Roald Dahl's name is so closely associated with children's literature that people are often surprised to discover he wrote for adult audiences, too. And, while many of the stories collected in Tales of the Unexpected are essentially comedic even when dealing with crime or general human unpleasantness, a few of them qualify full-bloodedly as horror stories: not only "Man from the South" (Dahl's single most famous story for adults, and one which has been anthologized in some horror collections), but also "The Landlady" and "Skin." The former is a near-perfect vignette about a seventeen-year-old Londoner who accepts a job in a strange town and seeks lodging upon his arrival; the latter, in which a broken old man recalls his friendship with a famous painter (who commemorated that friendship with a singular gift), contains the most chilling closing paragraph of any story I've ever read.

The aforementioned are the highlights for horror fans (those interested in Dahl's take on sci-fi absurdism may also enjoy "Royal Jelly"), but all of the stories are eminently readable. ( )

Druhý slovenský výber z poviedok majstra čierneho humoru Angličana Roalda Dahla prináša štrnásť tematicky rôznorodých príbehov, ktoré nás znovu presviedčajú o autorovej nevyčerpateľnej invencii a fascinujúcom rozprávačskom u­mení.
Časť výberu tvoria zdanlivo všedné príhody, aké sa môžu stať hocikomu z nás. na pozadí obyčajnej udalosti sa však odvíja nečakaná zápletka vrcholiaca šokujúcim rozuzlením. Výstižne charakterizované postavy sú nositeľmi typicky ľudských slabostí motivujúcich ich konanie. No akákoľvek chladná vypočítavosť a rozumová kalkulácia napokon stroskotajú na nepredvídanej zhode okolností, ironickej hre osudu, a všetky plány sa zmaria. Dahl tak nastoľuje svojskú spravodlivosť, ktorá víťazí celkom nečekaně a akoby mimochodom – aj keď nie vždy celkom legálnymi prostriedkami. Zlo sa ako hodený bumerang vracia na hlavu svojho pôvodcu.
Ďalší tematický okruh tvoria poviedky s prvkami vedeckej fantastiky, absurdity, mystiky, hororu a psychothrilleru, ktoré posúvajú príbeh neraz až do šibeničných polôh. no aj tu sa Dahl prejavuje ako majster svojho remesla – okrem nesporných literárnych hodnôt sú hlavnými atribútmi jeho tvorby efektne vykonštruovaná zápletka, dramatická gradácia deja, prekvapujúca pointa a nikdy nechýbajúci anglický humor.

Dahl is an absolute master of brevity, drawing the reader in and painting vivid character studies with just a few words. The stories in this collection have a fairly common structure (something unusual or macabre happens to some ordinary-ish characters), but he manages to get something different out of each tale. They're all gripping and whilst Dahl doesn't always hit a satisfying high note at the end, when he does it's a joyous thing. Favourites for me in this collection were 'Man from the South', 'Lamb to the Slaughter' and 'Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat'.
HUGELY recommended. ( )

A favorite. Dahl definitely has types in this book, but the twist endings are a delight, the conceits each a charming curiosity. "Hitchhiker" was one of the stories which made me want to write. ( )

i loved roald dhal as a kid and i love him even more as an adult. so satisfying to see nasty people get their comeuppance ( )