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Poison (A Roald Dahl Short Story)
Poison (A Roald Dahl Short Story)
Nov 22, 2025 3:52 PM

Author:Roald Dahl

Poison (A Roald Dahl Short Story)

Poison is a short, sharp, frightening story from Roald Dahl, the master of the shocking tale

In Poison, Roald Dahl, one of the world's favourite authors, tells a sinister story about the darker side of human nature. Here, a man waits in paralysing fear for the venomous snake asleep on his stomach to awaken . . .

Poison is taken from the short story collection Someone Like You, which includes seventeen other devious and shocking stories, featuring the wife who serves a dish that baffles the police; a curious machine that reveals the horrifying truth about plants; a very unusual painting which proves to be more valuable than anyone, especially its owner, could ever have predicted; and others.

'The absolute master of the twist in the tale.' (Observer )

This story is also available as a Penguin digital audio download read by Richard E. Grant.

Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.

Reviews

The Great magician

—— Spectator

One of the most widely read and influential writers of our generation

—— The Times

'An auspicious fiction début...engaging and enjoyable'

—— Observer

'Brings alive the clatter of carriages and the seedy, unsanitary alleys and thoroughfares of London...the research is impeccable...utterly convincing...the faultless historical perspective carries the reader willingly to the end'

—— Good Book Guide

'Full of energy and inventiveness.'

—— Sunday Mirror

'After cutting her teeth on two highly acclaimed factual books, art and antiques expert Janet Gleeson has put her specialist knowledge to good use in her first work of fiction...A fascinating tale of murder and intrigue'

—— Yorkshire Post

'A compulsive page-turner...will appeal especially to anyone who was spellbound by Charles Palliser's The Quincunx'

—— Daily Mail

'A delicious five-course banquet...a richly flavoured, full-bodied, 18th-century whodunnit ...You'll be kept guessing right up until the last page in this splendid novel'

—— Harpers & Queen

'Gleeson's first novel is a supremely juicy - a nd gory - murder mystery centring on the 18th-century workshops of Thomas Chippendale.'

—— The Times

Dodger is a hero who Dickens would love . . . You can't help loving Dodger as he ducks, dives, falls in love and rises in the Victorian world. This is a hero I can't wait to meet again.

—— Amanda Craig , The Times

Much as I love the Discworld series I also enjoy it when Terry Pratchett takes a break and gives his readers something else . . . Pratchett has the ambience of 1840s London spot on

—— Rachel Hyde , www.myshelf.com

Fine plot, excellent characters, and fun to read.

—— Irish Inn Book Club blog

Dodger is an amazing book . . . It creates a great display of historical London, contrasting the above ground cleanliness against the below ground filthy and often-times rotten sewers. Add in a lively set of support characters, funny dialogue, great action, and finish it all off with Dodger, one of the most lovable characters that I have read about.

—— Fantasybookreview.co.uk

Compulsively readable

—— Washington Post

Escape into Pratchett’s humorous and mysterious world and follow Dodger’s infamous trail through a tale where history and fantasy are entwined.

—— Independent School Parent Magazine

Terry Pratchett fans should not miss Dodger, his sassy take on Oliver Twist

—— The Sunday Times

A rollicking good yarn

—— Magpies Magazine

Dodger’s descriptions of the capital, from its slums and sewers to the homes of the middle classes and the bolt holes of the elite, paint a vivid, immersive picture. The attention to detail in both the break-neck storytelling and historical veracity are mightily impressive . . . characters remain as compelling and three dimensional as ever . . . Dodger feels fresh, vibrant and full of energy, a triumph that should be celebrated as yet another glorious gift from Narrativia.

—— SFX
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