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The Shadow Prince
Series · 3 books · 2021-2025

Books in series

The Shadow Prince book cover
#1

The Shadow Prince

2021

In this middle grade solarpunk novel set in an alternate Egyptian universe, twelve-year-old Ash must compete and survive to become the shadow—and protector—of the prince. FIVE DEADLY TESTS, ONLY ONE SHADOW PRINCE Growing up in a village in the middle of the desert, Ash thinks his future holds nothing but sand, sun, a few annoying bullies, and lots of boring chores. Boy, is he wrong! On the night before his twelfth birthday, Ash learns that he was born on the same day as Prince Khufu, which makes him eligible to compete to be the prince's shadow, a coveted position as the friend and bodyguard of the boy destined to be pharaoh of all of Egypt. At first, Ash can't believe it, but when a floating royal barge takes Ash and his mentor to the bustling, magical, solar-powered capital, things get real. What awaits Ash and the candidates is deadly—five days of dangerous tests filled with demon fighting, monster slaying, and magical spells—each overseen by a different Egyptian god. Ash finds two friends willing to fight by his side—the first friends he's ever made. But there are candidates who will lie, cheat, and even harm others to win. Not all will survive, and only one can become the prince's shadow. To make matters worse, Ash is up against Lord Set, the devious god of chaos, who is secretly working to make the candidates fail. But if they do, the very survival of the kingdom is in peril. Can Ash and his new friends save Egypt? And will any of them survive to become the shadow prince?
The Longest Night in Egypt book cover
#2

The Longest Night in Egypt

2023

The Shadow Prince saga continues as Ash and his heroic friends rush to save Ra from the belly of Apep and bring light back to an Egypt that has been plunged into darkness. Back at his evil tricks, Set, the devious god of chaos has rid Egypt of the sun god Ra and plunged the kingdom into never-ending night. He's even managed to trap the rest of the gods in a palace chamber without the use of their magic. Now demons run amok in the city, filling it with chaos and destruction. But hope is not lost! Ash, Prince Khufu, Seret, Gilli, and two new friends, Thea and Iset, must brave the depths of the Duat—the spooky, cavernous Egyptian underworld—to rescue Lord Ra. Numerous demons fly about them in the darkness. Deadly peril awaits them around every craggy corner. They must fight, trick, sneak, and solve riddles to pass through each successive gate. If Team Shadow Prince can manage to get through all that, they will still have to face a demon like none they've seen before: the fierce, wily, enormous, god-eating serpent, Apep. Will the kids prevail? Can Ash and his friends reunite Ra's magic with the sun and bring power and light back to the kingdom? Or will Egypt remain in darkness forever?
A Rage of Lions book cover
#3

A Rage of Lions

2025

In the third installment in The Shadow Prince saga, Ash and his friends race against time to save Egypt, again. This time it’s to stop a war with Kush and its raging, roaring, lion-headed god Apedemak. It takes Ash some convincing–since heroes get tired!–for Princess Sia to enlist him and his friends on a dangerous new quest. Sia believes Prince Rami is being held against his will by Lord Set, the mischievous Egyptian god of chaos. Does she really expect them to go outside of Egypt? All the way to Kush? Besides, didn’t Prince Rami betray them and his family? Across the border, the kids discover things are worse than they imagined. Lord Set has convinced Apedemak, Kush’s powerful lion god of war, to gather his massive army of the living and dead to invade Egypt. The odds do not look good for Ash and his friends, but Team Shadow Prince may have a chance when they meet a boy who wields a strange Kushite magic channeled through henna tattoos on his skin. Will Ash and his friends stand a chance against the mighty rage of lions that threatens all of Egypt? Or will Lord Set’s deadly plan finally bring Egypt to its knees?

Author

David Anthony Durham
David Anthony Durham
Author · 18 books

David Anthony Durham was born in New York City to parents of Caribbean descent. He grew up mostly in Maryland, but has spent the last fifteen years on the move, jumping from East to West Coast to the Rocky Mountains, and back and forth to Scotland and France several times. He currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. Or... actually, no he doesn't. He's back in New England at the moment. He is the author of a trilogy of fantasy novels set in Acacia: The Sacred Band, The Other Lands, and The War With The Mein, as well as the historical novels The Risen, Pride of Carthage, Walk Through Darkness, and Gabriel’s Story. He’s won the John W Campbell Award for Best New Writer, a Legacy Award, was a Finalist for the Prix Imaginales and has twice had his books named NY Times Notable Book of the year. His novels have been published in the UK and in French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Swedish. Three of his novels have been optioned for development as feature films. David received an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Maryland. He has taught at the University of Maryland, the University of Massachusetts, The Colorado College, for the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, Cal State University, and at Hampshire College. He's currently on the faculty of the Stonecoast MFA Program. He reviews for The Washington Post and The Raleigh News & Observer, and has served as a judge for the Pen/Faulkner Awards. He also writes in George RR Martin's weird and wonderful Wild Cards universe. He feels like the process makes him exercise a whole new set of creative muscles, and he loves the feeling.

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The Shadow Prince