What is this intergalactic communication story?

March 2, 2017 2:08 PM

Many years ago, I read a fantastic short science fiction story, written as a series of messages across centuries between Earth and an alien planet. One of the cool aspects for me was the long time gaps between the messages. At the end, I think it was AIs communicating with each other. It may have been printed in one of Gardner Dozois' 'Best of the year' anthologies. Hope you can help me find it - I would love to read it again.
posted by kaneko to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

It's not Asimov's The Last Question, is it?
posted by Polychrome at 3:31 PM on March 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

The Genesis Quest?
posted by Confess, Fletch at 4:00 PM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

I immediately thought of The Last Question, too.
posted by synecdoche at 4:40 PM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Related to Polychrome's suggestion: Asimov also played with the theme of continuous conversation in his short story, "My Son, the Physicist."
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:53 PM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Sounds like The Light Years from Italo Calvino's Cosmicomics, though I read it a million years ago.
posted by pangolin party at 5:09 PM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Florence by Charlie Yu
posted by gregr at 7:13 PM on March 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks very much, everyone. I don't think it's any of these, but the stories still look great. I've added them to my to-read list.
posted by kaneko at 1:17 AM on March 3, 2017

The Mortal Passages trilogy has AI ships communicating back and forth as they try to find a new home for humanity and swathes of it are written as dated messages between ships or logs by the ships IIRC.
posted by ftm at 5:08 AM on March 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Was it, "Another Story or Fisherman of the Inland Sea," by Ursula LeGuin, recently anthologized in The Time Traveler's Almanac?
posted by pretentious illiterate at 7:14 AM on March 3, 2017 [1 favorite]