A wonderful novel for children, and not only. Myth, history, and archaeology, feelings and ideals intricately weave with the plot and the vibrant characters of the work. Nikos Kazantzakis, who loved children so much, offers them a book written with inspiration, care, and great passion, a book that captivates anyone who opens it.

"Kazantzakis, the greatest of Greek writers, narrates here a very ancient myth, that of the Minotaur. The Minoan civilization develops around the palace of Knossos. Outside, there are festivals, bullfights, and dances with snakes, and inside the mysterious Labyrinth lives the fearsome Minotaur. Athens is nothing more than a small state, oppressed by Minoan authority and exhausted by the tribute it must pay to the monster.

Will Prince Theseus, whose love is contested by King Minos’ daughters, Ariadne and Phaedra, manage to defeat the Minotaur, win the heart of his beloved, and free Athens? Will the blacksmith reveal the secret of the new weapon? Will Daedalus make men fly? Will Icarus and his friends manage to escape from the palace?

"Under the guise of a passionate adventurous novel, in which the most exciting incidents occur, Kazantzakis expresses his entire perception of History: a world overly aged, overly rich, and precisely because of this, rotten, is collapsing; another, younger, more fiery, nobler, takes its place. The values of hope, courage, freedom, and democracy, which he loves so much, emerge intertwined with the plot.

"A beautiful book, where Kazantzakis' audience will find what they love in his work: the tangible presence of the things and people to whom the author lends his boundless and urgent love for life."