Blood of Amun

Title: Blood of Amun
Series: Hatshepsut's Legacy #1
Release Date: Late 2026
Genre: , ,

History remembers Hatshepsut as one of Egypt's greatest rulers. This is the story of how she became that woman.

Born into the royal house of Thutmose I, Hatshepsut spends her childhood surrounded by the splendour of Egypt's court. Guided by devoted mentors, bound by ancient traditions, and nurtured by a family whose lives are entwined with the gods, she grows up in a world of privilege, duty, and quiet expectation.

But childhood cannot last forever. With each passing year, the traditions of the royal court, the demands of her station, and the people who guide her gradually shape the future ruler hidden within the young princess.

Rich in history, faith, and palace intrigue, Blood of Amun is an intimate coming-of-age story that traces the extraordinary journey from Egyptian princess to one of history’s most remarkable rulers.

She had been very young when she first realised she was different to other children. In the dead of night, flickering images came to her — some so faint she could barely make them out, others sharp and insistent, as if they were determined to come to pass.

With time, she learned the fainter the image, the greater the possibility it might change. The stronger images could also change, although they seemed far more firmly set. The gods, it seemed, cared little for fixing the fate of an insignificant mortal. Those faintest images sometimes seemed little more than suggestions — possibilities of what might be or could be, not necessarily what should be. 

“Daughter of Seth,” the other children would cry, pointing at her as they ran away. “Lover of Isfet.”

“Hush, child,” her mother would say when the girl sat in her lap and sobbed. “You are more than they will ever be. In a different time, you might even have been a goddess.”

“But why won’t they listen to me?” the girl wailed. “I could help them.”

“They fear what they do not understand,” her mother said. “If they do not recognise what you are, then leave them to their fates. You, my dear child, will live to be a very old woman, and there will be folk who do listen to you. Important folk. Their choices will shape kingdoms, and you will guide them and mould them. Help them choose wisely. You need only wait for those folk to find you.”

“I don’t want to wait,” she said, sobbing. “I cannot bear to know what will happen and not be able to help.”

“That is your burden, my dear,” her mother said, rubbing the girl’s back as she cried. Her hand was warm and it soothed the girl even when she didn’t want it to. “You must find a way to make your peace with it. Those who will not listen do not deserve to benefit from your gift.”

“Nobody will ever listen to me.” Since it seemed she had no option but to resign herself to her fate, the girl sat up and dried her tears with the hem of her skirt. “I will ignore the pictures. They will surely go away if I pay them no heed.”

“The day will come, my dear, and perhaps sooner than you think, when someone will listen to you. She will be important, but without your guidance, she will have no possibility of becoming what she might be.”

“How do you know?” the girl asked. “How could you possibly know such a thing?”

But her mother pursed her lips.

Only many years later did the girl realise her mother had seen images of her own.