- The seven stories in this collection are brilliant examples of the bizarre and the wholly unexpected world that Roald Dahl, "that great magician" (Spectator), made his own. It includes not only the trademark dark humour and otherworldly goings-on of "The Swan" and "The Boy Who Talked With Animals", but a fascinating short essay on how he started writing, his first ever story, "A Piece of Cake", and the delightfully surprising title tale of a rich young idler who develops a most remarkable ability.Reading them, you"ll find that people are far stranger than even you suspected ...