Later Than You Think

Later than you think by Fritz Leiber

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3TFFR6I0YFXIX?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp

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This is a short, short story from the 1950s. It has all the tropes and charm of such stories. It is easily readable in ten minutes and is built around a reveal at the end that may or may not deliver a punch for any particular reader.

I enjoyed the story in a nostalgic way since it was core science fiction, lacked the pomo/critical race/gender sensibilities of the current style, and is a story by a great writer. Frankly, I also liked the gut punch of “deep time” being illustrated in the story and the reversal of our parochial human expectation that we are the latest and last thing.