Unhappily Ever After

Tom Phillips retells five folk tales for adults, concentrating on the stories that continue after the promise of a happy ending has fallen apart. These are tales of abandoned men, foolish choices, painful consequences and a figure who remains waiting for death, reflecting a harsher view of how traditional storytelling can end.

Among the named stories are The Soldier and Death, The Fisherman and the Selkie, The Ghost in the Car Park and The Man Who Went to Find His Luck. Phillips gives each tale more room to develop, adding fuller worlds and distinct moral questions. The collection shifts between older traditions and modern touches, while keeping faith with folklore’s capacity for warning, consequence and grim humour.