The Roald Dahl Omnibus: Perfect Bedtime Stories For Sleepless Nights

The sub-title Perfect Bedtime Stories for Sleepless Nights is ambiguous - these stories are more likely to cause sleepless nights! Dark, funny, creepy, or surprising, they are all creative and entertaining. Like any short story collection it is perfect for dipping into occasionally, reading one or two at a time.

This is a collection of Roald Dahl's early stories. They are adult stories, most employ very dark and/or erotic humor. Bottom line: You really don't want to pick this one up for that seven-year-old in your life that just adored "James and the Giant Peach"...

The first few stories seemed very reminiscent of old episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (of course, a couple were made into actual Hitch episodes so that might be what sparked that train of thought). They were suspenseful little tales that typically employed a twist(ed?) ending.

I found a few of the stories that came later in the book a bit disturbing. I skipped over the remainder of the "Claud's Dog" stories after "The Ratcatcher" because I had trouble stomaching that one. show more "William and Mary" had a similar section dealing with animal experimentation that I had trouble with. Please don't take that as a pan, however. The strong reactions I felt toward all the stories I read really indicates the power of Dahl's writing. The extremes he goes to are fascinating. show less

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 being bloody...they are just enough to get under your skin and many have sudden twists at the end. Dahl interjects his own humor in some but it's of an unsettling variety. Often, themes tend to revolve around women...women murdereresses (both show more intentionally and unintentionally) and women with their giant lips ready to swallow men whole...ha! I find this sort of amusing. But there are many others that don't revolve around this idea that are very original creations, especially for their time. (Originally published in 1949.) In any case, I would say it's an overall strong collection and even though it appears to not be completely comprehensive, at nearly 700 pages it covers quite a bit of territory (and also makes me want to read the rest!) show less

I tried reading this at night before sleeping. The stories are well crafted and somewhat interesting, but I didn't like any of the characters and felt that I got nothing out of the stories except a bad feeling. I abandoned this book after about 1/3 when I realized none of the stories would be even moderately enjoyable.

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.

Roald Dahl always has been, and always will be, among my favorite authors. These short stories more completely show off his bizarre taste and tendencies, and showcase that distinct writer's voice that always indescribedly makes me feel as though I'm taking a vacation.

Who doesn't love Roald Dahl? There are some seriously great short stories that range from the odd twist to the down right zany story. This has been a great book to read over the holiday break!