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| Book | Searching... Barboursville Public Library | NIX | Young Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Cabell County Public Library | NIX | Young Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Chapmanville Public Library | NIX | Young Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Garth Nix, bestselling author of the Keys to the Kingdom series and Shade's Children, combines space opera with a coming-of-age story in his YA novel A Confusion of Princes.
Superhuman. Immortal. Prince in a Galactic Empire. There has to be a catch....
Khemri learns the minute he becomes a Prince that princes need to be hard to kill--for they are always in danger. Their greatest threat? Other Princes. Every Prince wants to become Emperor and the surest way to do so is to kill, dishonor, or sideline any potential competitor. There are rules, but as Khemri discovers, rules can be bent and even broken.
There are also mysteries. Khemri is drawn into the hidden workings of the Empire and is dispatched on a secret mission. In the ruins of space battle, he meets a young woman, called Raine, who challenges his view of the Empire, of Princes, and of himself. But Khemri is a Prince, and even if he wanted to leave the Empire behind, there are forces there that have very definite plans for his future.
Author Notes
Garth Nix was born in Melbourne, Australia on July 19, 1963. He graduated from the University of Canberra in 1986 and worked various jobs within the publishing industry until 1994. After a stint in public relations, he returned to books and took up writing as a career. He is the author of Blood Ties, Clariel, Newt's Emerald, the Old Kingdom series, The Seventh Tower series, and The Keys to the Kingdom series. In 1999, he received a Golden Duck Award for Australian Contribution to Children's Science Fiction. To Hold the Bridge was named Best Collection by the 2015 Aurealis Awards. His novella, By Frogsled and Lizardback to Outcast Venusian Lepers, was named Best Science Fiction Novella by the 2015 Aurealis Awards. In 2018, he won the 2017 Aurealis Award for the Best science-fiction short story.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (6)
Bookseller Publisher Review
Khemri is a prince of the empire, which governs the staggeringly huge population of humanity scattered across the galaxy. Taken from their parents as children and equipped with the ultimate in technological and biological enhancements, each of the million princes exist to enforce the will of the imperial mind, the consciousness at the heart of the empire. Should a prince die, the imperial mind can even restore them to life. This does not mean that the life of a prince is easy. Khemri soon discovers that his world is filled with deception, uneasy alliances and murder, as the princes vie for power and prestige. Garth Nix's books have always had a wider audience than just young adults, and in this book he walks the line between his various readers so well that I doubt that anyone who likes science-fiction will not enjoy this immensely. It's part space opera, part coming-of-age story, with an exploration of the perils of power and a hint of romance. On top of all this, A Confusion of Princes is also a tie-in to the `Imperial Galaxy' online game and will have a serious social media presence. Be prepared for this to be huge, you have been warned! Stefen Brazulaitis is a freelance reviewer and the owner of Fantastic Planet, a specialist genre fiction bookstore in Perth
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Khemri, now 19, was taken from his parents at birth to be molded into a superhuman, nearly immortal prince of a vast intergalactic empire, joining millions of others like him who carry out the work of the mysterious "Imperial Mind." As his training wraps up and he is set to begin his duties, Khemri discovers that being a young prince of the empire is not all he hoped it would be, and he must prove himself worthy of the title. A year into his service, he is stripped of his super powers and sent on a secret mission where he falls in love and begins to question his destiny. Conceited and overconfident with grand plans of rising to Emperor himself, Khemri soon realizes there is more to life than immortality and all-encompassing power. Garth Nix weaves an intricate plot (HarperCollins 2012) and creates a fascinating futuristic world with enough action, space gadgetry, and tech lingo to appease hard-core science fiction fans, while providing a rich story and deep characterization that will win over those hesitant to delve into the genre. Michael Goldstrom's crisp voice brings the character to life, delivering the first-person text with an initial air of cockiness and later humility as the prince undergoes his internal transformation. He uses unique and sometimes electronically enhanced voices to distinguish the cast of characters, making this a highly enjoyable listen.-Amy Dreger, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Beachwood, OH (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this exciting space opera, 19-year-old Khemri is a Prince of the Empire, one of 10 million Princes who rule much of the galaxy under a mysterious Emperor and an AI called the Imperial Mind. Raised in splendor by mind-controlled slaves, physically and psychically augmented, and virtually immortal, Khemri, like the other Princes, is intensely self-centered, assuming that he will someday become Emperor. A year into his formal training, however, he is sent on a mission to the fringe world of Kharalcha where, stripped of his augmentations, he must fight space pirates and the forces of the Empire. Falling in love with a naval reserve officer, Khemri takes the painful first step in learning what it means to be human. Writing in the mode of Robert A. Heinlein or Andre Norton (to whom the book is dedicated), Nix (the Keys to the Kingdom series) has crafted an adventure filled with hostile aliens, deadly spaceship battles, cybernetic wonders, humor (often involving Khemri's naivete), and a touch of romance. The book is tied to a planned online MMORPG, Imperial Galaxy. Ages 13-up. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
This sci-fi coming-of-age adventure balances highly inventive world-building with a true understanding of the adolescent male mindset. Khemri, raised as a Prince of the Empire, has a rude awakening when he realizes that in order to become Emperor he must enter a brutal and perilous contest with a host of other equally overconfident and entitled Princes. Then he realizes that if he wins the contest, he must sacrifice his humanity. Narrator Goldstrom gives a fluid reading and imbues Khemri with just the right combination of hubris, heart, and naivete as he survives the treacherous attacks of other Princes, fights off pirates, engages in space battles, falls in love, and ultimately outwits the Empire. Cinematic, action-packed, and quite profound, A Confusion of Princes is a movie waiting to happen, but until then, this well-produced audio version will keep listeners engaged until the final, surprising twist. martha v. parravano (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Exuberant and insightful, this science-fiction bildungsroman grapples with the essential question: "Who am I?" After 16 years of intensive training and superhuman augmentation, Khemri is ready to take his place as Prince of the mighty intergalactic Empire. Alas, he immediately finds out that his status isn't quite as exalted as he had always thought. To start with, there are tens of millions of Princes, and most of them are out to kill him. Khem must negotiate a deadly maze of military training, priestly recruitment and even Imperial interest, never knowing whom he can trust. He can rely only on himself--and all the mechanical, biological and psionic enhancements that far-future science can provide. Until the day even that is stripped from him From the riveting opening sentence to the final elegiac ruminations, this is rip-roaring space opera in the classic mold. Add a perfect protagonist: Overprivileged, arrogant and not nearly as clever as he thinks, Khemri's first-person narration is also endearingly witty, rueful and infinitely likable. Perhaps his account relies a bit too much on "had I but known" foreshadowing, and the secondary characters are thinly sketched accessories to the hero's personal journey. But the rocket-powered pace and epic worldbuilding (with just the right amount of gee-whiz technobabble) provide an ideal vehicle for what is, at heart, a sweet paean to what it means to be human. Space battles! Political intrigue! Engineered warriors! Techno-wizardry! Assassins! Pirates! Rebels! Duels! Secrets, lies, sex and True Love! What more can anybody ask for? (Science fiction. 14 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
There's always the possibility for any prince to be chosen as emperor, but, in a vast empire of ten million biologically and mechanically augmented princes, Khemri discovers that assassination attempts and imperial interference aside life as a prince isn't what he'd been led to believe. While on a secret mission to hone his skills and expand his knowledge, he meets Raine, a young woman who changes his perspective and, as a result, Khemri begins trying to fulfill his true potential. Aurealis Award-winning author Nix develops an empire conceptually reminiscent of the sf classic Dune (1965), with an emphasis on house loyalty and political machinations. He keeps the details fresh through use of sf tropes, employing them to explore big-picture issues like morality and ethics under the guise of a rousing space opera. Khemri's first-person point of view, along with a fast-paced, action- and plot-driven story, is sure to appeal to fans of the Star Wars universe and any number of first-person shooter video games. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The latest from New York Times best-selling Nix is pubbing to some serious fanfare. Expect an author blog tour, a targeted Facebook ad campaign, a collectible poster, and more.--Osborne, Charli Copyright 2010 Booklist
