Death of an Old Old Man (A Roald Dahl Short Story)

About This Audiobook

Roald Dahl’s *Death of an Old Old Man* isn’t just a war story—it’s a razor-thin fable about fate, hubris, and the absurdity of combat, delivered with the author’s signature dark wit. Clocking in at a lean 34 minutes, this audiobook distills the horror of aerial dogfights into a single, devastating punchline, making it perfect for listeners who crave impact over epic sprawl. Julian Rhind-Tutt’s narration is a masterclass in restraint: his clipped, almost clinical British delivery lulls you into a false sense of detachment before the story’s gut-punch twist lands with surgical precision.

What sets this apart from typical war fiction is Dahl’s refusal to romanticize or moralize. The protagonist isn’t a hero or a villain—just a young pilot caught in the machinery of war, his confidence unraveling in real time. The audiobook’s brevity isn’t a flaw; it’s the point. Every second of Rhind-Tutt’s performance, from the dry humor to the creeping dread, serves the story’s brutal efficiency. Ideal for fans of *Catch-22*’s satire or *The Things They Carried*’s psychological weight, but with Dahl’s uniquely twisted flair."

"review": "I’ll admit: I hit play on *Death of an Old Old Man* expecting a quirky Dahl tale, not a 34-minute gut punch. But that’s the genius of it—the story starts so casually, almost whimsically, with Julian Rhind-Tutt’s narration setting a tone that’s part wartime dispatch, part dark fairy tale. His voice is smooth, almost detached, which makes the shift into horror all the more jarring. There’s a moment midway through where his pacing slows just a fraction, and you *know* something’s coming. That’s the kind of narrative control that turns a short story into an experience.

The real strength here is how Dahl subverts expectations. The ‘old old man’ of the title isn’t who you think, and the twist isn’t just clever—it’s *mean*, in the best way. That said, the brevity does come at a cost: the protagonist’s emotional arc feels rushed, and I wished for just a few more minutes to marinate in the dread. Rhind-Tutt’s performance is impeccable, though his upper-crust accent occasionally softens the story’s rawness—like hearing a war crime recounted over tea. The production is crisp, with no distractions, letting Dahl’s prose and the narrator’s timing do the heavy lifting. If you love war stories that skip the glory and go straight for the jugular, this is your audiobook. Just don’t expect to walk away unscathed."

"tags": [
"darkly satirical war fiction