A Fine Day for Dying

"A Fine Day for Dying" by John Martin is a science fiction story from the 1950s that uses humor to look at big ideas like death and how meaningless life can feel. It's about a company named Nepenthe, Inc. that helps people die in style. The main character, Condemeign, is tired of life and signs up with Nepenthe to end it all. He travels to a fancy space place and meets strange people, like the workers and Dr. Munro, who make funny but dark comments about death and being human. As Condemeign goes through this weird experience, he begins to discover that dying might not be the great escape he thought it would be, and he faces a shocking truth that makes him question why he wanted to die in the first place.