Project Gutenberg 2020-12-08 Public domain in the USA. 148 Walton, Bryce 1918 1988 O'Hara, Kenneth Vestal, Herman B. 1916 2007 Vestal, H. B. (Herman B.) Vestal, Herman Beeson Beeson The Last Laugh Produced from Planet Stories November 1951 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Last Laugh" by Bryce Walton is a science fiction novel written in the early 1950s, specifically published in 1951. The narrative explores the first visit of a Martian named Zeke to Earth, highlighting the clash of cultures and the often fine line between humor and ridicule. This storyline serves as a commentary on human nature and societal behaviors, particularly regarding how individuals respond to the unknown or the alien. In the story, Zeke arrives on Earth as a supposedly dignified ambassador of Martian culture, but his appearance and actions inadvertently elicit laughter from the human populace. The protagonist, Professor Johnson, struggles with the realization that Zeke, who lacks an understanding of humor, is being treated as a clown rather than a serious visitor. As Zeke attempts to navigate his new environment, he becomes increasingly distressed by the misunderstanding surrounding his character. The narrative reveals themes of isolation and the nature of laughter, ultimately leading to tragedy when Zeke's attempts to connect with humans lead to chaos and violence. Johnson’s efforts to shield Zeke from the truth about the ridicule he faces culminate in a deeper exploration of empathy, identity, and the innate complexities of human interactions. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 77.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Martians -- Fiction Human-alien encounters -- Fiction Earth (Planet) -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels Category: American Literature 70335 2025-07-25T10:04:42.216870 text/html 46774 2024-10-18T08:56:50 text/html 445663 2025-07-25T10:04:44.222886 application/epub+zip 444495 2025-07-25T10:04:42.660899 application/epub+zip 81928 2025-07-25T10:04:42.411870 application/epub+zip 486359 2025-07-25T10:04:45.577860 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 478559 2025-07-25T10:04:43.991910 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 116234 2022-09-28T20:19:11.879201 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 63442 2025-07-25T10:04:42.092888 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 43631 2024-10-18T08:56:50 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18157 2025-07-25T10:04:45.757855 application/rdf+xml 31215 2025-07-25T10:04:42.515852 image/jpeg 5200 2025-07-25T10:04:42.462890 image/jpeg 408670 2025-07-25T10:04:42.230906 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia