Fiction books about Hatshepsut
This is a curated, but unranked, collection of fiction featuring Hatshepsut, the woman pharaoh of ancient Egypt, with a focus on novels in which she’s the main character. Some of it was published recently, and some more than a century ago. Some is traditionally published; some is independently published.
Please note that some of these titles are part of a series. The title listed will always be the first volume.
Like all ancient-world fiction lists on this site, this one is a living document that I’ll expand over time as I discover new titles. If you’d like to suggest a book for consideration, please submit it via the form at the bottom of the page.
Whether or not each book is right for you is a decision between you and Goodreads. A book’s inclusion on this list should not be taken as a personal recommendation from me. I’ve read some but not all of these titles. I have, however, researched all of them to minimise the chances of AI-generated or otherwise very low-quality fiction appearing on the list. Different readers have different tastes, and my goal is to spread the word about ancient-world fiction, not review it.
Daughter of the Gods
By Stephanie Thornton. Published in 2014. ‘Egypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh’s pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile’s marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut’s games forces her to confront her guilt... and sets her on a profoundly changed course.’
King and Goddess
By Judith Tarr. Published in 1996. ‘A fictional portrait of Queen Hatshepsut, a woman who loved her land too much to see it in the hands of one weak king after another, describes how she made a commoner her chief servant, her architect, and her secret paramour, and how she became pharaoh of all Egypt.’
Child of the Morning
By Pauline Gedge. Published in 1977. ‘She ruled Egypt not as Queen but as Pharaoh, thirty five centuries ago. Yet her name—Hatshepsut—does not appear in dynastic scrolls, nor is her reign celebrated on monuments. This is the story of the young woman who assumed the throne of Egypt, mastered the arts of war and government, lived her life by her own design, and ruled an empire—the only woman Pharaoh in history.’
Pharaoh
By Eloise Jarvis McGraw. Published in 1958. ‘Fictional adult novel about the life of “Queen” Hatshepsut.’ This book is hard to find. McGraw’s (much more available and very fun) book Mara, Daughter of the Nilealso features Hatshepsut, but as the story’s villain. (For another novel with a villainous Hatshepsut, see Malayna Evans’ Neferura, whose main character is Hatshepsut’s daughter.)
Daughter of Amun
By Moyra Caldecott. Published in 1989. ‘Ancient Egypt 3500 years ago - a land ruled by the all-powerful female king, Hatshepsut. Ambitious, ruthless and worldly: a woman who established Amun as the chief god of Egypt, bestowing his Priesthood with unprecedented riches and power. This is a story of vision and obsession, of mighty projects and heartbreaking failures – the story of a woman possessed by the desire for power and the need to love.’
The Crook and Flail
By Libby Hawker / L.M. Ironside. Published in 2013. ‘Hatshepsut longs for power, but she is constrained by her commitment to maat – the sacred order of righteousness, the way things must be. Her mother claims Hatshepsut is destined for Egypt’s throne – not as the king's chief wife, but as the king herself, despite her female body. But a woman on the throne defies maat, and even Hatshepsut is not so bold as to risk the safety of the Two Lands for her own ends…’
Her Majesty the King
By Patricia L. O’Neill. Published in 2010. ‘Her Majesty the King is the story of Hatshepsut’s turbulent path to the throne. She battles bigotry, heartbreak and betrayal in the glittering but treacherous world of Egypt’s royal court. Hatshepsut and Senenmut’s forbidden passion is one of history’s greatest untold love stories.’
Hatshepsut: The Pharaoh’s Daughter
By Leslie Howe. Published in 2012. ‘Hatshepsut, the Pharaoh's Daughter, has intrigued scholars for centuries. She acted as Pharaoh for over twenty years during the period known as the New Kingdom. Her people loved her. This fictional account explores the possibility that she is the Pharaoh's daughter who rescued Moses from the Nile. She was a strong, determined, imaginative and lovable girl and woman.’
Egyptian Princess: Princess Hatshepsut's Diary, 1490 BC
By Vince Cross. Published in 2008. Categorised as children’s / young adult. ‘In 1490 BC Asha, daughter of King Tuthmosis, lives a carefree life at the royal court in Thebes. But when a prophecy foretells that “a young woman will prove to be the best man in the Two Kingdoms,” she's caught up in a world of plots and danger...’
Truth is the Soul of the Sun
By Maria Isabel Pita. Published in 2009. ‘Before becoming Pharaoh, Hatshepsut served as God s Wife of Amun, an important economic and spiritual office created by her grandfather that holds the key to her mysterious and unprecedented power. Maatkare was not only a charismatic political leader, she was a mystic who inspired the wholehearted devotion of brilliant men.’
