[Mice9]

In response to JunkMonkey's (very good) survey thread (The stupidest moments in SF) I would like to initiate one for the funniest moments in SF.
A first offering (Spoiler Alert):
In Arthur C. Clarke's - Childhoods End:
Having been to the "Overlord's" planet, Jan Rodricks returns to Earth to find everyone gone. He begins to play his piano, and comes to the realization that he is "The best piano player in the world". I loved that moment.

A second offering (Spoiler Alert):
Douglas Adams' - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
Many, many different moments are possible of course, but perhaps The moment when Arthur Dent realizes he shouldn't bother being upset that the construction people are going to knock down his house, since the planet Earth is about to be demolished anyway (to make way for an interstellar highway of some sort?), and the announcement of this fact that can be heard simultaneously all over the world.

I would like to allow - as a rule - any SF story (including shorts) where the whole story is funny.

- 9.

[ArthurFrayn]

I'll beat everyone to the punch and put in when the robot gives Zalkawe a hat after he's recovered from a mission in Use of Weapons. That was pretty amusing.

[Ropie]

I'll beat everyone to the punch and put in when the robot gives Zalkawe a hat after he's recovered from a mission in Use of Weapons. That was pretty amusing.

Because all that's left of him is his head, right?

[ArthurFrayn]

Yes. That's the joke. I guess you didn't think it was as funny. ;)

[Ropie]

Yes. That's the joke. I guess you didn't think it was as funny. ;)
Oh no, it was pretty good. Banks is one of the few genuinely funny SF writers IMO. Quite surprisingly, given the general view of Russian / Eastern European SF, some of Lem's work is very amusing too, not in a laugh-out-loud way, though :rolleyes:

[Mice9]

Hey guys - Is this Ian M. Banks you're talking about?

[david johnson]

lewis padgett...tremendous fun in his stories.
piers anthony had a grossly funny moment in 'chronos'. time reverses and a guy has to 'un-go' to the bathroom...chuckle...

dj

[Mice9]

These are all quite good so far, IMHO. Has anyone heard of Manuel Van Loggem? He wrote a short called Pairpuppets set in the future. The protagonist was a young single guy looking for a decent romance and was tired of all the android women he was meeting. He wanted a real woman, and toward the end of the story apparently found one, but ...

Spoiler:

She fell and twisted her ankle, and a recording came out of her asking to return her to such and such factory.

[ArthurFrayn]

Hey guys - Is this Ian M. Banks you're talking about?

Sorry -yes, Use of Weapons, Iain M. Banks, yes.

[david johnson]

read 'the twonky'.

dj