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Cover of Collected Short Stories [51 stories]

Collected Short Stories [51 stories]

Roald Dahl

888 pages

A masterclass in the macabre where polite society masks wicked intentions and every tale ends with a deliciously sharp sting.

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What it feels like

Reading this collection feels like accepting a cup of tea from a charming host, only to realize halfway through that it might be poisoned. The pace is brisk and addictive, driven by a mischievous, darkly comedic tone that delights in exposing the ugly underbelly of polite society. Dahl's prose is deceptively simple and crisp, lulling you into a false sense of security before delivering a sharp, unforgettable twist. The mood is consistently unsettling yet delightfully wicked, wrapping you in an atmosphere of creeping dread and grim satisfaction. It is a perfect match for readers who crave psychological suspense, poetic justice, and the kind of macabre storytelling that lingers long after the final, shocking sentence is read.

Mood
  • unsettling
  • macabre
  • suspenseful
  • delightfully wicked
Tone
  • wry
  • cynical
  • mischievous
  • darkly comedic
  • detached
Pace
brisk
Themes
poetic justice · deception and betrayal · darkness of human nature · absurdity of polite society · revenge
The writing
Crisp, unadorned, and deceptively simple, designed to lull the reader into a false sense of security before delivering a sharp sting.
The arc
Moves from deceptively mundane setups into creeping suspicion, culminating in shocking and grimly satisfying revelations.
Who it's for
Readers who relish dark humor, psychological suspense, and masterfully crafted twist endings.
Content notes
  • murder
  • animal cruelty
  • domestic abuse
  • body horror
  • psychological manipulation

About the book

The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl is a 1991 short story collection for adults by Roald Dahl. The collection containing tales of macabre malevolence comprises many of Dahl's stories seen in the television series Tales of the Unexpected and previously collected in Someone Like You (1953), Kiss, Kiss (1960), Twenty-Nine Kisses from Roald Dahl (1969), Switch Bitch (1974), and Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: The Country Stories of Roald Dahl (1989).

Contains 51 stories (order varies by edition):

From Kiss Kiss Landlady William and Mary The Way Up to Heaven Parson's Pleasure Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat Royal Jelly Georgy Porgy Genesis and Catastrophe Edward the Conqueror Pig Champion of the World

From Over to You Death of an Old, Old Man An African Story A Piece of Cake Madame Rosette Katina Yesterday Was Beautiful They Shall Not Grow Old Beware of the Dog Only This Someone Like You

From Switch Bitch Visitor Great Switcheroo Last Act Bitch

From Someone Like You Taste Lamb to the Slaughter Man from the South The Soldier My Lady Love, My Dove Dip in the Pool Galloping Foxley Skin Poison Wish Neck Sound Machine Nunc Dimittis Great Automatic Grammatizator Claud's Dog Ratcatcher Rummins Mr Hoddy Mr Feasey

Eight Further Tales of the Unexpected The umbrella man -- Mr Botibol -- Vengeance is Mine Inc. -- The butler -- Ah, sweet mystery of life -- Bookseller Hitchhiker The surgeon

Description from Open Library.

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