Daedalus is Dead

‘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 . . .

Breathtaking and profound, Daedalus is Dead is the remarkable debut from Seamus Sullivan – a beautiful reimagining of the Greek myth of Daedalus.

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‘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