The Funniest Science-Fiction Story: “MUGWUMP 4” (1959) by Robert Silverberg

Science fiction is not a domain noted for its humour – adventure in far-off spaces, dramatic encounters with alien life forms and cosmic strife involving the fate of whole galaxies or at least that of mankind are more what come to mind when the term is evoked.

But a number of noteworthy efforts have regularly been made in a lighter vein, sometimes to spoof the whole genre, sometimes to hide a serious intent behind surface frivolity, and more often than not just to benefit from the idiom’s flexible leeway to simply tell a good story.

The following tale by Robert Silverberg, first published in the August 1959 issue of Galaxy Magazine gets our vote for the funniest one of them all.

(6,500 words)

With the outstanding original Galaxy illustrations by Martin.

An e-book versions is available for downloading below.

MUGWUMP 4 (e-book)