The Best Last Lines in SF

Fenris, that is the last line from Harry Bates’ “Farewell to the Master”, upon which the movie The Day The Earth Stood Still is (very loosely) based. There’s a website out there that has the complete text of the story, but I don’t know it offhand.

The only ones of yours I knew have been guessed already.

Rereading my original post, I see that I may have come off cocky about the “easy” ones I answered. Not my intent! The truth is I was glad to get those because I had no clue on most of the others (some, already answered, I knew).

I’m a big Kuttner fan; I’m glad to see that others on this board are too. A couple of other threads have confirmed this as well.

This is a great thread. I’m always looking out for new recommendations to put on my shelf.

My word, is correct line I believe. I think you are thinking of the paragraph up where he says, "You listening Bog? Is a computer one of Your creations?

I think the line is… I handed the bartender my empty glass. “I just found out where we’re going.”

How delightful. Let’s play:

Two "Aargh! I know this one"s and an “easy”

“Here’s to crime!”

Aargh! #1

“Check. Now some music while you wait?” She switched it on:
“To the everlasting glory of the infantry-”

Easy, Starship Troopers, by Heinlein

Yes, throught Montag, that’s the one I’ll save for noon. For noon…
When we reach the city.

Aargh! #2. I recognize the name Montag…Um…Zelazny?

Fenris

Cool! I’ll check the ISFDB (everyone here knows about the ISFDB don’t they? On a thread about short stories, it’s invaluable for finding out which anthologies a story appeared in.)

For instance, entering “Harry Bates” into the ISFDB, tells me that he’s written about 20 short stories. Clicking on “Farewell to the Master” tells me that it’s appeared:

And I have at least two of those anthologies, so it’s time to read the thing. Or, if I’ve read it, to reread it.

Anyway, I’ll post answers to my first set in a day or so.

Fenris

Note for EC Comics fans: I’m not refering to the story you’re thinking of. And the quote is accurate for the original prose story that Williamson(?) was spoofing in the EC Comic:

And then some idiot turned on the lights.

Fenris

Five card stud, nothing wild. And the sky’s the limit.

Almost all of Harry Harrison’s The Stainless Steel Rat series.

Close. Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451.

One of the later Star Trek Movies? Generations?

If fantasy/spoof stories count:

“How many experience points do I get?”

(That’s the last line from The Intercontinental Union of Disgusting Characters. Warning: do not read this unless you enjoy laughing at the rules loopholes in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 1st Edition.)

divemaster wrote:

Close. It’s from “All Good Things…”, the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Interesting. I don’t recall ever having seen any Next Generation episodes in their entirety. Must have associated it from bits and pieces somehow. It is Picard, right?
Here’s a couple more from the literature:

“He thought, only a madman would give a loaded revolver to an idiot.”

“If they try to beat me again I’ll hurt them. I will.”

Actually, that last one is not from the realm of SF. Sorry about that. I’ll try to stay on genre.

These are two great lines:

#1 is from a Fredric Brown story that I can’t remember the title of

#2 is Matheson’s “Born of Man and Woman”

Fenris

As far as I’m concerned, we can consider the “SF” in my original post to mean “Speculative Fiction” if it means including Matheson. He’s just got too much good stuff to ignore.

Fenris

Well, I don’t think I’ll get anywhere trying to identify any more of the remaining unguessed from above. I’ll have to wait for the answers.

Here’s one more:
“I hate them. I hate them. I hate everybody. I want to kill mankind. I’d kill them by slow torture if I could. If I can’t, blowing up the earth will do. I shall write my report.”

from sassy:

I saw this in one of my anthologies. I’ll read it tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it!

Okay, without reading any more of the thread (but I’ve only got a couple incomplete guesses, anyway):

I’m going with Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series, but I don’t know which particular book. Long time since I read them, I should do it again.

Another partial (but fairly obvious one): Flowers for Algernon. This time I don’t remember the author.

Oh, well. At least a half point?

-mdf

Daniel Keyes.