The Shadow King is a 2019 novel by Ethiopian-American writer Maaza Mengiste, published by W. W. Norton & Company on September 24, 2019.

[2] The novel focuses on the Second Italo-Ethiopian War which resulted in the Ethiopians putting an end to Italian occupation.

[4] On the January/February 2020 issue of Bookmarks, the book received (4.0 out of 5) stars, with the critical summary saying, "Mengiste's remarkable novel has given long-overdue attention the significant role of Ethiopian women warriors during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War".

[6] Alex Clark, in The Guardian, described the novel as 'absorbing' and said that Mengiste's achievement was to "bring to life those women, and to depict them as dynamic entities".

[7] In April 2020, it was announced that Kasi Lemmons would direct a film adaptation of The Shadow King.