I never even knew this book existed until I found it. If you’ve only read Dahl’s children’s books you’re going to find this …….different. It was an enjoyable book. Dark in places. But fun over all. ( )

Considering it's Roald Dahl, I was honestly expecting a lot weirder from a book of horrorish stories. Most of the stories were about kinda weird things that happen to upper-class Frasier types, which are really well-written, but weren't my thing. There were also stories here that I loved though, namely "The Wish" and "The Ratcatcher." ( )

What an engrossing weaver of tall tales ( )

[b: Someone Like You|816953|Someone Like You|Sarah Dessen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1336001301s/816953.jpg|802840] clocks in as a solid collection of decidedly adult short stories by [a: Roald Dahl|4273|Roald Dahl|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1311554908p2/4273.jpg]. Reading these, it's very easy to see how he ended up writing a screenplay for [a: Ian Fleming|2565|Ian Fleming|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1364532740p2/2565.jpg]. I was hesitant at first to shelve this under 'horror', but as the stories went on it proved to be more than just an impulse; these stories are distinctly in the horror genre, although they are not without that wry, twisted, wholly James Bondian style humor. Think 'he disagreed with something that ate him' after a certain someone got mauled by a shark. These things happen...

The stories vary in quality, but I would be hardpressed to call any of them less than amusing. The story "Lamb to the Slaughter" is a classic, and a classic that has been aped by many at this point in time. The "Claud's Dog" series of stories is downright horrific but well worth getting through for the ending, and its horror is all the better for being firmly rooted within the realities of Greyhound racing. "The Great Automtic Grammatomizer" is cynical and dry and did get a good laugh out of me. The rest of the stories, well, I didn't actively dislike a single one and several do bear mentioning although I can't recall the titles.

All in all this is a good collection, but not a great one. I'd highly recommend "Lamb to the Slaughter" to anyone, but the remainder of the stories are a bit more difficult to pin down. I'd say this book is best if the aforementioned story gets a laugh from you, and if it doesn't... perhaps this just isn't the right book for you. [a: Roald Dahl|4273|Roald Dahl|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1311554908p2/4273.jpg] can be a bit harsh even in his kids work, after all. ( )

Hard to categorize. Some stories are really well done with fine finishing touches. Others don't appeal to me at all. But with that, you could call him versatile, too. Worth trying another one!