Some Time Never: A Fable for Supermen

1948 novel by Roald Dahl

Some Time Never: A Fable for Supermen

First edition (US)

Author| Roald Dahl
Language| English
Genre| Fantasy novel, Satire
Publisher| Scribner's (United States)
Collins (UK)

Publication date

| 1948
Publication place| United States
Media type| Print (Hardback)
Pages| 244 pp

Some Time Never: A Fable for Supermen is a 1948 book by Roald Dahl, his first adult novel. Dahl began writing it after editor Maxwell Perkins expressed an interest in publishing a novel-length book if Dahl were to write it.[1] The book was a critical failure,[2] although it is historically noteworthy as one of the first novels about nuclear war to be published after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[3] The story is a darker take on the same premise as Dahl's first book for children, The Gremlins.

## Synopsis

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In 1943, RAF pilot Peternip discovers a gremlin or miniature being, drilling holes on the wing of his aircraft, so he sets off with his squadron to unearth the story behind them. Many years ago gremlins were the rulers of the world, but they were forced underground by the spread of humanity and have spent the time since then planning their revenge. They briefly emerge during the Battle of Britain, but the experience makes them decide that humankind would destroy themselves without their intervention. The gremlins wait until the time is right - after World War III and World War IV decimate the earth, they emerge and take over the world. The story ends with the gremlins, unable to exist in a world without humans, disappearing too; finally, only the worm remains.

## Reception

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Sometime Never was met with mostly negative reviews,[2] but did receive some praise from the Glasgow Herald and The Saturday Review.[4][5]

## Editions

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The work was first published by Scribner's in the United States in 1948 under the title Some Time Never: A Fable for Supermen. The UK edition, entitled simply Sometime Never, was published by Collins in 1949. The final chapter of the UK version was revised slightly to elaborate on the ultimate disappearance of the Gremlins.[6]

As of 2024[update], the work has never been reprinted in English, although a Dutch translation (Ooit en te nimmer) has run through several editions.[7]

## References

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### Citations

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1. ^ Treglown, Jeremy."Storyteller: the Life of Roald Dahl by Donald Sturrock." The Telegraph, 9 September 2010. Retrieved: 31 August 2013.
2. ^ a b Lennon, Peter. "Suffer the Little Children." New Straits Times, 25 August 1996. Retrieved: 31 August 2013.
3. ^ Treglown, Jeremy (1995). Roald Dahl: A Biography. Harvest. p. 88\. ISBN 0156001993.
4. ^ Evans, Bergen. "Survivors of World War IV: Some Time Never, by Roald Dahl (review)." The Saturday Review, 3 April 1948. Retrieved: 31 August 2013.
5. ^ "New Novels: Future of the Race." The Glasgow Herald, 31 March 1949. Retrieved: 31 August 2013.
6. ^ Tuck 1974, p. 125.
7. ^ "Some Time Never - Roald Dahl". www.roalddahl.com. Retrieved 6 January 2018. "Some Time Never is still available to purchase in Holland, but is currently out-of-print in other countries."

### Bibliography

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* Treglown, Jeremy. Roald Dahl: A Biography. New York: Harvest/Harcourt Brace, 1995, first edition 1994. ISBN 0-15-600199-3.
* Tuck, Donald H. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Chicago: Advent, 1974. ISBN 0-911682-20-1.

## External links

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* Roald Dahl (Official Website) Archived 3 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine

* v
* t
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Roald Dahl

Children's fiction|

* The Gremlins (1943)
* James and the Giant Peach (1961)
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)
* The Magic Finger (1966)
* Fantastic Mr Fox (1970)
* Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (1972)
* Danny, the Champion of the World (1975)
* The Enormous Crocodile (1978)
* The Twits (1980)
* George's Marvellous Medicine (1981)
* The BFG (1982)
* The Witches (1983)
* The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me (1985)
* Matilda (1988)
* Esio Trot (1990)
* The Vicar of Nibbleswicke (1991)
* The Minpins (1991)

Children's poetry|

* Revolting Rhymes (1982)
* Dirty Beasts (1983)
* Rhyme Stew (1989)

Adult novels|

* Some Time Never: A Fable for Supermen (1948)
* My Uncle Oswald (1979)

Short story
collections|

* Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying (1946)
* Someone Like You (1953)
* Kiss Kiss (1960)
* Twenty-Nine Kisses from Roald Dahl (1969)
* Switch Bitch (1974)
* The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More (1977)
* The Best of Roald Dahl (1978)
* Tales of the Unexpected (1979)
* More Tales of the Unexpected (1980)
* The Roald Dahl Omnibus (1986)
* Two Fables (1986)
* Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: The Country Stories of Roald Dahl (1989)
* The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl (1991)
* The Roald Dahl Treasury (1997)
* The Great Automatic Grammatizator (1998)
* Skin and Other Stories (2000)
* Roald Dahl: Collected Stories (2006)

Non-fiction|

* The Mildenhall Treasure (1946)
* Boy: Tales of Childhood (1984)
* Going Solo (1986)
* Measles: A Dangerous Illness (1986)
* Memories with Food at Gipsy House (1991)
* Roald Dahl's Guide to Railway Safety (1991)
* My Year (1993)

Film adaptations|

* 36 Hours (1964)
* Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
* Danny, the Champion of the World (1989)
* The BFG (1989)
* Breaking Point (1989)
* The Witches (1990)
* Four Rooms (1995)
* James and the Giant Peach (1996)
* Matilda (1996)
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
* Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
* Roald Dahl's Esio Trot (2015)
* The BFG (2016)
* Revolting Rhymes (2016)
* Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (2017)
* The Witches (2020)
* Matilda the Musical (2022)
* The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)
* Wonka (2023)
* The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More (2024)
* The Twits (2025)

Film scripts|

* The Bells of Hell Go Ting-a-ling-a-ling (1966, unfinished)
* You Only Live Twice (1967)
* Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
* The Night Digger (1971)
* Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Television series|

* 'Way Out (1961)
* Tales of the Unexpected (1979–88)
* episodes

Musicals and plays|

* The Honeys (1955)
* Fantastic Mr. Fox (1998)
* Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka (2004)
* The Witches (2008)
* The Golden Ticket (2010)
* James and the Giant Peach (2010)
* Matilda (2010)
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013)
* Fantastic Mr Fox (2016)
* The Witches (2023)

See also|

* Bibliography
* Short stories bibliography
* Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories (1983)
* Gipsy House
* Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre
* Roald Dahl Children's Gallery
* Patricia Neal (wife)
* Olivia Dahl (daughter)
* Tessa Dahl (daughter)
* Ophelia Dahl (daughter)
* Lucy Dahl (daughter)
* Sophie Dahl (granddaughter)
* Phoebe Dahl (granddaughter)
* Felicity Dahl (second wife)
* Quentin Blake
* Wade-Dahl-Till valve
* Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse (2020)
* To Olivia (2021)
* Revision controversy
* Giant (2024)

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