Asterios and the Labyrinth

A CROWN CONTESTED.
A KINGDOM ON THE BRINK.
A LOVE UNYIELDING ‘GAINST STRIFE.

UPON KING MINOS’S DEATH, HIS SON, ASTERIOS, MUST ASCEND THE THRONE of the Kingdom of the Labrys, willing or nilling. Elsewise Krete shall sink into chaos under the rebel lords’ sway. The lives of his kin would be forfeit or cast into thralldom. His fellow, Prince Phaistos of Archanes, he that keeps his heart and leads his great host, would be lost to him without hope. ‘Twould be the end of the House of the Divine Bull and Europa.

The sorcery of his mother, elder sister, and mighty aunt grants him vantage o’er his enemies. Theirs is a dreadsome ally from Tartaros, the Mother of All Monsters. Yet he must prove his worth by leading his men in the sieges of Kydonia and Zakro. And ere lords Koronos and Lykosander spill further blood, he must rescue his captive beloved and those he cherishes.

Yet new perils arise. Argive invaders conspire with Lykosander, and the crown demands a marriage of state. But can such bonds safeguard his kingdom without sundering the love he bears Phaistos? As men and women contend each in their own sphere, only the Fates may tell what shall betide.

Author Biography

A retired copywriter and graphics designer from Los Angeles, California, Edmond Thornfield enjoys a writer’s and restaurateur’s life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

After a lifetime of reading works of classical literature from authors such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Gustave Flaubert, Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen, Sidney Sheldon, and Anne Rice, he decided to write what he has always searched for and never found: stories of gay protagonists who defied their age’s norms. He has completed the novel Chronicles of Cortona AD 1450 (publishing soon), in which a couple of male lovers fight against the Inquisition, and currently writes Asterios and the Labyrinth, a tale of love and betrayal in Minoan Crete, circa 1450 BCE.

Edmond has also written the Queer Classicist Manifesto, calling on other writers to join him on a crusade to restore LGBTQ+ voices from the past into classical literature.

You may engage with him on X (formerly Twitter); search for @edmondthorn22. Moreover, he would love to hear from you, regarding Meeting Donatello. Honest reviews help readers find the right books.