History Literature / SometimeNeverAFableForSupermen

* ShownTheirWork: Roald Dahl describes a nuclear blast in a surprisingly detailed and graphic way and [[CruelAndUnusualDeath how it "broiled" the protagonist]] alive]]. Also, he predicted the inventing of "dirty" neutron bombs.

* {{Expy}}: There is a charater named Stuffy who's completely an Expy of a character with the same name from Dahl's previous child-friendly Gremlin book, ''The Gremlins''. It's the same with the other two protagonists: Peternip is Gus, Progboot is Jamface. In fact, this book itself is a DarkerAndEdgier version of it.

->Nowadays the world is filled with people who have killed in the war. None of them ever feels guilty, however they wouldn't hesitate to report a fellow men if he were to cheat at cards. I am a peoplekiller. I've tried to feel guilty, but I can't seem to make myself. I would feel very guilty if I cheated at cards.
-->--Dahl, on the "Supermen", i.e., soldiers around the world

!!This book contains the following tropes:

* UrExample: First book to suggest humanity can end the world by themselves.

* ArtisticLicenseNuclearPhysics: Completely averted. Roald Dahl describes a nuclear blast in a surprisingly detailed and graphic way and [[TooMuchInformation how it "broiled" the protagonist]] [[CruelAndUnusualDeath alive]]. Also, he predicted the inventing of "dirty" neutron bombs.

* {{Expy}}: There is a charater named Stuffy who's completely an Expy of a character with the same name from Dahl's previous child-friendly Gremlin book, ''The Gremlins''. It's the same with the other two protagonists: Peternip is Gus, Progboot is Jamface.
** In fact, this book itself is a DarkerAndEdgier version of it.

* KillEmAll: See above. Roald Dahl had outdone Tomino!

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The pilots are addressed exclusively by their call-signs, in both dialog and narration (a good deal of these are [[IronicNickname ironic]], like the most boyishly handsome of the squadron being called "Ugly"). Even after World War II ends and they return to civilian life.

* AlternateHistory: The Cold War went boiling hot in this one, folks. WorldWarIII (and IV!) broke out, and no country was spared. In-between the two World Wars, the Gremlins make the following survey:

** [[{{Eagleland}} The United States]] was also badly battered (21 million casualties), but remains too big and distant for any other nuclear power to feasibly occupy, giving it all the time in the world to (re)build its own arsenal for retaliation.
** {{UsefulNotes/India}} sustained relatively light casualties, got united under a [[TheTheocracy theocratic]] [[GodEmperor dictator]], and became Asia's rising star along with...
** {{UsefulNotes/China}}, now controlled by a dictator with hypnotic speaking skills.[[note]]Possibly an homage to Literature/FuManchu's hypnotic eyes; further details are kept vague because the UsefulNotes/ChineseCivilWar was still ongoing in real life, and few - especially in the West - were willing to call a winner.[[/note]]

* ArtisticLicenseNuclearPhysics: Completely averted. Roald Dahl describes a nuclear blast in a surprisingly detailed and graphic way and [[TooMuchInformation how it "broiled" the protagonist]] [[{{Squick}} alive]]. Also, he predicted the inventing of "dirty" neutron bombs.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The pilots are addressed exclusively by their call-signs, in both dialog and narration (a good deal of these are [[IronicNicknames ironic]], like the most boyishly handsome of the squadron being called "Ugly"). Even after World War II ends and they return to civilian life.

* TheCakeIsALie: {{Downplayed}}. The Gremlin Leader promises his scouts Snozzberries [[FromMyOwnPersonalGarden from his personal orchard]] as rewards for a very exhausting and potentially life-threatening survey of post-World War II humanity. After they successfully do so, he has to be prodded into keeping his word; and as soon as the scouts are out of sight, he [[KickTheDog tells his steward to give them slightly higher-quality berries from the public orchards instead]].

** {{UsefulNotes/India}} sustained relatively light casualties, got united under a [[TheTheocracy theocratic dictator]], and became Asia's rising star along with...
** {{UsefulNotes/China}}, now controlled by a dictator with hypnotic speaking skills.[[note]]Possibly an homage to Literature/FuManchu's hypnotic eyes; the UsefulNotes/ChineseCivilWar was still ongoing in real life, and few - especially in the West - was willing to call a winner.[[/note]]

* {{Expy}}: There is a charater named Stuffy who's completely an Expy of a character with the same name from Dahl's previous children-friendly Gremlin book, ''The Gremlins''. It's the same with the other two protagonists: Peternip is Gus, Progboot is Jamface.

** [[RussiaTakesOverTheWorld The Soviet Union was the material winner of the war]], and despite [[AMillionIsAStatistic WeHaveReserves]] or so casualties, [[DayOfTheJackboot has occupied most if not all of continental Europe]]. (Britain and the nearby islands are implied to be such an ash-heap that nobody has even bothered claiming them.)

** [[RussiaTakesOverTheWorld The Soviet Union was the material winner of the war]], and despite [[AMillionIsAStatistic 30 million]] or so casualties, [[DayOfTheJackboot has occupied most if not all of continental Europe]]. (Britain and the nearby islands are implied to be such an ash-heap that nobody has even bothered claiming them.)

** UsefulNotes/India sustained relatively light casualties, got united under a [[TheTheocracy theocratic dictator]], and became Asia's rising star along with...
** UsefulNotes/China, now controlled by a dictator with hypnotic speaking skills.[[note]]Possibly an homage to Literature/FuManchu's hypnotic eyes; the UsefulNotes/ChineseCivilWar was still ongoing in real life, and few - especially in the West - was willing to call a winner.[[/note]]

* AlternateHistory: The Cold War went boiling hot in this one, folks. WorldWarIII (and IV!) broke out, and no country was spared.

* ArtisticLicenseNuclearPhysics: Completely averted. Roald Dahl describes a nuclear blast in a suprisingly detailed and graphic way and [[TooMuchInformation how it "broiled" the protagonist]] [[{{Squick}} alive]]. Also, he predicted the inventing of "dirty" neutron bombs.

''Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen'' is a 1948 Science Fiction novel by Creator/RoaldDahl. It is the first novel after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII to mention the atomic bomb and the end of the world. The plot is divided into two parts, the wartime adventure of RAF pilot Peternip during the [[UsefulNotes/TheHomeFront Battle Of Britain]] and the plan of the Gremlin Leader to outlive humanity in an alternative UsefulNotes/ColdWar. It is the most obscure of Dahl's books, but still can be found in some libraries in the U.S and Britain.

* AlternateHistory

* EverybodysDeadDave: The Gremlin leader finds out if there's no humans, no one can imagine Gremlins, and so they cease to exist. Poof.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Roald Dahl is in fact the first person to suggest that radiation can make people mutate into zombies. Though he is NotUsingTheZWord, just wrote that people became mad when they are exposed to radiation. Later, there are some virus developed to drive people mad and bite each other untill death.

''Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen'' is a 1948 Science Fiction novel by Creator/RoaldDahl. It is the first novel after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII to mention the atomic bomb and the end of the world. The plot is divided into two parts, the wartime adventure of RAF pilot Peternip during the [[TheHomeFront Battle Of Britain]] and the plan of the Gremlin Leader to outlive humanity in an alternative UsefulNotes/ColdWar. It is the most obscure of Dahl's books, but still can be found in some libraries in the U.S and Britain.

''Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen'' is a 1948 Science Fiction novel by Creator/RoaldDahl. It is the first novel after WorldWarII to mention the atomic bomb and the end of the world. The plot is divided into two parts, the wartime adventure of RAF pilot Peternip during the [[TheHomeFront Battle Of Britain]] and the plan of the Gremlin Leader to outlive humanity in an alternative UsefulNotes/ColdWar. It is the most obscure of Dahl's books, but still can be found in some libraries in the U.S and Britain.

-->Nowadays the world is filled with people who have killed in the war. None of them ever feels guilty, however they wouldn't hesitate to report a fellow men if he were to cheat at cards. I am a peoplekiller. I've tried to feel guilty, but I can't seem to make myself. I would feel very guilty if I cheated at cards.

* WriteWhoYouKnow: Dahl himself had been a fighter pilot in the Second World War a few years earlier, though not a nuclear scientist or politician.

''Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen'' is a 1948 Science Fiction novel by Creator/RoaldDahl. It is the first novel after WorldWarII to mention the atomic bomb and the end of the world. The plot is divided into two parts, the wartime adventure of RAF pilot Peternip during the [[TheHomeFront Battle Of Britain]] and the plan of the Gremlin Leader to outlive humanity in an alternative ColdWar. It is the most obscure of Dahl's books, but still can be found in some libraries in the U.S and Britain.

-->"Nowadays the world is filled with people who have killed in the war. None of them ever feels guilty, however they wouldn't hesitate to report a fellow men if he were to cheat at cards. I am a peoplekiller. I've tried to feel guilty, but I can't seem to make myself. I would feel very guilty if I cheated at cards."
-->Dahl on the "Supermen", i.e., soldiers around the world

* ApocalypseHow

''Sometimes Never: A Fable for Supermen'' is a 1948 Science Fiction novel by Creator/RoaldDahl. It is the first novel after WorldWarII to mention the atomic bomb and the end of the world. The plot is divided into two parts, the wartime adventure of RAF pilot Peternip during the [[TheHomeFront Battle Of Britain]] and the plan of the Gremlin Leader to outlive humanity in an alternative ColdWar. It is the most obscure of Dahl's books, but still can be found in some libraries in the U.S and Britain.