Daedalus is Dead
02 October 2025Synopsis
‘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, who plunged into the sea as father and son 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.
Details
02 October 2025
9781035085903Reviews
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 youPremee 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 newMalcolm Devlin, author of And Then I Woke Up
An exquisitely wrought, tenderly examined portrait of fatherhood, invention, legacy, tragedy, and myth . . . this story and these characters have never felt more aliveNat Cassidy, author of Mary: An Awakening of Terror and Nestlings
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 hereMoses Ose Utomi, Ignyte Award-winning author of The Lies of Ajungo
