The Last Man on Earth

Contains

Canonical title

The Last Man on Earth

Original title

The Last Man on Earth

Original publication date

1982

First words

• Introduction — Isaac Asimov
  What is the oldest surviving last-man-on-Earth story?
• The Underdweller — William F. Nolan
  In the waiting, windless dark, Lewis Stillman ... (show all)pressed into the building-front shadows along Wilshire Boulevard.
• Flight to Forever — Poul Anderson
  That morning it rained, a fine, summery mist blowing over the hills and hiding the gleam of the river and the village beyond.
• Trouble with Ants — Clifford D. Simak
  Archie, the little renegade raccoon, crouched on the hillside, trying to catch one of the tiny, scurrying things running in the grass.
• The Coming of the Ice — G. Peyton Wertenbaker
  It is strange to be alone, and so cold.
• The Most Sentimental Man — Evelyn E. Smith
  Johnson went to see the others off at Idlewild.
• Eddie for Short — Wallace West
  "'Cause I ain't got nobody,
  And nobody cares for me.
• Knock — Frederic Brown
  There is a sweet little horror story that is only two sentences long: The last man on earth sat alone in a room.
• Original Sin — S. Fowler Wright
  I am XP437888.
• A Man Spekith — Richard Wilson
  Don't read this; it's in Old English and the spelling is different: Jangling is whan a man spekith to moche biforn folk, and clappith as a mile, and taketh no keep what he saith."
• In the World's Dusk — Edmond Hamilton
  The city Zord reared its somber towers and minarets of black marble into the ruddy sunset, a great mass of climbing spires circumvallated by a high black wall.
• Kindness — Lester del Rey
  The wind eddied idly around the corner and past the secluded park bench.
• Lucifer — Roger Zelazny
  Carlson stood on the hill in the silent center of the city whose people had died.
• Resurrection — A. E. van Vogt
  The great ship poised a quarter of a mile above one of the cities.
• The Second-Class Citizen — Damon Knight
  Though he was used to the tropical sun, a sliver of light reflected from one of the laboratory windows stabbed into Craven's head as he crossed the walkway, leading his little group of mainlanders.
• Day of Judgment — Edmond Hamilton
  Hahl froze like a living statue in the moonlit forest as he heard a quick stir in the underbrush just ahead.
• Continuous Performance — Gordon Eklund
  The last man on earth came driving down the hard-packed dirt road that wound among the green peaks.
• The New Reality — Charles L. Harness
  Prentiss crawled into the car, drew the extension connector from his concealed throat mike from its clip in his right sleeve, and plugged it into the ignition key socket.

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Introduction — Isaac Asimov
Just for fun, see if you can think up an eighteen.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The Underdweller — William F. Nolan
He was screaming when the children closed in.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Flight to Forever — Poul Anderson
"Hello," he said. "I guess I must be a little early."

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Trouble with Ants — Clifford D. Simak
Terribly disappointed when he found the websters had no way of dealing with the ants ...

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The Coming of the Ice — G. Peyton Wertenbaker
But is it you, Alice, is it you?

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The Most Sentimental Man — Evelyn E. Smith
There was plenty of room for the bears too.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Eddie for Short — Wallace West
"We'll call him Eddie," she said. "Eddie for short"

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Knock — Frederic Brown
There was a knock at the knock at the door ...

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Original Sin — S. Fowler Wright
But it seemed to me that it was a bad start.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)A Man Spekith — Richard Wilson
It will be the girl disc jockey, Hiya.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)In the World's Dusk — Edmond Hamilton
And Galos Gann, the last man, looked across his body at the sinking sun.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Kindness — Lester del Rey
The novelist shook his head doubtfully, and there was silence again as they looked out across the world and toward the stars.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Lucifer — Roger Zelazny
As he headed back towards the mountains he promised himself—again—that he would never return.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Resurrection — A. E. van Vogt
He was still whimpering into it a few minutes later when the mighty ship plunged into the heart of a blue-white sun.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The Second-Class Citizen — Damon Knight
"Look Charless," he said kindly, "this is the way to catch a fiss...."

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Day of Judgment — Edmond Hamilton
And the wailing of the Crying Stones seemed to die into peace, as the wind sank and the dawn glimmered slowly across the world.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Continuous Performance — Gordon Eklund
Phobias was the last man. Wasn't he?

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The New Reality — Charles L. Harness
As he ran, there rippled across his quivering nostrils the seductive scent of apple blossoms.

Original language

English