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14th out of 481 books
—
195 voters
The Roald Dahl Omnibus: Perfect Bedtime Stories for Sleepless Nights
by
Roald Dahl
Ever since his stories first appeared, people have been telling and re-telling each other Roald Dahl's sometimes shocking and always brilliant and bizarre assortment of terror-tinted gems. Bawdy, funny, touching, and downright outrageous, there's simply no one else like Roald Dahl.
This volume is a diabolical collection of 28 of Dahl's best stories. Shiver to classics like...more
This volume is a diabolical collection of 28 of Dahl's best stories. Shiver to classics like...more
Hardcover, 681 pages
Published
June 13th 1993
by Barnes & Noble
(first published 1986)
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The first time I realized that Roald Dahl wrote anything other than children's stories was somewhere around 7th or 8th grade when our English class was assigned to read a short story by Dahl called Lamb to the Slaughter. I fell in love with it at that time, I've referenced it numerous times over the years, I've re-read it a few times, and each time it never fails to completely amuse me. It never gets old. After reading his books for a younger audience as a child, the idea that there was this who...more
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Many people love Dahl for his absurdly comedic children's stories, but their interest unfortunately stops there. He is one of the most chilling, demented & skilled short story writers I have ever read, and this collection of adult fictions is enough to satisfy anyone's taste for macabre humor. Dahl twists the commonplace into the horrific, the sublime & the darkly hilarious in delectable tidbits that brim with the violence that seethes behind every moment of life. In retrospect, his chil...more
stories differ from this collection.
I think with both you have every Dahl story.
This is more of a note to self than a review, sorry!
But I can tell you that if you read this book you will feel really accomplished because it has like 500 pages.
I think with both you have every Dahl story.
This is more of a note to self than a review, sorry!
But I can tell you that if you read this book you will feel really accomplished because it has like 500 pages.
3 likes · like · see review
Roald Dahl is a brilliant storyteller. Omnibus is a great collection that showcases his ability to amuse, frighten & entertain beyond compare. Not the kiddie stories that we remember him so fondly for, but these might make you take another look at those childhood favorites to see what dark nuance you may have missed. It's not just the inventiveness of the scenarios themselves, but the way he presents them: the unique perspectives of narrators, sadistic twists & clever dialogue draw you i...more
I've had this book on my shelf for years, but couldn't bring myself to sit down and read it. Short stories aren't really my thing, and the book is a huge and heavy hardback.
I finally made it my 'bedtime book' and kept it by my bed. Since I got the kittens, I had plenty of excuses to lounge around in my room and power through these stories.
I was surprised how quickly I ripped through the book once I started in earnest. Several of the stories were hilarious, and one in particular is very familiar...more
I finally made it my 'bedtime book' and kept it by my bed. Since I got the kittens, I had plenty of excuses to lounge around in my room and power through these stories.
I was surprised how quickly I ripped through the book once I started in earnest. Several of the stories were hilarious, and one in particular is very familiar...more
So, having been on a short story kick for about a year, I was excited when a colleague of mine said he was reading this. I saw the recent movie version of "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and remembered how much I loved the caricatures of British life that Dahl seems to use so well, and that made me go to the library to pick this up. I've read about a third of the stories, and although I do enjoy the little plot twists at the end of most stories, sometimes they're a little underwhelming. Perhaps I'm desensit...more
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"The Roald Dahl Omnibus". Roald Dahl, 1948. It would have been a great literary travesty if Roald Dahl would have suffered a brain injury before writing his great classics. Before becoming a famous writer, he was a WWII combat pilot. On his first mission in North Africa he becomes lost. Low on fuel, he crashes in the desert. His nose is broke, cranium fractured and he is blinded. This story, along with twenty five, amazing others are included in the "Omnibus". Fortunately Roald Dahl recovers com...more
This very very ADULT short story compilation, for some misguided reason, was shelved in the children's fantasy section of my middle school library, from whence I checked it out as an 11-year-old "James and the Giant Peach" fan. Now, sixteen years after first reading Dahl's morbidly bizarre flights of fantasy involving gigantic flying phalli and murderous housewives, my visual cortex is still saddled with the various unsettling mental images sprinkled throughout this book, yet I forgive him for e...more
Wanted to visit an old friend. These are wonderfully wicked short stories. Dahl's control of character and pacing is incredible. Must read.
Favorites in this collection:
"Lambs to the slaughter" which is a warning to spouses and police investigators that pregnant women are very dangerous.
"Pig" which is a moral tale as to why parents should never go out on a date or how vegetarians are benefical to the meat packing industry.
"Royal Jelly" just read it and never underestimate a beekeeper. When the...more
Favorites in this collection:
"Lambs to the slaughter" which is a warning to spouses and police investigators that pregnant women are very dangerous.
"Pig" which is a moral tale as to why parents should never go out on a date or how vegetarians are benefical to the meat packing industry.
"Royal Jelly" just read it and never underestimate a beekeeper. When the...more
This is a really good collection of stories. My one criticism is that a few of the stories seemed to be less inspired than the others. This makes perfect sense seeing as the book is a collection of many stories that span the writers career.
These stories delve into the strange workings of upper crust society that are just laughable. Bets, insults, fingers, wine, lamb legs, and other trivial subjects become dreadfully serious.
What a good read. This is not life changing, but HIGHLY entertaining.
These stories delve into the strange workings of upper crust society that are just laughable. Bets, insults, fingers, wine, lamb legs, and other trivial subjects become dreadfully serious.
What a good read. This is not life changing, but HIGHLY entertaining.
Mar 07, 2012
Melissa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who likes Hitchcock films or Roald Dahl's children's books
The tagline for this title is "Perfect Bedtime Stories for Sleepless Nights" but what that should actually indicate to you is that if you read these before going to bed, you will not be sleeping. Definitely intended for adults, this collection of short stories all seem to be suspenseful and most of the characters come to horrible, sometimes extra creepy, ends. I like that a lot of the time the stories kind of drift off at the end - he never comes out and says how the person ends up but just hits...more
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Definitely not a children's book, although we probably know Roald Dahl best as a children's author. But it is still definitely Roald Dahl - it's just that the fantasy, the twists, and the humor are all definitely darker... in a good way! And when you think about it, James and the Giant Peach did begin with James' parents being devoured by a rhinoceros on an otherwise happy family outing... and those kids at the chocolate factory did end up headed for the garbage incinerator or needing to be juic...more
Well, the cover of the book says "perfect bedtime stories for sleepless nights," and that's pretty much how I got through Dahl's Omnibus. Though, I was a bit confused as to why you would want to bill your book as perfect for sleepless nights-- as if just cracking this one open would get you snoring in no time. Quite the opposite was the case for me, as this book usually induced sleepless nights rather than remedied them. Dahl's tone in this collection is a far cry from what I've been acquainted...more
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May 20, 2008
Kirstie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of short stories and Roald Dahl in general, creative fiction, etc.
Just finished this today and I would say 4 is an overall score..there are some stories in this that knock you right off your feet with a 5 star quality and others that are more ho hum with a 3 star fare. Overall, a very enjoyable read from an author I hadn't realized even wrote for adults until recently. Like countless other girls, I imagined myself having the power of Matilda when I was younger but for many years I have strayed from Dahl as a writer.
Many of these stories are gruesome without b...more
Many of these stories are gruesome without b...more
The quality of writing in this book is superb, but the collection isn't suited for readers who want to read this straight before bed like the cover suggests. Nearly all of Dahl's stories end with an interesting twist that certainly doesn't lull readers to sleep, but does show that he was a master of the short story. This collection of stories for adults certainly makes me look at his books for children in a different light.
On a more personal and slightly spoilerish revelation, I found too many o...more
On a more personal and slightly spoilerish revelation, I found too many o...more
I grew up reading Dahl's children's books and cackled along every time an idiotic adult got their just desserts. This cruelty is somehow harder to stomach in Dahl's adult stories. The conspiratorial tone he takes with the children perhaps tempers what, in his adult books, comes across as biting and mean for the sake of being mean. His treatment of women is certainly wanting. Some of the stories were excellent and others just left me feeling slightly put off.
Incredible, imaginative adult stories that might just keep you up rather than help you fall asleep. Still a beautiful book to keep on your nightstand, as a short story before a nice slumber never hurts. In true Dahl fashion, the stories are off-kilter, undeniable social commentary, and always surprising. One of my favorites of all time. I wish he had written more adult fiction, especially short stories.
I love Roald Dahl's writing, and his short stories are particularly tasty. His characters are at once completely outrageous and totally believable, and I love his ability to tell you just enough information to keep the story going, without ruining the surprise. The last three stories were somewhat unsavory, so for those with delicate senses of propriety, perhaps you should stop just before them.
This is a collection of short stories by a man many consider to be the greatest children's writer ever. This book should end that discussion. First, these stories show clearly that he really never wrote for children. He was a children's subversive, in that his stories are really nursery tales meant for adults. Second, anyone who has read his novels gets the vague sense there is a darker story being told than the mere details suggest. These short stories reveal that dark side: violent, biting and...more
If you read this make sure you pace yourself carefully because the stories are mostly about murder and the last few are about sex which I reallized and did not finish the book. Funny murder plots are still murder plots so I will not be reading this again and I don't recommend it to anyone else. Maybe the wife and the leg of Lamb touched a nerve....
I have to try to remember that I'm not really a short story reader. This is due back at the library and I haven't finished it. Probably better to own it, then I could read stories at my leisure. What I did read I quite enjoyed. I know for a fact that at least one of these stories was a "Twilight Zone" episode. Most of the stories were familiar to me, spooky stories told at sleepovers and camp fires. Excellentness!
I had this when I was a kid, and it was sitting on my shelf for ages. When I finally got down to reading it, I finished it in about 3 days. I loved it!
Since I'm a die-hard horror fan, I was surprised that Roald Dahl could write like this. I read his other kids books, but this collection was one of my favourites.
Since I'm a die-hard horror fan, I was surprised that Roald Dahl could write like this. I read his other kids books, but this collection was one of my favourites.
This is definitely an adult book.
These short stories are in turn brilliant, disturbing, horrifying and fascinating. I read this book on a road trip when I was in college, and I still remember some of the thought-provoking twists that were found.
If you read it before bedtime you'll not be able to fall asleep.
These short stories are in turn brilliant, disturbing, horrifying and fascinating. I read this book on a road trip when I was in college, and I still remember some of the thought-provoking twists that were found.
If you read it before bedtime you'll not be able to fall asleep.
This is a book of short stories about the small evils (and sometimes not so small ones) in everybody. The tales each feature some dark twist, and they become increasingly sexy and/or spooky metaphysical as the book wears on.
Olden-timey chauvinistic, but good eerie fun!
Olden-timey chauvinistic, but good eerie fun!
I've never been a fan of short story collections and this book doesn't change my mind. Although I do enjoy Roald Dahl, I was unimpressed with these stories. The stories collected in this omnibus aren't the kind of stories you may be familiar with. Dahl originally wrote for an older crowd before he hit upon the classics we've all grown up with. Most of stories are very Twilight Zone-ish with endings that are easily deduced in most instances. I got bored actually. It looks nice on the shelf howeve...more
THe subtitle says it all : entertaining stories for sleepless nights. Don't expect a James- and -the - Giant- Peach- kind of sweetness or ending.Each story starts off in a mundane way and gradually grows more and more surprising and/or shocking.
If James and the Giant Peach or Charlie and The Chocolate Factory are your only experiences with Roald Dahl, pick this one up. This collection of short stories shows all facets of Dahl's storytelling gifts from the light hearted to dark and sexy, the man can tell any kind of tale. Highly recommended.
Short stories from different books for adults. Many had his trademark weirdness and almost horror. A couple near the end were more sexual in nature. Definitely not recommended. I think I'll stick to his juvenile fiction.
Have enjoyed a lot of Dahl's books but this had a lot of short stories that weren't as interesting as his books and there were so many in this omnibus that I wasn't anxious to keep reading mediocre story after mediorcre story.
If you read and enjoyed his children books, then you are in for treat. Dahl's same morbid sensibilities wrapped up in an adult oriented package. THE best collection of short stories around!
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Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Norwegian descent, who rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults, and became one of the world's bestselling authors.
Dahl's first published work, inspired by a meeting with C. S. Forester, was Shot Down Over Libya. Today the story is published as "A Piece of...more
More about Roald Dahl...
Dahl's first published work, inspired by a meeting with C. S. Forester, was Shot Down Over Libya. Today the story is published as "A Piece of...more
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