First Published: 1956

Rating: Excellent

"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."

With a flick of a switch the humans of the twenty-first century harness the energy of the sun. But when two computer engineers realize it can't last forever, they ask the supercomputer that solved the energy crisis a question--how can the entropy of the universe be reversed?

That's the question that binds the scenes of Isaac Asimov's short story together as it follows humans throughout trillions of years of progress. Over the course of the seven vignettes that make up the story Asimov briefly introduces several different characters, but at the heart of the story is the development of the Multivac computer and its inability to answer the question that's posed to it.

When the answer comes, it's a jaw-dropper, packing more of a punch than most novels. The characters are well-drawn and believable during the course of their short appearances, but it's the question and its eventual answer that draw readers into the story. Whether we're pondering the heat death of the universe or just wondering what will happen when the sun burns out, the thought of what will happen when disorder finally reaches its maximum is a question that people in today's world can relate to. And though the story revolves around the idea of entropy, it's done in such a way that it's accessible to anybody, explaining the concept clearly and leaving even the reader who knows little about science pondering the philosophical consequences of the story instead of reaching for the nearest physics textbook.

"The Last Question" was Asimov's favorite among the short stories he wrote, and is generally agreed to be one of the best science fiction short stories ever written. It's available in many of Asimov's anthologies, including Isaac Asimov: The Complete Stories, Volume 1 and is easily available online. I highly recommend seeking it out--it's one of those stories that you'll be thinking about long after you've read the last line.

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