Jokester by Isaac Asimov Episode #167

Isaac Asimov | January 8, 2024

Jokester by Isaac Asimov Episode #167
Isaac Asimov

JOKESTER

Episode #167 · Written by Isaac Asimov · Narrated by Scott Miller

A Grand Master asks Multivac where jokes come from—and receives an answer that changes humanity forever. When the laughter stops, the truth behind humor itself is finally revealed.

What happens when humanity’s greatest computer asks the simplest question of all: Where do jokes come from? In Jokester, Isaac Asimov transforms laughter itself into a cosmic mystery. Grand Master Noel Meyerhof, one of the few minds capable of communing with Multivac, begins feeding it jokes—seeking the source of humor, the spark that makes humanity unique. What he uncovers is neither amusing nor harmless. When Multivac answers, it delivers a revelation that drains the laughter from the world forever.

Jokester is one of Asimov’s most haunting “Multivac Stories,” a tightly focused thought experiment on psychology, free will, and the fragile illusion of joy. Asimov uses his trademark precision and wit to expose how even emotion and amusement might be data points in someone—or something—else’s grand design. The story begins as clever science fiction and ends as existential horror, all within a few brilliant pages.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Isaac Asimov (1920 – 1992) remains one of the giants of speculative fiction. A biochemist by training and a born teacher by temperament, Asimov brought reason and clarity to everything he wrote. From the epic Foundation Trilogy to the beloved I, Robot tales, he explored how logic, curiosity, and morality collide in a universe ruled by intelligence—human or otherwise.

By the end of Jokester, even laughter has become a mystery to be solved. It’s vintage Asimov at his best: clever, unsettling, and unforgettable.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to Jokester by Isaac Asimov — where humor becomes humanity’s last unsolved mystery in this classic sci-fi tale of Multivac and the end of laughter itself.

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ISAAC ASIMOV SHORT STORIES

Isaac Asimov did not just contribute to vintage science fiction — he helped build its foundation.

Trained as a biochemist and gifted with a teacher’s clarity, Asimov wrote with clean lines and steady confidence. His prose rarely shouts, yet his ideas carry enormous weight. He trusted logic. He trusted curiosity. And he trusted readers to follow him into laboratories, lunar colonies, crowded cities, distant stars, and the quiet corners of the human mind.

Where some writers chase spectacle, Asimov often begins with a question. What happens when machines think too well? What happens when children grow up with technology their parents barely understand? What happens when one small scientific breakthrough nudges society sideways? He sets the pieces in motion carefully, then watches the consequences unfold with almost mathematical precision.

Yet there is more than cool intellect at work. Beneath the rational surface you’ll find humor, irony, and a quiet affection for human stubbornness. His scientists argue. His bureaucrats bluster. His explorers misjudge what they discover. His aliens rarely behave the way Earth expects. Even at his most playful, there is a steady belief that knowledge matters and that understanding the universe is worth the effort.

Asimov was astonishingly prolific, publishing hundreds of short stories and dozens of novels across science fiction and beyond. In the magazine era that shaped so much classic sci-fi, his name appeared again and again, signaling a story built on a strong central idea and delivered with clarity. He had the rare ability to make complex concepts feel accessible without stripping away their depth.

The stories below show just how wide his range could be. Some lean into robots and hidden identities. Some explore space travel and planetary frontiers. Some turn on a single clever twist that snaps into place in the final paragraphs. Others unfold more gently, revealing how technology reshapes ordinary lives. Each carries that unmistakable Asimov touch — logical, engaging, and quietly confident.

If you want to understand why Isaac Asimov remains one of the central pillars of classic science fiction, these episodes are a perfect place to begin.

ABOUT THE LOST SCI-FI PODCAST

The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is the most listened-to vintage science fiction podcast in the world. Ranked the #1 Science Fiction Podcast in 43 countries and heard in more than 190 countries, the show has surpassed 4.2 million listens.

Each episode features carefully selected stories from the Golden Age of science fiction, professionally narrated. Timeless storytelling the way it was meant to be heard.

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★★★★★ “Lovely narrator, good range of stories, very cozy vibes. This podcast does audiobooks of lost/obscure sci fi stories. It is one of few podcasts that produces well narrated short stories. It has a high content output which is great because some story themes are more appealing to me than others, so I usually read the introductory notes in episode descriptions to find an endless assortment of intriguing stories.”
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Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.