Isaac Asimov: The Last Question
by ColinWright on 4/17/2026, 12:01:19 PM
https://hex.ooo/library/last_question.html
Comments
by: CGMthrowaway
>INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER<p>Boy, it sure would be nice if <i>real</i> LLMs were capable of giving an answer like that.
4/17/2026, 1:38:46 PM
by: jasongill
This is one of those stories, just like the SR-71 "ground speed check" story, that every single time I see it posted I just have to read the entire thing again. I love it.
4/17/2026, 12:44:19 PM
by: antirez
I'm happy to see this short story posted here, it is one that I deeply loved when I was 14 or alike, and read it again multiple times. But I wonder: how did it survive in those sites without being shut down by the Asimov writings copyright holders? Given that the story is short and highly shared, it was just tolerated?<p>EDIT: actually I see that the link historically posted here more often is now dead: multivax.com/last_question.html
4/17/2026, 2:27:05 PM
by: jjice
An absolute classic! Was just telling a buddy about this one the other day while talking about The Egg by Andy Weir (another short story I really enjoy). Every time I read this one, I get chills at the end. Asimov really was a master.
4/17/2026, 2:03:44 PM
by: Procrastes
I remember the first time I heard this story. I was maybe 7 at a planetarium and they animated it with music little hand drawn starships and retro computers floating among the stars. They turned the stars all out for the final scene.
4/17/2026, 1:46:35 PM
by: sebg
Lots of good comments over the years -> <a href="https://hn.algolia.com/?q=%09Isaac+Asimov%3A+The+Last+Question" rel="nofollow">https://hn.algolia.com/?q=%09Isaac+Asimov%3A+The+Last+Questi...</a>
4/17/2026, 12:58:17 PM
by: breuleux
> How may entropy be reversed?<p>Considering AC could persist indefinitely in hyperspace while interacting with normal matter, the answer would appear to be "hyperspace", whatever that is.
4/17/2026, 2:15:29 PM
by: quentindanjou
I wasn't expecting to find my favorite short-story on HN today! That's a pleasant surprise! This is how I started my journey in reading Isaac Asimov, I really recommend it!
4/17/2026, 1:13:18 PM
by: larrykluger
A classic. It was dramatized by the Rochester NY, USA Museum of Science as a planetarium show, and I saw it there about 1974 with my father. Great times.
4/17/2026, 1:12:05 PM
by: 0xmattf
One of my all-time favorites. Almost every time I'm involved in a conversation about books, I always mention this. It amazes me how many people have never heard of it.
4/17/2026, 1:31:37 PM
by: OhMeadhbh
In the 80s, our local planetarium did a show based on this story. The executive director of the museum associated with the planetarium had a very nice deep voice and was the perfect narrator, though it gave the Cosmic AC a slight Texas accent.
4/17/2026, 2:06:21 PM
by: moffers
My favorite short story of all time. Between this and Deep Thought in HHGttG, I couldn’t believe the prescience when the bitter lesson was learned and LLMs and GPUs started eating the world.
4/17/2026, 12:55:39 PM
by: bitshiftfaced
For a while I thought I really liked sci fi novels and short stories, and maybe that's somewhat true. But I've started wondering if maybe I just liked Asimov's writing in particular. Other writers in the genre are more hit or miss. Can anyone recommend other writers that are on his level?
4/17/2026, 1:03:06 PM
by: ANTHONY6632
I like the concept, has anyone tried this in production?
4/17/2026, 2:05:17 PM
by: RajT88
Somehow never read this one. But did write a short story ~20 years ago with a similar arc. I guess reading a lot of Asimov and Clarke and others will do that to you.
4/17/2026, 1:59:29 PM
by: grimgrin
okay so i'll be the sole commenter of: hex.ooo is an incredible domain name to me, maybe because i dig its UI, but certainly just in general<p>didn't know about ooo, maybe because it's not available on namecheap!
4/17/2026, 1:38:02 PM
by: zabzonk
In a similar vein: <a href="https://calumchace.com/favourite-relevant-sf-short-story/" rel="nofollow">https://calumchace.com/favourite-relevant-sf-short-story/</a>
4/17/2026, 1:25:01 PM
by: charv
All time great short story. Has shaped my world view since I first read it many years ago.
4/17/2026, 12:44:28 PM
by: eschulz
I love this story. When I first read it online in college many years ago I was surprised, and disappointed, when I suddenly realized it was a short story. It's a great one to recommend to people.
4/17/2026, 1:06:32 PM
by: Aliyekta
Claude Mythos
4/17/2026, 12:51:39 PM