Daedalus is Dead

Lose yourself in this stunning retelling of the Greek myth of Daedalus, Icarus and the Minotaur

By: Seamus Sullivan

Narrated by: Peter Ganim

‘This book will destroy you’
– Premee Mohamed, author of The Butcher of the Forest

Daedalus of Crete is many things: the greatest architect in the world; the constructor of the Labyrinth that imprisoned the Minotaur; and the grieving father of Icarus, the boy who plunged into the sea as they flew from the grasp of the tyrannical King Minos.

Now, Daedalus seeks to reunite with Icarus in the underworld even as he revisits his own memories of Crete, hoping to understand what went so terribly wrong at the end of his son’s life. Daedalus will confront any terror to see Icarus again – whether it be the vengeful spirit of Minos, the cunning Queen Persephone or the insatiable ghost of the Minotaur.

But the truth, stalking Daedalus in the labyrinth of his own heart, might be too monstrous for him to bear . . .

‘Sullivan breathes new bold life into old myths by asking one devastating question: why did Icarus do it?’ – Sunyi Dean, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book Eaters

‘Rich and vividly imagined; as intricate, cruel and haunted as the labyrinth at its heart’ – Malcolm Devlin, author of And Then I Woke Up

‘What starts as a story you’ve heard before quickly spirals into something new and exciting. This is a novella that crafts its own set of wings and absolutely soars’ – FanFiAddict

Critic reviews

An accomplished and powerful story about love, obsession and the labyrinth of lies that we build around ourselves. Sullivan breathes new bold life into old myths by asking one devastating question: why did Icarus do it? (Sunyi Dean, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book Eaters)

An exquisitely wrought, tenderly examined portrait of fatherhood, invention, legacy, tragedy and myth . . . this story and these characters have never felt more alive (Nat Cassidy, author of Mary: An Awakening of Terror and Nestlings)

Soars far above any retelling I have read – twisty, poetic, beautiful, plumbing every depth of despair and height of joy possible in human, beast and god. This book will destroy you (Premee Mohamed, author of The Butcher of the Forest)

Rich and vividly imagined; as intricate, cruel and haunted as the labyrinth at its heart. Here is something ancient made thrillingly, blisteringly new (Malcolm Devlin, author of And Then I Woke Up)

Daedalus Is Dead is a poetic requiem written in sturdy, buoyant prose that ferries you across brilliantly reimagined Greek mythology to deliver you to the shores of a story about love and fatherhood and the endless maze of the human heart. A stunning debut; Sullivan has achieved something special here (Moses Ose Utomi, Ignyte Award-winning author of The Lies of Ajungo)

Daedalus Is Dead is more than a mere reimagining of Greek myth. It takes an epic, sweeping, page-turning adventure and makes it unnervingly intimate, a meditation on meaning, vulnerability, grief and longing that spans a lifetime and an afterlife . . . It’s all here, in one tightly packed novella that you might finish in one sitting (Robert Repino, author of the War with No Name series)

Might just be the best thing I’ve read all year . . . the story is heartbreaking and wonderfully creative, and the end brought me to tears

The best stories stick with you long after you’ve finished them, and I still haven’t stopped thinking about Daedalus is Dead