The Best Short Story Ever Written?

Think Tank #41

Science fiction writers are the best short story writers on the planet.

In fact, I’d argue that the science fiction short story is the perfect incarnation of both the art of the short story and, potentially, the art of science fiction.

They’re brilliant. How many times have you had an idea, but not known how to turn it into a full-length epic with a plot and a beginning, middle, and end? Sometimes an idea doesn’t lend itself to all that, or just isn’t worth several hours of a reader’s time.

The science fiction short story doesn’t concern itself with that stuff. The whole point of the art form is to pack a punch. Each story wields one idea, which a good writer will reveal in an interesting way that will really make the reader think.

With few exceptions, the shorter these stories are, the better.

I stumbled upon a favorite of mine this morning. It’s called “They’re Made out of Meat,” by Terry Bisson. Read it here. Please. It’ll take two minutes. Read it and come back.

Are you done?

Great.

How brilliant was that?

Simple, but fantastic. It takes something obvious and turns it on its head. It’s straightforward, but it assumes its reader’s intelligence. It’s funny, absurd even, but the ideas contained within it are powerful enough to change one’s perspective on everything.

It’s the epitome of a short science fiction story.

It leaves you with more questions than answers, which is great, because the point of it is to transmit a single idea that you’ve probably never thought of before.

Science fiction writers are the best philosophers. They’re the smartest people out there, and they know how to have fun.