The Shadow Prince

by David Anthony Durham 3 books in this series

The Shadow Prince series follows Ash, a village boy chosen to compete for the role of companion and protector to Prince Khufu in a fantastical version of Old Kingdom Egypt. The books combine a recognisable Egyptian royal world with solar technology, magic, monsters and gods who intervene directly in human affairs. Ash’s friendship with Khufu, Seret, Gilli and their companions develops through dangerous trials that repeatedly place the future of the kingdom at risk.

The trilogy moves from the royal competition that introduces Ash to the prince, through a descent into the Duat to restore the sun god Ra, and then beyond Egypt into Kush as conflict threatens to become open war. Egyptian and Kushite mythology provides the supernatural framework, while Khufu and the setting draw on the Fourth Dynasty and the wider world of ancient northeastern Africa.

Reading order

Books in this series (3 books)

1. The Shadow Prince

David Anthony Durham

First published 2021

3.1(6)

In a fantastical version of Old Kingdom Egypt, twelve-year-old Ash learns that he was born on the same day as Prince Khufu and is therefore eligible to compete for the position of the prince’s shadow—his companion, protector and future bodyguard. Taken from his desert village to…

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2. The Longest Night in Egypt

David Anthony Durham

First published 2023

4.0(5)

Set has removed Ra from the sky, trapped the other gods and plunged Egypt into an unnatural night. Ash, Prince Khufu, Seret, Gilli, Thea and Iset must enter the Duat, the Egyptian underworld, to find the missing sun god and restore light to the kingdom. Their…

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3. A Rage of Lions

David Anthony Durham

First published 2025

2.5(5)

Ash is drawn into another crisis when Princess Sia asks Team Shadow Prince to travel beyond Egypt in search of Prince Rami. Their journey takes them into Kush, where Set has persuaded Apedemak, the lion-headed god of war, to gather an army of the living and…

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