Novels Set in Ancient Egypt – Egyptian Fiction Books PDF

Egyptian Historical Fiction – Collection

Free novels about Egypt. Most of the books are historical fiction set in Ancient Egypt or are modern stories with Ancient Egypt as part of the plot.

Egypt Historical Fiction Books – Collection – Novels Set in Ancient Egypt

About 55 free online novels and some audio books, resulting from a search for historical fiction about Egypt. Authors include Ahdaf Soueif, Pauline Gedge, Najib Mahfuz, George Ebers, Charles Kingsley, Theophile Gautier, John Maddox Roberts, Jeremiah Curtin, Elizabeth Peters, Colleen McCullough and more.

Cleopatra’s Heir

Bradshaw, Gillian

2002

“The might and power of Julius Caesar, the man who conquered the known world. The beauty of Cleopatra, the woman who conquered the conqueror. Together they could have forged an empire whose power had never been seen before. Tragically, it was not meant to be. But what of the son who was born of their passion? Gillian Bradshaw gives us a possible answer in Cleopatra’s Heir, a riveting historical novel drawn from meticulous research and a unique historical premise.”

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Lily of the Nile – Egyptian Fiction Books PDF

Dray, Stephanie

2011

“The extraordinary daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony seeks to reclaim her birthright in the first novel of an epic historical fiction trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of America’s First Daughter. From the first breath of her life, young Princess Selene understands herself to be a cherished daughter and the future queen of Egypt. But when Alexandria falls and her parents are forced into suicide, the once-pampered princess and her two surviving brothers are left at the mercy of their captors and dragged through the streets of Rome in chains. Trapped in an empire that reviles her heritage and is suspect of her faith, Selene struggles for survival in a court of intrigue. She can’t hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her hands, nor can she stop the Roman emperor from using her powers for his own ends.” -Publisher.

A God Against the Gods

Return to Thebes – Historical Fiction Egypt Free

Drury, Allen

1976-78

A novel and its sequel concerned with the Egypt of 3,300 years ago and with the royal family of Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamon, and other members of the ill-fated Eighteenth Dynasty.

The Sisters

Ebers, George

1883

When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra

Falconer, Colin

2000

“Arrestingly beautiful and fiercely intelligent, Cleopatra VII of Egypt was barely more than a teenager when she inherited the richest empire in the world-one that stretched from the scorching deserts of lower Egypt to the shining Mediterranean metropolis of Alexandria. Imperiled at every turn by court conspiracies and Roman treachery, Cleopatra brazenly sought a partnership with the only man who could secure Egypt’s safety; Julius Caesar, a wily politician and battle-hardened general with a weakness for women. The result was a passionate love affair that scandalized Rome and thrust Cleopatra into the glittering but deadly world of imperial intrigue and warfare-a world that she would mesmerize and manipulate even after Caesar was gone. Colin Falconer takes the reader inside the walls of Alexandria’s great palaces and into Cleopatra’s very heart, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman who thrived and triumphed in a world ruled by men. This is the glorious story of a legendary woman, a story that blazes through thousands of years of history to capture the imagination of readers today.” -Publisher.

Day of the False King: A Novel of Murder in Ancient Iraq

Geagley, Brad

2006

Another brilliant and out-of-the-ordinary murder mystery by the author of Year of the Hyenas, with an unusual and interesting detective, this time trying to pursue and rescue his own ex-wife, sold into slavery in the city of Babylon (in modern times, near Baghdad) at a time of violence and great danger, much like today. Day of the False King continues the story of Semerket, Egypt’s Clerk of Investigations and Secrets. The time is approximately 1150 B.C., and the conspirators who plotted the overthrow of Pharaoh Ramses III have been tried and executed. But the old pharaoh has succumbed to the wounds inflicted by his Theban wife, Queen Tiya; it is his first-born son who now rules Egypt as his chosen successor, Ramses IV… ” -Publisher.

The Twice Born – Egyptian Fiction Books PDF

Seer of Egypt – Novels Set in Ancient Egypt

Gedge, Pauline

2007-8

The first two volumes of the Egypt historical fiction trilogy “The King’s Man”. The Twice Born: “When Huy is sent away from his family’s farm to a prestigious school for a chance at a better life as a scribe, he is soon befriended by the family of the local governor. But just as Huy starts to feel at home with his aristocratic new friends, an unexpected attack shockingly takes his life. After five days in a crypt being prepared for his own burial, Huy miraculously revives. His mysterious return to life makes him a pariah …”
Seer of Egypt: “Huy has risen from lowly origins to become the seer of the King. When the King summons Huy to court to interpret a dream, Huy must choose between keeping his patron’s favour and putting Egypt’s future in jeopardy.”

The Memoirs of Cleopatra

George, Margaret

1998

“A famous femme fatale tells all in this memoir of her reign as Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt. Yes, it is true, she did have herself smuggled, wrapped in a rug to Julius Caesar’s bedroom, and was pleasantly surprised. As for Marc Antony, a gorgeous man. From her earliest memories, to her final days as she prepares to commit suicide by snake bite. By the author of ‘The Autobiography of Henry VIII.'”

Lord of the Horizon

Grant, Joan Marshall

1969

“The fourth of Joan Grant’s “Far Memory” novels, Lord of the Horizon, set in Egypt at the close of the dark XIth Dynasty, is a profound commentary on the power of fear and the unlimited ability of light to shatter it. It is the sequel to Eyes of Horus. Lord of the Horizon is the story, told in the first person, of Ra-ab, heir to the Nomarch of the Oryx. Ra-ab is twenty-one as the story begins. The dawn for which Ra-ab and the Watchers of the Horizon fought in Eyes of Horus has come, but to ‘Send Fear into Exile’, as the Watchers’ password promised, proves difficult. The new Pharaoh, Amenemhet, marries the daughter of the Pharaoh he deposed, thereby enabling her mother, a Babylonian by birth, to retain influence. Like a spider, she spins a web of intrigue and manipulation which threatens to plunge Egypt back into darkness. Her prize is Amenemhet’s son Senusert, who will one day be Pharaoh himself.” -TLS.

Pharaoh Fantastic

Greenberg, Martin H., ed.

2002

“From the Biblical Ten Commandments to the latest Stargate and Mummy films, the world of Ancient Egypt continues to mystify, enthrall, and fire the imagination. These original new stories cross the shifting sands of time to dig up the truth about Moses’ visions, the magic of mummification, and the power of animal-gods that still prowl the desert of our dreams.”

King of the Two Lands: The Pharaoh Akhenaten

Hawkes, Jacquetta

1967

Elevated monotheism and reform efforts of the idealistic Pharaoh Akhenaton and his lovely wife Nefertiti.

Valley of the Kings: A Novel of Tutankhamun – Egyptian Fiction Books PDF

Holland, Cecelia

1997

“Re-creates the Egypt of Howard Carter in the early 20th century as that single-minded archeologist searches for the tomb of King Tutankhamen. With Carter as her narrator, Holland describes the heat, dust, thievery and bureaucracy of the time.” -Publisher.

Three Novels of Ancient Egypt: Khufu’s Wisdom; Rhadopis of Nubia; Thebes at War

Mahfouz, Naguib

2007

Voices from the Other World: “A volume of five masterly stories by the young Naguib Mahfouz, all inspired by the Egypt of the pharaohs. These stories reveal his wide reading of Egypt’s (and the world’s) oldest history and literature.”
Rhadopis of Nubia: “Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz mines the riches of his homeland’s ancient past in Rhadopis of Nubia, an unforgettable love story set against the high politics of Egypt’s Sixth Dynasty.”
Thebes at War: “Known and loved throughout Egypt as a work that celebrates the national character, Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz’s Thebes at War tells of a high point in Egyptian history–ancient Egypt’s defeat of Asiatic foreigners who had dominated northern Egypt for two hundred years. Filled with the grand clash of armies, staggering defeats, daring escapes, and glorious victories, and written at a time when Egypt was again under the sway of foreign powers, Thebes at War is a resounding call to remember Egypt’s long and noble history.”

Ancient Evenings

Mailer, Norman

1984

“Norman Mailer’s dazzlingly rich, deeply evocative novel of ancient Egypt breathes life into the figures of a lost era: the eighteenth-dynasty Pharaoh Rameses and his wife, Queen Nefertiti; Menenhetet, their creature, lover, and victim; and the gods and mortals that surround them in intimate and telepathic communion. Mailer’s reincarnated protagonist is carried through the exquisite gardens of the royal harem, along the majestic flow of the Nile, and into the terrifying clash of battle. An extraordinary work of inventiveness, Ancient Evenings lives on in the mind long after the last page has been turned.” -Publisher.

Joseph and his Brothers: The Stories of Jacob, Young Joseph, Joseph in Egypt, Joseph the Provider

Mann, Thomas

1938-1944

Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann’s four-part masterpiece re-creates the biblical story of Joseph. “Thomas Mann regarded his monumental retelling of the biblical story of Joseph as his magnum opus. He conceived of the four parts – The Stories of Jacob, Young Joseph, Joseph in Egypt, and Joseph the Provider – as a unified narrative, a “mythological novel” of Joseph’s fall into slavery and his rise to be lord over Egypt. Deploying lavish, persuasive detail, Mann conjures for us the world of patriarchs and pharaohs, the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine, and the universal force of human love in all its beauty, desperation, absurdity, and pain. The result is a brilliant amalgam of humor, emotion, psychological insight, and epic grandeur.” -Publisher.

The Golden Goblet

McGraw, Eloise Jarvis

1962

“Ranofer wants only one thing in the world: to be a master goldsmith like his beloved father was. But how can he when he is all but imprisoned by his evil half brother, Gebu? Ranofer knows the only way he can escape Gebu’s abuse is by changing his destiny. But can a poor boy with no skills survive on the cutthroat streets of ancient Thebes? Then Ranofer finds a priceless golden goblet in Gebu’s room and he knows his luck – and his destiny – are about to change.” -Publisher.

Pharaoh – Novels Set in Ancient Egypt

McGraw, Eloise Jarvis

1958

Queen Hatshepsut, acting as regent, proclaims herself Pharaoh and rules Egypt.

Heretic Queen: Heiress of Misfortune, Pharaoh’s Beloved

Moran, Michelle

2008

“In ancient Egypt, a forgotten princess must overcome her family’s past and remake history. Nefertari has been left to run wild in the palace, but catches the eye of the Crown Prince. All of Egypt opposes this union, and political adversity sets the country on edge.” Moran Heretic Queen free download or read online.

Nefertiti

Moran, Michelle

2007

“Fast-paced and historically accurate, Nefertiti is the dramatic story of two unforgettable women living through a remarkable period in history. Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped that her strong personality will temper the young ruler’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods. From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people but fails to see that powerful priests are plotting against her husband’s rule. The only person brave enough to warn the queen is her younger sister, Mutnodjmet.” – Publisher.

Shadow Hawk

Norton, Andre

1960

“Rahotep was the son of a noble Egyptian family, but an older half-brother had unjustly deprived him of his place at court and had secured his transfer to a distant desert outpost. There he led skirmishes against the Hyksos invaders who, in about 2000 B.C., had overrun Egypt and destroyed much of her ancient might.It was a time of intrigue and danger, a time when a young man might do great things. And Rahotep dared! With his band of splendid Nubian archers, skilled in the arts of desert warfare, he joined the sons of the Pharaoh in the first organized attack on their oppressors and proved himself, against great odds, a valiant citizen and courageous warrior.Andre Norton combines authentic detail and careful research in a narrative filled with swift action, violence and high courage. Shadow Hawk vividly recreates the ancient world of Egypt and its people in an important moment in history.” -Publisher. YA.

Men of Bronze

Oden, Scott

2004

“It is 526 B.C. and the empire of the Pharaohs is dying, crushed by the weight of its own antiquity. Decay riddles its cities, infects its aristocracy, and weakens its armies. While across the expanse of Sinai, like jackals drawn to carrion, the forces of the King of Persia watch and wait. Leading the fight to preserve the soul of Egypt is Hasdrabal Barca, Pharaoh’s deadliest killer.” -Publisher.

The Egyptologist – Egyptian Fiction Books PDF

Phillips, Arthur

2005

“King Tut’s tomb has been discovered, but Egyptologist Ralph Trilipush finds himself in a far less spectacular position when he stakes everything on a scrap of hieroglyphic pornography. Halfway around the world, an Australian detective sets off on a globetrotting quest to find a murderer. These events, seemingly unrelated, are about to collide in a spectacular fashion.”

Desert God – Novels Set in Ancient Egypt

Smith, Wilbur A.

2014

“On the gleaming banks of the Nile, the brilliant Taita — a freed slave and advisor to the Pharaoh — devises a plan to destroy Egypt’s most feared enemy, the mighty Hyksos. His quest will take him on an epic journey up the ancient river, through Arabia and the magical city of Babylon and across the open seas — all in the company of the Pharaoh’s exquisite sisters.”

The Eye of Horus

Thurston, Carol

2001

“Hired by the Egyptology department of a Denver museum to create displays for an exhibit, medical illustrator Kate McKinnon encounters an intriguing enigma: the mummy of a young woman who lived thirty-three centuries ago, her ribs broken, one hand shattered, and a man’s skull between her legs. As the mummy’s remarkable secrets come to light, a parallel story begins to unfold of a young girl born into a nest of vipers in an age when godlike pharaohs reigned in unimaginable splendor. Suddenly Kate finds herself on a twisting path leading her deeper into the shadows of ancient Kemet…and ever closer to the shocking revelations of a crime so staggering its horrific power remains undiminished by the relentless passage of time.”

The Goddess Queen: A Novel Based on the Life of Nefertiti

Vidal, Nicole

1965

About Queen Nefertiti and her husband Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton) and their influence on Egyptian religion.

The Egyptian – Egyptian Fiction Books PDF

Waltari, Mika

1949

“First published in the 1940s [in Finnish] and widely condemned as obscene, The Egyptian outsold every other American novel published that same year, and remains a classic; readers worldwide have testified to its life-changing power. It is a full-bodied re-creation of a largely forgotten era in the world’s history: an Egypt when pharaohs contended with the near-collapse of history’s greatest empire. This epic tale encompasses the whole of the then-known world, from Babylon to Crete, from Thebes to Jerusalem, while centering around one unforgettable figure: Sinuhe, a man of mysterious origins who rises from the depths of degradation to get close to the Pharoah … -Publisher.

Sarchedon: A Legend of the Great Queen – Novels Set in Ancient Egypt

Whyte-Melville, George J.

1871

Romance of a soldier and a maiden in the time of Semiramis in Egypt and Assyria.