years, but what happens when it burns out? Perhaps future technology will enable us to seek out the safety of distant stars and habitat new planets, but then eventually those stars will die too. So is life as we know it, and all of mankind, destined to be doomed? Is it possible to reverse entropy?
This short story starts off in the year 2061 (keep in mind this was written in 1956) and follows the evolution of man and the subsequent advancement of techno ...more
This short story starts off in the year 2061 (keep in mind this was written in 1956) and follows the evolution of man and the subsequent advancement of techno ...more
What a genius! I never read or listened to Isaac Asimov's text. An audiobook in Portuguese. This a science fiction short story written by Isaac Asimov in 1956. The story deals with the development of computers (artificial intelligence) called Multivacs and their relationships with humanity through the courses of seven historic settings, beginning in 2061.
I listened to this audiobook on YouTube.
MQ17J of Nicron saying the Galaxy would be filled in five years? VJ23X is such a putz. 20,000 years and the Galaxy is filled up, and that doesn't suggest an inevitable bad end for Humanity?! Thomas Malthus was right, per Asimov.
Happen I agree...though I doubt my sense that this is the one and only planet we'll have a chance to fuck up. Entropy is a mean ol' daddy and we don't have (and won't IMO) the nous to grow out from under his hateful rule.
THERE IS AS ...more
MQ17J of Nicron saying the Galaxy would be filled in five years? VJ23X is such a putz. 20,000 years and the Galaxy is filled up, and that doesn't suggest an inevitable bad end for Humanity?! Thomas Malthus was right, per Asimov.
Happen I agree...though I doubt my sense that this is the one and only planet we'll have a chance to fuck up. Entropy is a mean ol' daddy and we don't have (and won't IMO) the nous to grow out from under his hateful rule.
THERE IS AS ...more
Dec 10, 2019
~The Bookish Redhead~
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
An individual on GR sent me this short story, and I just read it in the hairsalon while I was waiting. This was an interesting short story, and I do admit, it's thought-provoking, but it wasn't really something I'd go out of my way to read. I would certainly recommend this to fans of science-fiction, though.
A review of this tale will not make sense for three reasons:
1) The unfolding of a certain twist in this short story is done with the last few words of this ~4000 word long story.
2) A review of any form will sweeten the pill - the crux of what Asimov is trying to get at.
3) Two is a reason in the first place because, it's simply impossible to describe this tale without giving away spoilers.
So read this after you read 'The Last Question'.
That said, I can give you this: This tale leaves room for ...more
1) The unfolding of a certain twist in this short story is done with the last few words of this ~4000 word long story.
2) A review of any form will sweeten the pill - the crux of what Asimov is trying to get at.
3) Two is a reason in the first place because, it's simply impossible to describe this tale without giving away spoilers.
So read this after you read 'The Last Question'.
That said, I can give you this: This tale leaves room for ...more
Steinhardt and Turok's book
Endless Universe
spends a surprising amount of time discussing this classic SF short story. I think that tells us something both about Isaac Asimov and about the state of modern early-universe cosmology.
...more
...more
http://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph11...
edit: new link provided from a below comment
great read. ...more
edit: new link provided from a below comment
great read. ...more
¡Big Bang!
It gave me goosebumps. This is one of the most beautiful and thrilling short stories I've ever read. :')
Oct 26, 2014
Yasmin
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
short-stories,
favorites
I feel like my life has changed in the space of half an hour...
This is most likely Isaac Asimov's best story. It appeared in the November 1956 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and Asimov said [when he read his own stories: HERE) that "it is just about my favorite story of all the stories I have written."
It is certainly a superb story on the nature of entropy and the ultimate question: Can entropy be reversed? The twist which provides the answer comes in the final lines of the story and is stunning. There is little more that I can say without completely g ...more
It is certainly a superb story on the nature of entropy and the ultimate question: Can entropy be reversed? The twist which provides the answer comes in the final lines of the story and is stunning. There is little more that I can say without completely g ...more
Phenomenal!
You can listen to an excellent narration of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojEq-... ...more
You can listen to an excellent narration of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojEq-... ...more
Oh I just love it when someone can eloquently point out how much capable we humans are of destroying ourselves with our obsessive self-love. No, not self-love maybe, but something comparable. A frantic desire to find answers to things that should be left alone. The mad will to live when living is less relevant as some other things.
"THERE IS INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."
Perhaps this is really how everything will come to an end finally. Who knows....
"THERE IS INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."
Perhaps this is really how everything will come to an end finally. Who knows....
3.4 stars. I would have given the story 4 stars if there had been less redundancies within. Overall a creative and thought-provoking story.
The Last Question is a beautiful and engaging short story. Whether you pick reading its 20+ pages, or listen to an audio recording, I recommend you don't miss this little gem.
Asimov gives a visual account of a cosmological theory, an answer to the question "how to reverse entropy?", or the wonder of creation of an universe at all.
You can find it online for free.
Nov 18, 2015
Amanda NEVER MANDY
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
short-story,
2015
Great short story. I’m glad I took a moment to track it down and read it. It brought to mind another one that I read recently. They both were generally in the same ballpark theme-wise, but all bets were off when it came to quality. MASSIVE difference in my mind. When I finished this one I instantly thought, “…and that is how you’re supposed to do it!”
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
HOLYYYY HEEEELLL. i had to read this for my lit exam tomorrow and it's so good. sci-fi isn't my personal preference but the last two sentences made me scream. literally. it's so so good!!!!
Jan 15, 2015
Sookie
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi-fantasy,
short-story-coll
The stars and Galaxies died and snuffed out, and space grew black after ten trillion years of running down.
What if we moved to a state of system where there was no chaos? What if Entropy - the measure of disorder could be reduced? Physics says that its not going happen. In a closed system, irrespective of its size or state, entropy doesn't decrease. The mathematical probability of that happenstance is very, very, very less.
If there is an entity that's evolving and self learning, faster than th ...more
What if we moved to a state of system where there was no chaos? What if Entropy - the measure of disorder could be reduced? Physics says that its not going happen. In a closed system, irrespective of its size or state, entropy doesn't decrease. The mathematical probability of that happenstance is very, very, very less.
If there is an entity that's evolving and self learning, faster than th ...more
Probably the single most brilliant piece of short fiction I have had the pleasure of reading. And the most influential story in my post existentialist/depression life.
I stumbled upon this story around five years ago. It was part of a compilation of short stories in the book we used for our literature 1 in school. I still remember the first time I read it.
The shock, the reaction, the sadfaksdnasd when I had finished reading it is still fresh in my mind.
Actually I remembered the story but not the ...more
I stumbled upon this story around five years ago. It was part of a compilation of short stories in the book we used for our literature 1 in school. I still remember the first time I read it.
The shock, the reaction, the sadfaksdnasd when I had finished reading it is still fresh in my mind.
Actually I remembered the story but not the ...more
Many short stories I read are just too short - not so much in length but in the concept, the idea, the story itself. This story is about 4,000 words, so about average in terms of actual length but in terms of the idea it is a story on a truly grand scale, awe inspiring and incredible. It manages to keep you entertaining and intrigued over billions of years, it manages to gently explain one of the biggest fundamental scientific truths, and it offers an answer to one of the biggest questions of th
...more
"The Last Question" is now, after coming across it at random and spending no more than 30 minutes reading it, one of my favorite short stories.
It begins with the asking of a simple question: "How can we reverse entropy?" In other words, how can existence go on forever, or rather, how can things never end? This question is asked over and over again throughout the eons by various incarnations of mankind to some new form of the AC--a massive computer that compiles and computes data to form solution ...more
It begins with the asking of a simple question: "How can we reverse entropy?" In other words, how can existence go on forever, or rather, how can things never end? This question is asked over and over again throughout the eons by various incarnations of mankind to some new form of the AC--a massive computer that compiles and computes data to form solution ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good Listeners' Club: The Last Question by Isaac Asimov | 1 | 4 | Mar 30, 2020 03:28AM | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Combine Editions | 2 | 17 | Dec 01, 2017 02:40AM | |
| EDCMOOC: The Last Question by Isaac Asimov - May's read for June 7th chat | 14 | 47 | Jul 05, 2014 01:54AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Isaac Asimov was a Russian-born, American author, a professor of biochemistry, and a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books.
Professor Asimov is generally considered one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He has works published in nine o ...more
Professor Asimov is generally considered one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He has works published in nine o ...more
Related Articles
You probably know coauthors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck as James S.A. Corey—their shared pen name. And you probably know them from their wildly po...
149 likes · 20 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER.”
—
78 likes
More quotes…
