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 . . .

‘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



Genre: Fantasy

"An exquisitely wrought, tenderly examined portrait of fatherhood, invention, legacy, tragedy, and myth that would make Roberto Calasso proud. The irony is, for such a title as Daedalus is Dead, this story and these characters have never felt more alive." - Nat Cassidy

"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

"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

"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. Sullivan has a clear eye not only for the details of this world, but for the small moments of joy, wonder, horror, and Sisyphean determination. It's all here, in one tightly packed novella that you might finish in one sitting." - Robert Repino

"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