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And "The Last Answer", which ironically ends with a question while "The Last Question" ends with an answer.

And a bunch of others that aren't quite similar except that they're short, provocative scifi. Here's my list of favorites:

* Ted Chiang - Understand - http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm

* Ted Chiang - Exhalation - http://www.nightshadebooks.com/Downloads/Exhalation%20-%20Te...

* Ted Chiang - Hell Is the Absence of God - http://www.ibooksonline.com/88/Text/hell.html

* Sam Hughes - Ed stories - http://qntm.org/ed

* Isaac Asimov - The Last Answer - http://www.thrivenotes.com/the-last-answer/

* Aaron Diaz - Hob series - http://dresdencodak.com/2007/02/08/pom/

* Greg Egan - Closer - http://eidolon.net/?story=Closer

* Marc Stiegler - The Gentle Seduction - http://www.skyhunter.com/marcs/GentleSeduction.html

* Asimov - Spell My Name With An S - http://www.eco.uc3m.es/~pgomes/2-Personal/Asimov,%20Isaac%20...

* Clarke - The Nine Billion names of God - http://downlode.org/Etext/nine_billion_names_of_god.html

* Greg Egan - Wang's Carpets - http://bookre.org/reader?file=222997 (not exactly in the same vein, but would very much recommend nonetheless)

* if you like this, then two of his novels: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora_(novel) ("Wang's Carpets" later became a chapter in this book) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permutation_City

wow ngpio, this list is great. you've probably come across this one before as well but it's definitely a good one: "I don't know, Timmy, being God is a big responsibility" http://qntm.org/responsibility

Recursive simulation layers! it's good stuff. :)

Perhaps also check out his "Fine Structure" http://qntm.org/structure (different kind of thing, but it's good scifi..) and perhaps the ongoing series / work in progress "Ra" http://qntm.org/ra

* Tim Maly - Time, Again - http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/TimeAgai.sh...

* Ray Bradbury - The Veldt - http://www.veddma.com/veddma/Veldt.htm

* Robert Heinlein - All you Zombies - http://faculty.uca.edu/rnovy/Heinlein--All%20you%20zombies.h...

Thank you. It is a very good one. The ending, especially.

I just read "Hell is the Absence of God". I just can't understand or relate at all to the "slave morality", as Nietzsche might put it, of that story, or wrap my head around why people choose to worship a creature roughly equivalent to the one imprisoned at the center of the galaxy in Star Trek V.

I've taken my time, over the past week, savouring these, and I must now come back to say thank you very much!

This is an amazing collection. Thanks!

A good list, thank you!

thank's, truly amazing

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