The Last Question
The Last Question by Isaac Asimovby Isaac Asimov
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 32 short stories
A short Asimov story about a question asked across vast spans of time, recommended for its ending and for how often readers return to it. Some critics find the ending trite and the reveal obtuse.
A short Asimov story about a question asked across vast spans of time, recommended for its ending and for how often readers return to it. Some critics find the ending trite and the reveal obtuse.
52 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 50
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 96%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 52 years
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it carries the badge
- 50 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 25 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Short, often named among Asimov's best
“This is by far my favorite story of all those I have written.”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” “It's short and it's one of Asimov's best.”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” “My favorite short story of all time.”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” - Comment from 18 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”
- Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”
People reread it again and again
“every single time I see it posted I just have to read the entire thing again. I love it.”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” “it is one that I deeply loved when I was 14 or alike, and read it again multiple times”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” “I've read it countless times. It still brought a tear to my eye.”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” - Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”
Shaped readers since youth
“All time great short story. Has shaped my world view since I first read it many years ago.”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” “When i first read this story as a teenager in 1971 it started me on the road to atheism”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” “I had read this in my youth, and carried its memory for many years.”
Comment from 18 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” - Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”
Ending stays with readers
“I've read it countless times. It still brought a tear to my eye.”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” “Every time I read this one, I get chills at the end.”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” “that ending sticks with you for a long time”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Ending seen as trite
“the ending is kind of trite (especially given the author's humanist beliefs.”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” “The triteness was more in the ending than the overall exposition.”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”
Other short stories people recommend
The four most recommended other short stories, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Last Questionby Isaac AsimovThis page | 50 | 2 | 96% | 6 | 52 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| There Will Come Soft Rainsby Ray Bradbury | 27 | 3 | 90% | 4 | — | Approved |
| They're Made Out of Meatby Terry Bisson | 17 | 4 | 81% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Lenaby qntm | 16 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The Machine Stopsby E. M. Forster | 15 | 0 | 100% | 9 | — | Approved |
What people said
40 of the 56 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“stories like these are deep enough to provide answers, hope and meaning for those who seek it”
“It hits differently in the age of AI.”
“May I strongly suggest you to read Asimov’s short story The Last Question for an answer.”
“I hadn't read that one. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I loved it”
“For me it was revealed in a very obtuse way.”
“You know the idea is powerful when the idea is what gets remembered and not the author of the idea.”
“I thought it was presented at exactly the right time and in the right way.”
“Another Asimov classic that deserves a revisit these days, if not an actual reboot”
“I had read this in my youth, and carried its memory for many years.”
“I thought the main character was a little too insistent about... repopulating.”
“This is one of my all time favorites”
“The triteness was more in the ending than the overall exposition.”
“He explored. He opened a conversation, he did not hand a verdict in.”
“discovering that is an important part of the experience of playing the game”
“the ending is kind of trite (especially given the author's humanist beliefs.”
“When i first read this story as a teenager in 1971 it started me on the road to atheism”
“Poetry and philosophy with narrative and humour.”
“a fine narrative describing the concept of a cyclical universe”
“it's a good enough game that you could read the entire plot summary and it'd still be a good story & fun game to play”
“I remember finding it when I first started working as a sysadmin.”
“some paths were taken (at least partially), as in some way is a meta-book”
“I've read it countless times. It still brought a tear to my eye.”
“Every single time this is posted, I read it again, and again.”
“asimov could have made it tragic but instead it reads almost like a bit that keeps escalating”
“This is by far my favorite story of all those I have written.”
“it is one that I deeply loved when I was 14 or alike, and read it again multiple times”
“It's short and it's one of Asimov's best.”
“that ending sticks with you for a long time”
“I like the concept, has anyone tried this in production?”
“Every time I read this one, I get chills at the end.”
“People will be reading this story for ten trillion years”
“One of my all-time favorites.”
“This is how I started my journey in reading Isaac Asimov, I really recommend it!”
“It's a great one to recommend to people.”
“My favorite short story of all time.”
“All time great short story. Has shaped my world view since I first read it many years ago.”
“every single time I see it posted I just have to read the entire thing again. I love it.”
“I've enjoyed most of Isaac Asimov's work, especially The Last Question.”
“killed it with his two goosebump-good shorts”
“I love that short story from Asimov”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.