John Donne wrote, "Death be not proud, though some have called you mighty and dreadful; thou are not so." In LET US NOW SPEAK OF EXTINCTION, death is mighty and proud, but while it is frequently a source of bemusement, it is also one of extraordinary amusement in the hands of an accomplished fabulist and allegorist the likes of Michael C. Keith. Indeed, this unconventional collection of short fiction might just as easily be titled LET US NOW SPEAK OF THE HUMAN CONDITION IN ALL OF ITS DIVERGENT MANIFESTATIONS, because that is its essential subject. Keith's new work probes the full range of emotions and behavior and redefines the term dark humor in the process.