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The Best of Roald Dahl: Perfect Bedtime Stories for Those Who Relish Sleepless Nights
Tales to curdle your blood and scorch your soul, chosen from his best-sellers - Over to You, Someone Like You, Kiss Kiss and Switch Bitch.
Hypnotized from the first sentence, you will remain spellbound as Roald Dahl unravels his fiendish fictions with their satisfying twist-in-the-tail finales, as he leads you through the dangers of gambling for high stakes over wine, the perils of being a vegetarian and the macabre consequences of night-time seduction...
The Best of Roald Dahl is, quite simple, Roald Dahl at his sinister best.
Hypnotized from the first sentence, you will remain spellbound as Roald Dahl unravels his fiendish fictions with their satisfying twist-in-the-tail finales, as he leads you through the dangers of gambling for high stakes over wine, the perils of being a vegetarian and the macabre consequences of night-time seduction...
The Best of Roald Dahl is, quite simple, Roald Dahl at his sinister best.
367 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
390 people are currently reading
5908 people want to read
About the author
Roald Dahl
1,470 books26.6k followersRoald Dahl was a beloved British author, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter pilot, best known for his enchanting and often darkly humorous children's books that have captivated generations of readers around the world. Born in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Dahl led a life marked by adventure, tragedy, creativity, and enduring literary success. His vivid imagination and distinctive storytelling style have made him one of the most celebrated children's authors in modern literature.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.
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April 23, 2021
my becoming-a-genius project, part 9!
for those of you who are mercifully new here, here's what that means:
i have decided to become a genius.
to accomplish this, i'm going to work my way through the collected stories of various authors, reading + reviewing 1 story every day until i get bored / lose every single follower / am struck down by a vengeful deity.
this is doubly helpful because this book has been LANGUISHING on my shelves for four years. and also because i love roald dahl's children's fiction and have been meaning to read his adult stuff.
but mostly the first one.
PROJECT 1: THE COMPLETE STORIES BY FLANNERY O'CONNOR
PROJECT 2: HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES BY CARMEN MARIA MACHADO
PROJECT 3: 18 BEST STORIES BY EDGAR ALLAN POE
PROJECT 4: THE LOTTERY AND OTHER STORIES BY SHIRLEY JACKSON
PROJECT 5: HOW LONG 'TIL BLACK FUTURE MONTH? BY N.K. JEMISIN
PROJECT 6: THE SHORT STORIES OF OSCAR WILDE BY OSCAR WILDE
PROJECT 7: THE BLUE FAIRY BOOK BY ANDREW LANG
PROJECT 8: GRAND UNION: STORIES BY ZADIE SMITH
PROJECT 9: THE BEST OF ROALD DAHL BY ROALD DAHL
DAY 1: MADAME ROSETTE
this is reminding me that somehow in my childhood collection of Roald Dahl books, not only his memoir of his childhood, but his later military memoir was mixed in - so between reading about bookworms with low-grade superpowers and fantastical chocolate factories, i was also reading about pilots shooting down airplanes and killing people.
very normal.
this is also reminding me that i did enjoy that book. even if this is just a way worse version of it.
rating: 3
DAY 2: MAN FROM THE SOUTH
in order for this story to work, you have to be able to imagine that the majority of people value their own fingers less than a fancy rich person car. as someone who doesn't drive and doesn't appreciate cars, i can't tell whether this is absurd or whether i'm just better than everyone else.
rating: 2.5
DAY 3: THE SOUND MACHINE
very frightened of the idea that every time a flower is picked or a tree is chopped down or a vegetable is pulled it screams bloody murder.
going to delete that thought from my brain straightaway.
rating: 3
DAY 4: TASTE
not sure if i'm entering a reading slump or am simply busy, but it's actually day 6, so either way...let's play catch up!
this is a little predictable but also satisfying. sometimes even clichéd stories are fun if they're the best possible version of the cliché.
rating: 3.5
DAY 5: DIP IN THE POOL
this is a spooky one. roald dahl's brain contains multitudes.
rating: 4
DAY 6: SKIN
caught up! look at us go.
the title of this one is a lil creepy so i am predisposed to be frightened. just the word skin? no other words? come on.
upon finishing this: see above description of day 5.
rating: 3.5
DAY 7: EDWARD THE CONQUEROR
eek.
i loved this one.
rating: 4.5
DAY 8: LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER
i read this in an eighth-grade specialized english class (it was called Young Playwrights and we had to write a play by the end of it - i think i wrote mine in 3 days and it was possibly one of the worst pieces of writing ever to be taken seriously by a teacher). it was extremely badass at the time and we were also all like roald dahl? mr willy wonka? he wrote this?
the coolest thing to a group of fourteen year old nerds is a children's fiction writer also having a crazy crime murder situation happening on the side.
anyway, it's even better than i remember it being.
rating: 5
DAY 9: GALLOPING FOXLEY
immediately i'm thinking about Fantastic Mr. Fox, simultaneously the most underrated Roald Dahl book and the most underrated Wes Anderson movie. think i'm due for a reread/rewatch combo.
the other day i was talking with a friend about how working is way better remotely, and the only sad loss when it comes to office life is commuting. this made me feel that 10x harder.
then i kept reading and promptly didn't feel that way anymore.
rating: 3
DAY 10: THE WAY UP TO HEAVEN
i have a huge soft spot for the name "idlewild," due to reasons i will not disclose in order to avoid doxxing myself.
big girlboss energy on this one.
rating: 4.5
DAY 11: PARSON'S PLEASURE
so two stories ago there's a title with Fox in it and now there's one about a Mr. Boggis? you're killing me, Dahl.
i got so overly invested in this one, i can't even explain to you. might f*ck around and move to rural new england and be the kind of person who eats scones and goes antiquing now that i've discovered this.
rating: 4
DAY 12: THE LANDLADY
in the grand tradition of this genius project, i forgot about this on a saturday and am now playing catch up on a sunday.
a good old-fashioned creeper!
rating: 3.5
DAY 13: WILLIAM AND MARY
not for me, this one.
rating: 2
DAY 14: MRS. BIXBY AND THE COLONEL'S COAT
reading this story felt like when i found out that Midsommar is a gender-swapped retelling of Ari Aster's relationship problems.
i'm always on team woman.
rating: 2.5
DAY 15: ROYAL JELLY
BEE BABY BEE BABY BEE BABY
rating: 3
DAY 16: GEORGY PORGY
immediately i am thinking what a plague to be named georgy porgy. i do not know if that is someone's name but the mere thought of something even tangentially similar...debilitating.
there is something so creepy about adult men who are obsessed with their mothers. i don't even like thinking about it.
anyway, as i read more and more of this book i'm finding it difficult to believe roald dahl wasn't something of a misogynist, which is a pretty huge bummer.
rating: 2
DAY 17: GENESIS AND CATASTROPHE
ya girl got vaccine round 1 today! i am tired and grumpy and my arm kinda hurts and i don't want to do this, but at the same time, in a much more real way, i'm addicted to posting so i'm in.
this is the dumbest sh*t IMAGINABLE. it's about hitler's birth, and his parents are all praying for his survival and being like "pleaaaase god be merciful to him" but like...what is deep about that? genuinely? a whole lot of nothing.
like, whoa, once upon a time, hitler was born. mind blown. a thought that could only come from the intrepid mind of roald dahl.
like i said. i'm grumpy. but this would be laughable on a good day. "fraulein hitler your baby is born" give me a break
rating: 1
DAY 18: PIG
uh...this is a long one and i feel slumpy.
sounds like a problem for future me.
this actually isn't that long. it just fooled me by having chapters. (what kind of a short story has chapters??) anyway now i've sentenced myself to playing catch-up on a saturday, when usually i skip saturday altogether. my life is so hard.
this one is just completely bizarre. not scary. not particularly well-written or interesting. just weird.
rating: 2
DAY 19: THE VISITOR
now, this one...this one is long.
and it sucked. there is truly no more boring story than one about a sexist, racist white guy.
rating: 1
DAY 20: CLAUD'S DOG
this one is the longest of all AND is coming when i have the least enthusiasm for this project. almost impressive timing.
this was just very boring and also kind of gross and depressing. it's also not one story, it's like 5, and the first few have nothing at all to do with the last couple. i call that Unnecessary.
AND, to make matters worse, the last micro-short-story in this set is called The Champion of the World and it's literally a worse version of Danny, the Champion of the World. it's as if the collection itself set out to prove my opinion that roald dahl is just way better at children's fiction.
UGH. i'm grumpy as hell.
rating: 2
DAY 21: THE GREAT SWITCHEROO
folks...we are so close to being done with this.
the word "switcheroo" is fun and childlike and whimsical, so maybe this will be a good one.
...
okay, immediately no. any protagonist with an internal monologue that refers to a woman as "my gorgeous and juicy little jewel" is no friend of mine.
aaaand this whole thing is about sexual assault.
rating: 1
DAY 22: THE BOY WHO TALKED WITH ANIMALS
only three days after this one, y'all. mercy nears.
i actually liked this one quite a bit. it was nice.
rating: 4.5
DAY 23: THE HITCHHIKER
who would have ever expected how badly this project would go? devastating stuff. also how do i go from having 7 successes in a row to 2 failures in a row??? the universe is no fan of mine.
any story that feels like it could have been written for children, like this one, is a 10/10. but the trouble is roald dahl keeps feeling the need to flesh out these characters, and he does so by making them misogynistic racist creeps with nightmare brains.
not so in this one, though!
rating: 4
DAY 24: THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR
well, roald, it's our penultimate day together! if time doesn't go by so fast...and by fast i mean achingly, unrelentingly slow. (on a sidenote, can you imagine looking another human being in the eyes and calling them "roald"? seems cruel and unusual.)
i am extraordinarily excited for this one (and at this point in this project, mild enthusiasm would rank as extraordinary, but still) because another entry in my childhood collection of roald dahl books was entitled The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More. are you impressed i remember even the number of stories? because i am.
anyway, i recollect this as being a delight, and therefore i'm not even that mad that this "short story" is 52 pages long.
great news: i still love this.
rating: 5
DAY 25: THE BOOKSELLER
everyone knows that i, like every reader, am ready to love every book about books, so i feel optimistic about this.
also i'm bound to feel optimistic, because this project is DONE TODAY.
or this installment of it. don't think you're getting off that easy.
aaaaand nope. nope nope nope.
rating: 1.5
OVERALL
there are a few good ones in here - or okay more than a few - but overall roald dahl's fiction when it isn't for children is filled with creeps and grossos and sex criminals and racists and more often than not all of them combined.
what a bummer.
rating: 2.5
for those of you who are mercifully new here, here's what that means:
i have decided to become a genius.
to accomplish this, i'm going to work my way through the collected stories of various authors, reading + reviewing 1 story every day until i get bored / lose every single follower / am struck down by a vengeful deity.
this is doubly helpful because this book has been LANGUISHING on my shelves for four years. and also because i love roald dahl's children's fiction and have been meaning to read his adult stuff.
but mostly the first one.
PROJECT 1: THE COMPLETE STORIES BY FLANNERY O'CONNOR
PROJECT 2: HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES BY CARMEN MARIA MACHADO
PROJECT 3: 18 BEST STORIES BY EDGAR ALLAN POE
PROJECT 4: THE LOTTERY AND OTHER STORIES BY SHIRLEY JACKSON
PROJECT 5: HOW LONG 'TIL BLACK FUTURE MONTH? BY N.K. JEMISIN
PROJECT 6: THE SHORT STORIES OF OSCAR WILDE BY OSCAR WILDE
PROJECT 7: THE BLUE FAIRY BOOK BY ANDREW LANG
PROJECT 8: GRAND UNION: STORIES BY ZADIE SMITH
PROJECT 9: THE BEST OF ROALD DAHL BY ROALD DAHL
DAY 1: MADAME ROSETTE
this is reminding me that somehow in my childhood collection of Roald Dahl books, not only his memoir of his childhood, but his later military memoir was mixed in - so between reading about bookworms with low-grade superpowers and fantastical chocolate factories, i was also reading about pilots shooting down airplanes and killing people.
very normal.
this is also reminding me that i did enjoy that book. even if this is just a way worse version of it.
rating: 3
DAY 2: MAN FROM THE SOUTH
in order for this story to work, you have to be able to imagine that the majority of people value their own fingers less than a fancy rich person car. as someone who doesn't drive and doesn't appreciate cars, i can't tell whether this is absurd or whether i'm just better than everyone else.
rating: 2.5
DAY 3: THE SOUND MACHINE
very frightened of the idea that every time a flower is picked or a tree is chopped down or a vegetable is pulled it screams bloody murder.
going to delete that thought from my brain straightaway.
rating: 3
DAY 4: TASTE
not sure if i'm entering a reading slump or am simply busy, but it's actually day 6, so either way...let's play catch up!
this is a little predictable but also satisfying. sometimes even clichéd stories are fun if they're the best possible version of the cliché.
rating: 3.5
DAY 5: DIP IN THE POOL
this is a spooky one. roald dahl's brain contains multitudes.
rating: 4
DAY 6: SKIN
caught up! look at us go.
the title of this one is a lil creepy so i am predisposed to be frightened. just the word skin? no other words? come on.
upon finishing this: see above description of day 5.
rating: 3.5
DAY 7: EDWARD THE CONQUEROR
eek.
i loved this one.
rating: 4.5
DAY 8: LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER
i read this in an eighth-grade specialized english class (it was called Young Playwrights and we had to write a play by the end of it - i think i wrote mine in 3 days and it was possibly one of the worst pieces of writing ever to be taken seriously by a teacher). it was extremely badass at the time and we were also all like roald dahl? mr willy wonka? he wrote this?
the coolest thing to a group of fourteen year old nerds is a children's fiction writer also having a crazy crime murder situation happening on the side.
anyway, it's even better than i remember it being.
rating: 5
DAY 9: GALLOPING FOXLEY
immediately i'm thinking about Fantastic Mr. Fox, simultaneously the most underrated Roald Dahl book and the most underrated Wes Anderson movie. think i'm due for a reread/rewatch combo.
the other day i was talking with a friend about how working is way better remotely, and the only sad loss when it comes to office life is commuting. this made me feel that 10x harder.
then i kept reading and promptly didn't feel that way anymore.
rating: 3
DAY 10: THE WAY UP TO HEAVEN
i have a huge soft spot for the name "idlewild," due to reasons i will not disclose in order to avoid doxxing myself.
big girlboss energy on this one.
rating: 4.5
DAY 11: PARSON'S PLEASURE
so two stories ago there's a title with Fox in it and now there's one about a Mr. Boggis? you're killing me, Dahl.
i got so overly invested in this one, i can't even explain to you. might f*ck around and move to rural new england and be the kind of person who eats scones and goes antiquing now that i've discovered this.
rating: 4
DAY 12: THE LANDLADY
in the grand tradition of this genius project, i forgot about this on a saturday and am now playing catch up on a sunday.
a good old-fashioned creeper!
rating: 3.5
DAY 13: WILLIAM AND MARY
not for me, this one.
rating: 2
DAY 14: MRS. BIXBY AND THE COLONEL'S COAT
reading this story felt like when i found out that Midsommar is a gender-swapped retelling of Ari Aster's relationship problems.
i'm always on team woman.
rating: 2.5
DAY 15: ROYAL JELLY
BEE BABY BEE BABY BEE BABY
rating: 3
DAY 16: GEORGY PORGY
immediately i am thinking what a plague to be named georgy porgy. i do not know if that is someone's name but the mere thought of something even tangentially similar...debilitating.
there is something so creepy about adult men who are obsessed with their mothers. i don't even like thinking about it.
anyway, as i read more and more of this book i'm finding it difficult to believe roald dahl wasn't something of a misogynist, which is a pretty huge bummer.
rating: 2
DAY 17: GENESIS AND CATASTROPHE
ya girl got vaccine round 1 today! i am tired and grumpy and my arm kinda hurts and i don't want to do this, but at the same time, in a much more real way, i'm addicted to posting so i'm in.
this is the dumbest sh*t IMAGINABLE. it's about hitler's birth, and his parents are all praying for his survival and being like "pleaaaase god be merciful to him" but like...what is deep about that? genuinely? a whole lot of nothing.
like, whoa, once upon a time, hitler was born. mind blown. a thought that could only come from the intrepid mind of roald dahl.
like i said. i'm grumpy. but this would be laughable on a good day. "fraulein hitler your baby is born" give me a break
rating: 1
DAY 18: PIG
uh...this is a long one and i feel slumpy.
sounds like a problem for future me.
this actually isn't that long. it just fooled me by having chapters. (what kind of a short story has chapters??) anyway now i've sentenced myself to playing catch-up on a saturday, when usually i skip saturday altogether. my life is so hard.
this one is just completely bizarre. not scary. not particularly well-written or interesting. just weird.
rating: 2
DAY 19: THE VISITOR
now, this one...this one is long.
and it sucked. there is truly no more boring story than one about a sexist, racist white guy.
rating: 1
DAY 20: CLAUD'S DOG
this one is the longest of all AND is coming when i have the least enthusiasm for this project. almost impressive timing.
this was just very boring and also kind of gross and depressing. it's also not one story, it's like 5, and the first few have nothing at all to do with the last couple. i call that Unnecessary.
AND, to make matters worse, the last micro-short-story in this set is called The Champion of the World and it's literally a worse version of Danny, the Champion of the World. it's as if the collection itself set out to prove my opinion that roald dahl is just way better at children's fiction.
UGH. i'm grumpy as hell.
rating: 2
DAY 21: THE GREAT SWITCHEROO
folks...we are so close to being done with this.
the word "switcheroo" is fun and childlike and whimsical, so maybe this will be a good one.
...
okay, immediately no. any protagonist with an internal monologue that refers to a woman as "my gorgeous and juicy little jewel" is no friend of mine.
aaaand this whole thing is about sexual assault.
rating: 1
DAY 22: THE BOY WHO TALKED WITH ANIMALS
only three days after this one, y'all. mercy nears.
i actually liked this one quite a bit. it was nice.
rating: 4.5
DAY 23: THE HITCHHIKER
who would have ever expected how badly this project would go? devastating stuff. also how do i go from having 7 successes in a row to 2 failures in a row??? the universe is no fan of mine.
any story that feels like it could have been written for children, like this one, is a 10/10. but the trouble is roald dahl keeps feeling the need to flesh out these characters, and he does so by making them misogynistic racist creeps with nightmare brains.
not so in this one, though!
rating: 4
DAY 24: THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR
well, roald, it's our penultimate day together! if time doesn't go by so fast...and by fast i mean achingly, unrelentingly slow. (on a sidenote, can you imagine looking another human being in the eyes and calling them "roald"? seems cruel and unusual.)
i am extraordinarily excited for this one (and at this point in this project, mild enthusiasm would rank as extraordinary, but still) because another entry in my childhood collection of roald dahl books was entitled The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More. are you impressed i remember even the number of stories? because i am.
anyway, i recollect this as being a delight, and therefore i'm not even that mad that this "short story" is 52 pages long.
great news: i still love this.
rating: 5
DAY 25: THE BOOKSELLER
everyone knows that i, like every reader, am ready to love every book about books, so i feel optimistic about this.
also i'm bound to feel optimistic, because this project is DONE TODAY.
or this installment of it. don't think you're getting off that easy.
aaaaand nope. nope nope nope.
rating: 1.5
OVERALL
there are a few good ones in here - or okay more than a few - but overall roald dahl's fiction when it isn't for children is filled with creeps and grossos and sex criminals and racists and more often than not all of them combined.
what a bummer.
rating: 2.5
March 20, 2017
This book is collection of 20 stories of Roald Dahl. Longest Story is ‘Claud’s Dog’ and Shortest Story is ‘Dip in the pool’.
Here are some brief points, I wish to say for now, but I am emphatically going to talk about this book and his writing in greater detail later !
-His stories are very offbeat and of different styles.
-This writer gave me goosebumps many times.
-These stories lingered on my mind for long.
-His stories are full of twists and turns.
-I could not put it down in between.
-Unexpected ends are common.
-Language is very captivating.
-Its exotic and enticing.
-It touched me.
`
Here are some brief points, I wish to say for now, but I am emphatically going to talk about this book and his writing in greater detail later !
-His stories are very offbeat and of different styles.
-This writer gave me goosebumps many times.
-These stories lingered on my mind for long.
-His stories are full of twists and turns.
-I could not put it down in between.
-Unexpected ends are common.
-Language is very captivating.
-Its exotic and enticing.
-It touched me.
`
September 27, 2007
This may be the best collection of short stories I've ever read. It's undoubtably the most twisted. (And trust me. I read twisted.)
I've always been a huge fan of Dahl's kids' books. It's not a big leap, I suppose, to imagine Charlie all grown up and sick with chocolate power. And the climactic scene of Danny, the Champion of the World, is here nearly in its entirety. (I need to go back and see which came first. I'm guessing this one.)
As masterful as Dahl is with novels, he's perfected the short story as an art form. Even though you know the twist is coming ... and you're waiting ... it always catches you off guard and leaves you hanging, laughing, wincing as you turn the page and dive into the next. He's at once subtle and over the top. It's a remarkable balancing act.
The stories are arranged chronologically, and I did for a bit think that Dahl either hated women or at least thought they were more capable of deviousness than men. As it continues, though, his male characters get in on the fun.
My faves: The Visitor, The Great Switcheroo, Parson's Pleasure, Royal Jelly, Lamb to the Slaughter and William and Mary.
Finding a new author is like falling in love. Finding a new branch of an old one? Falling in love with an old friend. It's even better.
I've always been a huge fan of Dahl's kids' books. It's not a big leap, I suppose, to imagine Charlie all grown up and sick with chocolate power. And the climactic scene of Danny, the Champion of the World, is here nearly in its entirety. (I need to go back and see which came first. I'm guessing this one.)
As masterful as Dahl is with novels, he's perfected the short story as an art form. Even though you know the twist is coming ... and you're waiting ... it always catches you off guard and leaves you hanging, laughing, wincing as you turn the page and dive into the next. He's at once subtle and over the top. It's a remarkable balancing act.
The stories are arranged chronologically, and I did for a bit think that Dahl either hated women or at least thought they were more capable of deviousness than men. As it continues, though, his male characters get in on the fun.
My faves: The Visitor, The Great Switcheroo, Parson's Pleasure, Royal Jelly, Lamb to the Slaughter and William and Mary.
Finding a new author is like falling in love. Finding a new branch of an old one? Falling in love with an old friend. It's even better.
May 20, 2022
It's a 500-page collection of 25 wonderfully wicked short stories by Roald Dahl. He wrote and published these interesting characters and wild plots with such a twisted sense humor between 1945 and 1986, yet here I am in 2022 pondering about how relatable most of these stories are in today's world.
He's one of my favorite authors of all time, and this book has made me an avid admirer even more.
He's one of my favorite authors of all time, and this book has made me an avid admirer even more.
April 18, 2007
There is no darker, funnier writer than Roald Dahl. His children's stories were the original series of unfortunate events. (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, etc.) In the 60's, Alfred Hitchcock had a television series, Alfred Hitchcock presents, in which he used many of the stories found in this anthology. Also, one of his stories was made into a vignette in the movie Four Rooms. (Tarantino's contribution)
Dahl is as creepy in his descriptions as any "horror" writer to date. There is an uneasy churning in the stomach of the reader upon finishing stories like Pig, The Rat Catcher, and the Bookseller. Like a brilliant comedian that holds you for ten minutes until a great punchline, Dahl's punch is straight to your gut.
My personal favorite stories are The Visitor and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. The journey is worth the shock.
Dahl is as creepy in his descriptions as any "horror" writer to date. There is an uneasy churning in the stomach of the reader upon finishing stories like Pig, The Rat Catcher, and the Bookseller. Like a brilliant comedian that holds you for ten minutes until a great punchline, Dahl's punch is straight to your gut.
My personal favorite stories are The Visitor and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. The journey is worth the shock.
April 26, 2025
1999 Jul 16
June 28, 2008
Roald Dahl was the quintessential story teller of all time. His prose cuts to the essential element of his characters and story. Not to mention that his subject matter is always amazingly unique and interesting. It's sad to think that there will never be another new Dahl story.
This passage particularly struck me from his story Georgy Porgy and I share, "I spend many hours each day playing with sentences. I regard each sentence as a little wheel, and my ambition lately has been to gather several hundred of them together at once and to fit them all end to end, with the cogs interlocking, like gears, but with each wheel a different size,each turning at a different speed. Now and again I try to put a really big one right next to a very small one in such a way that the big one, turning slowly, will make the small one spin so fast that it hums. Very tricky, that."
I especially love the stories 'The Way up to Heaven' and 'Skin'.
If you haven't already, you must read this book!
This passage particularly struck me from his story Georgy Porgy and I share, "I spend many hours each day playing with sentences. I regard each sentence as a little wheel, and my ambition lately has been to gather several hundred of them together at once and to fit them all end to end, with the cogs interlocking, like gears, but with each wheel a different size,each turning at a different speed. Now and again I try to put a really big one right next to a very small one in such a way that the big one, turning slowly, will make the small one spin so fast that it hums. Very tricky, that."
I especially love the stories 'The Way up to Heaven' and 'Skin'.
If you haven't already, you must read this book!
November 7, 2025
The great master of horror; I don't care what anybody says about King. "Man from the South" is one of the most anthologized horror short stories in literary history and filmed more often than I care to count. "Genesis and Catastrophe" makes you root for a young mother who will give birth to one of the most monstrous people in history. "Lamb to the Slaughter" will be recognized by anyone who ever watched ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS. A grieving, betrayed housewife kills her cheating husband and conjures up a novel way to hide the body. And for you vegans, consider Dahl's take on what it would be like to listen to the inhabitants of the vegetable kingdom in all their pain. Nothing like a pitch black night curled up with Roald Dahl.
August 3, 2016
Every story was good, except one. That's not bad considering in most short story collections there are usually several examples one could wipe their arse with. Not the case here. Dahl shows that he can be a twisted bastard. Just look at the shit-eating grin on the cover. If he can put dick flavored candy in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (snozzberries are dicks), he must definitely have a high degree of smart-assery going inside his head. Enjoy!
March 24, 2008
This was the most suprising read I have had in a long while. Because I know Roald Dahl as a childrens author and loved all of the fantastical stories the twits, matilda and so on, I was pleasntly suprised to re-discover him as an adult. These tales of adult pleasure and fantasy really knocked my socks off! The last story I recall vividly as the last story in the Tatintino flick "Four Rooms"
I highly reccomend this light hearted read as a grest series of bedtime stories.
I highly reccomend this light hearted read as a grest series of bedtime stories.
July 7, 2020
I bought this one under the impression that it’s for younger readers. Oh! what surprise I got when the first story is about soldiers looking for girls to take out. This collection gets darker and darker from there and ends up with Claud’s Dog which has a tone similar to Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer, country life shenanigans.
September 20, 2013
Why I decided to read this book
This book provides a variety of short stories that are categorised as the 'best of Roald Dahl', and Roald Dahl has written such amazing books such as 'Matilda' and 'The Twits'. Roald Dahl was a big part of my childhood, personally, and many other children so I was instantly drawn to this book. The 3 short stories I chose to read from this anthology is 'Lamb to the slaughter', 'The way up to heaven' and 'The Landlady'. I chose these stories because they had intriguing and mysterious titles that drew me to reading it. I personally am very fond of thrillers and horror stories, so all these three texts were very captivating in the sense that they provided a fascinating ending.
Which category on the Bingo Board this book completes:
THREE poems or short stories from ONE anthology
This category allows us to read a variety of texts written by one author to understand how they write; their style/structure, the purpose of their texts etc. Roald Dahl has written these short stories very cleverly as they are under-dramatised yet very powerful . These 3 short stories were very interesting as they had my attention throughout the whole story and almost gave you chills whenever you read the last page. So, when I was reading the last page of my third short story I expected to be stunned at the end, and no surprises, I was.
My favourite quote from this book (and why)
(Lamb to the slaughter): "Whoever done it, they're not going to be carrying a thing like that around with them longer than they need... Personally, I think it's right here on the premises... Probably right under our very noses. What do you think, Jack?'
This is my favourite quote(s) from this short story because Mrs Maloney (murderer of her husband, Patrick Maloney) acted very innocent as her husband's colleagues feasted on the very murder weapon they were enquiring about.
(The Landlady) : “I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away. Will you have another cup of tea?” This is my favourite quote from this short story because it informs the reader about how peculiar the landlady is, we can sense that the landlady is a dreadful person. This quote gives hints to the reader on how her next victim (Mr.Billy Weaver) is going to be 'taken care of'.
(The way up to heaven) : “It is really extraordinary how in certain people a simple apprehension about a thing like catching a train can grow into a serious obsession.” This is my favourite quote because it sums up Mrs. Foster's personality which is something that I can definitely relate to. But, the difference is that Mrs. Foster's 'obsession' leads her to leaving her husband in a broken elevator while she was going to Paris for 6 weeks. Being on time for her plane certainly meant more to Mrs. Foster than her laid back husband.
Something new I learned from this book is:
Overral, combining all three short stories, I learnt that you should not trust people based on your 30 seconds of a first impression because for all you know they could be a master mind killer. So, get to know people before really trusting them. This book provides various reasons as to why you should not trust strangers. Our parents usually tell us "don't talk to strangers" if you read these short stories, you will really understand why. I have also learned that sometimes in life we need to take a step back and relax because being overly paranoid can become 'obsessive'.
A character or setting in this book that was interesting to me (and why):
(Lamb to the slaughter): My favourite character is Mrs Maloney. She came across as a very intriguing character. Her personality is very peculiar in the beginning as she seemed obsessed with being the perfect housewife. A bit overly friendly as she hides behind her cunning murder scheme of killing her husband. She shows no remorse to her actions being the "vulnerable" wife she was at the time, they didn't suspect a thing.
(The landlady): My favourite character from this short story is the landlady herself. I find her the most interesting because of her personality; the way she composes herself even though she knows exactly what she is doing.
(The way up to heaven) : My favourite character in this short story is Mrs. Foster. She is 'overly obsessed' with being on time to the point where her eye starts to twitch in paranoia. Mr. Eugene Foster (Mrs. Foster's husband) is the complete opposite of his wife, he would take his time and would not care if he or his wife are late. So, because Mr. Foster feels he needs to be ignorant to his wife's paranoia of being late, she gets to the point where she cannot take any more. She leaves him in the broken elevator in their home, and heads off to paris for 6 weeks.
This book provides a variety of short stories that are categorised as the 'best of Roald Dahl', and Roald Dahl has written such amazing books such as 'Matilda' and 'The Twits'. Roald Dahl was a big part of my childhood, personally, and many other children so I was instantly drawn to this book. The 3 short stories I chose to read from this anthology is 'Lamb to the slaughter', 'The way up to heaven' and 'The Landlady'. I chose these stories because they had intriguing and mysterious titles that drew me to reading it. I personally am very fond of thrillers and horror stories, so all these three texts were very captivating in the sense that they provided a fascinating ending.
Which category on the Bingo Board this book completes:
THREE poems or short stories from ONE anthology
This category allows us to read a variety of texts written by one author to understand how they write; their style/structure, the purpose of their texts etc. Roald Dahl has written these short stories very cleverly as they are under-dramatised yet very powerful . These 3 short stories were very interesting as they had my attention throughout the whole story and almost gave you chills whenever you read the last page. So, when I was reading the last page of my third short story I expected to be stunned at the end, and no surprises, I was.
My favourite quote from this book (and why)
(Lamb to the slaughter): "Whoever done it, they're not going to be carrying a thing like that around with them longer than they need... Personally, I think it's right here on the premises... Probably right under our very noses. What do you think, Jack?'
This is my favourite quote(s) from this short story because Mrs Maloney (murderer of her husband, Patrick Maloney) acted very innocent as her husband's colleagues feasted on the very murder weapon they were enquiring about.
(The Landlady) : “I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away. Will you have another cup of tea?” This is my favourite quote from this short story because it informs the reader about how peculiar the landlady is, we can sense that the landlady is a dreadful person. This quote gives hints to the reader on how her next victim (Mr.Billy Weaver) is going to be 'taken care of'.
(The way up to heaven) : “It is really extraordinary how in certain people a simple apprehension about a thing like catching a train can grow into a serious obsession.” This is my favourite quote because it sums up Mrs. Foster's personality which is something that I can definitely relate to. But, the difference is that Mrs. Foster's 'obsession' leads her to leaving her husband in a broken elevator while she was going to Paris for 6 weeks. Being on time for her plane certainly meant more to Mrs. Foster than her laid back husband.
Something new I learned from this book is:
Overral, combining all three short stories, I learnt that you should not trust people based on your 30 seconds of a first impression because for all you know they could be a master mind killer. So, get to know people before really trusting them. This book provides various reasons as to why you should not trust strangers. Our parents usually tell us "don't talk to strangers" if you read these short stories, you will really understand why. I have also learned that sometimes in life we need to take a step back and relax because being overly paranoid can become 'obsessive'.
A character or setting in this book that was interesting to me (and why):
(Lamb to the slaughter): My favourite character is Mrs Maloney. She came across as a very intriguing character. Her personality is very peculiar in the beginning as she seemed obsessed with being the perfect housewife. A bit overly friendly as she hides behind her cunning murder scheme of killing her husband. She shows no remorse to her actions being the "vulnerable" wife she was at the time, they didn't suspect a thing.
(The landlady): My favourite character from this short story is the landlady herself. I find her the most interesting because of her personality; the way she composes herself even though she knows exactly what she is doing.
(The way up to heaven) : My favourite character in this short story is Mrs. Foster. She is 'overly obsessed' with being on time to the point where her eye starts to twitch in paranoia. Mr. Eugene Foster (Mrs. Foster's husband) is the complete opposite of his wife, he would take his time and would not care if he or his wife are late. So, because Mr. Foster feels he needs to be ignorant to his wife's paranoia of being late, she gets to the point where she cannot take any more. She leaves him in the broken elevator in their home, and heads off to paris for 6 weeks.
June 23, 2012
It's true that nearly all writing reveals a great deal about the person behind the words, but it's especially true in Roald Dahl's case because all his stories have more or less the same tone: classy, stylish, and gruesome. This includes his children's stories, which are known for being playful and funny. Yes, they definitely are, but they're also kind of disturbing from an adult perspective. (James and the Giant Peach: orphan trapped by abusive aunts finds an escape in an oversized fruit occupied six anthropomorphic insects. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: nice poor kid wins a tour to a famous chocolate factory that employs green/orange workers who seem to have that "collective unconscious" thing going on, and is run by a maniac who concocts and executes special punishments--totally justified but also likely in violation of Department of Health standards--for the stupid, abominable children accompanying said nice kid on the tour. The Twits: an evil, disgusting married couple who abuse each other and the animals in their backyard get their comeuppance from the animals. The Witches: apparently there exist some women with malformed feet who prey on young children and transform them into mice.)
The stories in this volume are for adults, though, so they're not exactly the same as his children's offerings. Instead of wacky humor, Dahl gives us sleek twists. Instead of good little Charlie Bucket, he gives us three-dimensional nightmares, like glutton Augustus Gloop, all grown up, and Willy Wonka, if he hadn't dedicated his life to chocolate. (Willy Wonka IS a psychopath, okay. Don't listen to the movies.) With the exception of "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" (which, along with "The Hitchhiker," was deemed appropriate for the children's collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More) and "William and Mary," these stories are all realistic. That is: they're realistic in the sense that they could happen, but only with the help of unusually deranged and creative people. As in good science fiction, Dahl makes the highly improbable seem highly possible. His characters are out of this world, but their thoughts and actions adhere to a very human logic. That's what makes them fascinating and believable (although not what I'd call sympathetic).
Roald Dahl is a damn good writer. That clearly comes out in his character development, but even more so in his plots. He's a master storyteller. He doesn't rely on frills and backflips to get you to like him; he just is. His endings are surprising and unpredictable, but they also flow naturally from the actions leading up to them. His plots are excellent, with just the right amount of pacing and no excess showy nonsense. Dahl's stories read as if he's lived each of them himself, or at the very least thought them through a hundred times over. It's almost disturbing. (You know, come to think of it, Roald Dahl probably was Uncle Oswald with the brains of Willy Wonka. Just look at photos of him.)
My only beef with this volume is the chunk of "Claud's Dog" stories near the end. These were so boring that I kept looking for the catch. Are they told backwards? Is there some huge reveal about Gordon at the end? Why is Claud's dog hardly even present for most of these stories? Alas, nothing.
Highlights:
"Lamb to the Slaughter"
"Genesis and Catastrophe"
"The Visitor"
"The Great Switcheroo"
"The Hitchhiker" (so damn good I remembered it almost in its entirety from childhood)
"The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" (thought this was lame as a kid, but I was wrong)
The stories in this volume are for adults, though, so they're not exactly the same as his children's offerings. Instead of wacky humor, Dahl gives us sleek twists. Instead of good little Charlie Bucket, he gives us three-dimensional nightmares, like glutton Augustus Gloop, all grown up, and Willy Wonka, if he hadn't dedicated his life to chocolate. (Willy Wonka IS a psychopath, okay. Don't listen to the movies.) With the exception of "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" (which, along with "The Hitchhiker," was deemed appropriate for the children's collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More) and "William and Mary," these stories are all realistic. That is: they're realistic in the sense that they could happen, but only with the help of unusually deranged and creative people. As in good science fiction, Dahl makes the highly improbable seem highly possible. His characters are out of this world, but their thoughts and actions adhere to a very human logic. That's what makes them fascinating and believable (although not what I'd call sympathetic).
Roald Dahl is a damn good writer. That clearly comes out in his character development, but even more so in his plots. He's a master storyteller. He doesn't rely on frills and backflips to get you to like him; he just is. His endings are surprising and unpredictable, but they also flow naturally from the actions leading up to them. His plots are excellent, with just the right amount of pacing and no excess showy nonsense. Dahl's stories read as if he's lived each of them himself, or at the very least thought them through a hundred times over. It's almost disturbing. (You know, come to think of it, Roald Dahl probably was Uncle Oswald with the brains of Willy Wonka. Just look at photos of him.)
My only beef with this volume is the chunk of "Claud's Dog" stories near the end. These were so boring that I kept looking for the catch. Are they told backwards? Is there some huge reveal about Gordon at the end? Why is Claud's dog hardly even present for most of these stories? Alas, nothing.
Highlights:
"Lamb to the Slaughter"
"Genesis and Catastrophe"
"The Visitor"
"The Great Switcheroo"
"The Hitchhiker" (so damn good I remembered it almost in its entirety from childhood)
"The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" (thought this was lame as a kid, but I was wrong)
April 30, 2022
অনেকগুলো ছোটগল্পের একটা সমগ্র। অধিকাংশ গল্পই বেশ চমকপ্রদ। গল্পকার অভাবনীয় সমাপ্তি দিতে বেশ পারদর্শী। সব ধরণের পাঠক বইটি উপভোগ কর���েন বলে আমি মনে করি।
April 27, 2013
this was more of a "4 1/2 stars" kind of book, but Dahl is so darned entertaining that i have no problem rounding up. while the final few stories were a bit of a disappointment, they were only a let down because the great majority of these stories are compulsively readable and incredibly satisfying. dahl was a writer who clearly loved telling a good story, and when you read this collection there's no escaping the feeling that dahl had immense fun when wrote these stories. that delight is infectious. it has the power to move just about any one who enjoys reading fiction. this collection also serves as a fascinating study in the evolution of a writer. dahl's craft and perspective grows and shifts over the course of the collection such that the writer who penned the first story is in many ways not the one who penned the last. as i've said before, if you think you don't like short stories, try to reading some dahl. if he can't make a convert out of you, probably no one can. highly recommended.
November 30, 2018
I've read this book per request of Hendrickje over at bookcrossing.com. She wants to give this book to her daughter as a present for Sinterklaas. So I've read it and am getting ready to send it to her.
I've read Roald Dahl's stories many times before and it's always enjoyable, even though I already know the outcome.
I especially love Lamb to the slaughter, but I'm starting to really like the other stories too. Roald Dahl's stories are timeless, and make us think about things we rarely think about (unless your philosophically inclined).
An enjoyable read and now I'm going to share it with Hendrickje. I took it with me from the Bookcrossing meeting at Castricum this year. Audje brought it there.
I've read Roald Dahl's stories many times before and it's always enjoyable, even though I already know the outcome.
I especially love Lamb to the slaughter, but I'm starting to really like the other stories too. Roald Dahl's stories are timeless, and make us think about things we rarely think about (unless your philosophically inclined).
An enjoyable read and now I'm going to share it with Hendrickje. I took it with me from the Bookcrossing meeting at Castricum this year. Audje brought it there.
March 12, 2021
a lot of these stories centered around a bet which suited someone like me whos partial to a little paddy power
man from the south, dip in the pool and skin were personal favourites
thankfully dahl's anti semitism only shone with the story of hitler's miraculous birth
man from the south, dip in the pool and skin were personal favourites
thankfully dahl's anti semitism only shone with the story of hitler's miraculous birth
April 22, 2018
A set of stories with fascinating, yet twisted endings. It's hard to think that the same person has written a lot of innocent fiction like the BFG, Matilda, and all the kids' stories!
July 31, 2025
"I never would have guessed that the author who mercilessly tortured naughty children in a SAW-esque Chocolate Factory was capable of creating some of the most ruthlessly mean-spirited adult fiction ever known to man." He said, oozing with sarcasm.
Other than "The Landlady" and "Lamb to Slaughter" (which are heavily anthologized and often read in middle school classrooms, no less!) I never really delved too deeply into Roald Dahl's adult fiction. Even though I loved books like The Witches and James and the Giant Peach as a kid, I was highly aware of the misanthropic nastiness underwriting Dahl's children's books, because--let's face it--kids can be pretty nasty on their own.
Other than "The Landlady" and "Lamb to Slaughter" (which are heavily anthologized and often read in middle school classrooms, no less!) I never really delved too deeply into Roald Dahl's adult fiction. Even though I loved books like The Witches and James and the Giant Peach as a kid, I was highly aware of the misanthropic nastiness underwriting Dahl's children's books, because--let's face it--kids can be pretty nasty on their own.
June 11, 2024
There are some real gems in this book that merit a 5 star. Roald Dahl’s writing of adult fiction is as wonderful as his writing for children.
September 11, 2021
Highly recommended and gifted to me by my grandmother. Dark, with a surprising moralistic undercurrent (and quite a bit of tongue-in-cheek-1950s-Home-Counties-style racism/sexism— I was charmed, but conceivably offensive).
Highlights: “The Visitor,” “Georgy Porgy,” and “Edward the Conquerer.”
Highlights: “The Visitor,” “Georgy Porgy,” and “Edward the Conquerer.”
December 29, 2016
I will be updating this review after each story I read in this collection. I haven't read Roald Dahl's work except for Matilda which I loved. I will hide major spoilers but I cannot review the stories without talking on some important things that others might consider as spoilers. So you are warned, spoiler-allergic people!
1. Madame Rosetta [Rating: 2.5/5]
This story was just okay. It is about a couple of military pilots who finally get to take some time off in Cairo, Egypt and they plan to relax by drinking all night. But one thing leads to an another and they go off on a small adventure that sorta ends with .
There is also a very interesting conversation these characters have with a few local Egyptians which I think is a very good example of how humans in general instinctively stereotype others who have views/beliefs/preferences different from their own and cannot quite find the logic or reason that they believe others see which makes them hold their weird/outlandish views/beliefs/preferences in question.
2. Man From The South [Rating: 5/5]
I loved this short story. It was a breeze to read. It's a 10 page thriller of sorts, just that all the tension is built up on a very stupid, silly premise. And I love that.
3. The Sound Machine [Rating: 5/5]
Absolutely amazing! It's a little sci-fi-esque story. The ramifications of the discovery made in the story will be unfathomable if it happened in real life. This is a story for .
4. Taste [Rating: 3.5/5]
Another short about how men make stupid bets. This is in a way similar to the 3rd story.
5. Dip In The Pool [Rating: 5/5]]
Hahaha!! This was funny, very well written. What a foolish man Mr. Botibol is. Hahahahaa!!
6. Skin [Rating: 5/5]]
What could possibly go wrong in getting a tattoo of your wife's face on your back, from neck to waist, by a young painter who is struggling to make a living? I didn't know tattooing existed even at the time of World War 1(or is it just fiction?). I loved the story and the ending.
1. Madame Rosetta [Rating: 2.5/5]
This story was just okay. It is about a couple of military pilots who finally get to take some time off in Cairo, Egypt and they plan to relax by drinking all night. But one thing leads to an another and they go off on a small adventure that sorta ends with .
There is also a very interesting conversation these characters have with a few local Egyptians which I think is a very good example of how humans in general instinctively stereotype others who have views/beliefs/preferences different from their own and cannot quite find the logic or reason that they believe others see which makes them hold their weird/outlandish views/beliefs/preferences in question.
2. Man From The South [Rating: 5/5]
I loved this short story. It was a breeze to read. It's a 10 page thriller of sorts, just that all the tension is built up on a very stupid, silly premise. And I love that.
3. The Sound Machine [Rating: 5/5]
Absolutely amazing! It's a little sci-fi-esque story. The ramifications of the discovery made in the story will be unfathomable if it happened in real life. This is a story for .
4. Taste [Rating: 3.5/5]
Another short about how men make stupid bets. This is in a way similar to the 3rd story.
5. Dip In The Pool [Rating: 5/5]]
Hahaha!! This was funny, very well written. What a foolish man Mr. Botibol is. Hahahahaa!!
6. Skin [Rating: 5/5]]
What could possibly go wrong in getting a tattoo of your wife's face on your back, from neck to waist, by a young painter who is struggling to make a living? I didn't know tattooing existed even at the time of World War 1(or is it just fiction?). I loved the story and the ending.
September 28, 2016
I wish I could give this 4.5 stars. I hadn't read short stories in a long while, and was reminded of the unique joy of these little single-serving packages of fiction — particularly the first batch of these short stories. I have to say I particularly enjoyed reading these macabre stories full of sex, sin and death while simultaneously reading his more famous books to my children.
These stories are really about the final twist — which is often shocking and brilliant. Having said that, the lead-up to these twists gets overly long in many cases, particularly in the later stories (the book is organized chronologically). Still, the first half of this book is full of little gems — some of the best and most twisted short stories you could ever hope to read.
These stories are really about the final twist — which is often shocking and brilliant. Having said that, the lead-up to these twists gets overly long in many cases, particularly in the later stories (the book is organized chronologically). Still, the first half of this book is full of little gems — some of the best and most twisted short stories you could ever hope to read.
April 2, 2019
I guess this is my first big book disappointment of 2019. It did not age well. I loved Switch Bitch and have read all his children’s/young adult books with pure joy and love. I didn’t think he could go wrong. Eeesh, his stories all have a grandpa who was around in Britain in the 50’s misogynist tone that completely turned me off. Two stars for nostalgia.
February 14, 2015
after reading this book I believe Roald Dahl could have been besties with Edgar Allen Poe
December 28, 2015
eggsellent
January 29, 2022
4.5 stars
each story ended like a goosebumps book and i'll fw that
each story ended like a goosebumps book and i'll fw that
December 10, 2020
Roald Dahl is the one author that carried me through childhood and adulthood. Not just his tremendous imagination that you're already familiar with in The BFG or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or (my favorite) Matilda. This is still present in these short stories with wickedly delightful twists, but what's truly underrated is his prose and tremendous use of description.
Roald Dahl started writing adult stories before he went into children's stories and with that transition came his tonal switch to abundant usage of exuberant adverbs, so that when you read a sentence like:
"A hundred and twenty!" my passenger shouted, jumping up and down. "Go on! Go on! Get 'er up
to one-two-nine!"
You know it can only be Roald Dahl.
This kind of tone in contrast to his incredibly precise description is what makes these stories possible in a technical feat, in addition to our universal enjoyment of a good dose of schaudenfreude. For anyone looking to get started with just one - "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat" (all of his stories are now copyright free apparently and online).
Roald Dahl started writing adult stories before he went into children's stories and with that transition came his tonal switch to abundant usage of exuberant adverbs, so that when you read a sentence like:
"A hundred and twenty!" my passenger shouted, jumping up and down. "Go on! Go on! Get 'er up
to one-two-nine!"
You know it can only be Roald Dahl.
This kind of tone in contrast to his incredibly precise description is what makes these stories possible in a technical feat, in addition to our universal enjoyment of a good dose of schaudenfreude. For anyone looking to get started with just one - "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat" (all of his stories are now copyright free apparently and online).
Read
August 14, 2023I don't think I fully understood Roald Dahl until I read this book.
Every story has a sinister turn; some deeply disturbing and some comically weird. You get the sense that it will not end well for all involved. Even when the story plot turns up, bringing hope, it will crash down in the most unexpected ways.
He has a knack for bringing characters to life. You see them vividly, standing there, in a mess of their own making and wonder what trick he has employed to make them seem so real.
There are no lengthy descriptions of appearance or setting. The dialogues are all crisp and to the point. Perhaps he has reached deep inside you, into the thoughts and darkness you keep hidden. And that's precisely why you can relate to his miserable or desperate or cunning characters. Your human nature, that he's happy to utilise to give his characters depth.
If anything these stories serve as fables, with a moral, no evil deed goes unpunished, even the little ones.
Every story has a sinister turn; some deeply disturbing and some comically weird. You get the sense that it will not end well for all involved. Even when the story plot turns up, bringing hope, it will crash down in the most unexpected ways.
He has a knack for bringing characters to life. You see them vividly, standing there, in a mess of their own making and wonder what trick he has employed to make them seem so real.
There are no lengthy descriptions of appearance or setting. The dialogues are all crisp and to the point. Perhaps he has reached deep inside you, into the thoughts and darkness you keep hidden. And that's precisely why you can relate to his miserable or desperate or cunning characters. Your human nature, that he's happy to utilise to give his characters depth.
If anything these stories serve as fables, with a moral, no evil deed goes unpunished, even the little ones.
December 3, 2022
Roald Dahl writes without restraint and the result is uniquely disturbing. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and some of his stories rank among my favorites I’ve ever read.
Dahl’s stories often explore the darkest depths of human behavior and he relies on ambiguity and suspense to heighten the climaxes, which is both fascinating and delightfully frustrating. I can’t wait to revisit some of these stories and read more of Dahl’s work in the future.
These are my favorite stories I encountered:
The Way Up to Heaven
The Visitor
Lamb to the Slaughter
Taste
Dip in the Pool
Genesis and Catastrophe
Dahl’s stories often explore the darkest depths of human behavior and he relies on ambiguity and suspense to heighten the climaxes, which is both fascinating and delightfully frustrating. I can’t wait to revisit some of these stories and read more of Dahl’s work in the future.
These are my favorite stories I encountered:
The Way Up to Heaven
The Visitor
Lamb to the Slaughter
Taste
Dip in the Pool
Genesis and Catastrophe
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