A Confusion of Princes

May 16, 2012 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Tatiana by: Kirkus

Shelves: sci-fi, aus-nz, for-ala, 2012, ya, b

As seen on The Readventurer

A Confusion of Princes me of a variety of "guy" space SF, both in book and movie form - Dune, Starship Troopers, Star Wars, Ender's Game, Star Trek. Let me clarify this statement a little further. Garth Nix's newest novel brought back the memories of the best parts of these books and movies, because I am certainly a fan of neither Orson Scott Card nor Robert A. Heinlein (or campiness, bigotry and misogyny).

What attracted me to all these stories and why reading A Confus ...more As seen on The Readventurer

A Confusion of Princes me of a variety of "guy" space SF, both in book and movie form - Dune, Starship Troopers, Star Wars, Ender's Game, Star Trek. Let me clarify this statement a little further. Garth Nix's newest novel brought back the memories of the best parts of these books and movies, because I am certainly a fan of neither Orson Scott Card nor Robert A. Heinlein (or campiness, bigotry and misogyny).

What attracted me to all these stories and why reading A Confusion of Princes was such a positive experience for me, was, first and foremost, space travel and space military schools (these settings just never get old for some reason), then (mild) interplanetary politics and intrigue, and, finally, rich world-building (you know, the type where everything is described in long words and titles and you feel smarter just by learning what Mektek is or what the Aspect of the Emperor's Discerning Hand does).

A lot of male-written fantasy and SF is preoccupied with this idea of "the chosen one" and his journey to acquire power and his subsequent choice of how to use this power. A Confusion of Princes roughly follows the same plot trajectory, so in terms of plot I can't say Nix invents anything mind-blowing or original here. But like with Dune, for example, I found myself utterly fascinated by the world in which Nix set his novel. I just love the idea of the universe run by a mysterious and almost omnipresent Emperor who picks, chooses and grooms millions of Princes so that they are prepared to governs His Empire. Khemri is one of the Princes. He is removed from the lowly regular population, he is an enhanced being in possession of psychic powers, vast knowledge, physical prowess and an opportunity to be reincarnated over and over again. His primary occupation is to lead and to fight for power. Khemri's view on his destiny changes, however, when he is forced to get a taste of regular, unprivileged life...

Even though I found this story very readable and interesting, I'd say that, structurally, I am not sure it is as good as it could have been. I don't know if Nix struggled with finishing this story, my guess is he did and he probably got stuck somewhere in the middle of the book, because that's where A Confusion of Princes sort of shifts gears, and the transition from Khemri-the Prince to Khem-gets-a-taste-of-normal-life is not very smooth or fully believable (while reading this novel I momentarily experienced a Blood Red Road deja vu, that book also changed course half-way). The second part is not developed enough, IMO, which includes not only Khem's too quick ideological transformation, but also the romance which has a very distinct whiff of insta... If anyone had asked me how to improve this novel, I'd have said - cut the princely experiences shorter and make ordinary experiences longer and more meaningful.

Still, like with Blood Red Road, I mostly was able to overlook this weakness and fully immerse myself in the book.

Now, to the most unpleasant part of my review.

Here is a series of A Confusion of Princes covers that I really, really like. Notice the progression, from UK to US, with the face of the hero becoming smaller and smaller, and even when it is large enough to see the features, it is still partially obscured?

UK

AUS/NZ

US

May I present to you my freshly formed conspiracy theory?

Here it goes:

This is how Khemri speaks of his own appearance: There were five female and three male Princes, and we all looked quite different. There was a lot of variation in skin, hair, and eye color, ranging from the darkest black, dark-haired, ebony eyes of Prince Aliadh to the orange-tinted skin and yellow eyes of Prince Fyrmis, who as was not unusual for some planets, had no hair at all. My own brown skin and black eyes were pretty much in the middle of the pack. My hair at that time was long and tied back in a queue, though later when I became more aware of Imperial fashions, which primarily consisted of the aping of old Earth customs, I had it shaved save for a strip in the middle, a hairstyle called a mohuck for reason that had not survived the march of history" (p. 65-66, ARC).

Maybe I am being a tad paranoid, but I am quite convinced that the face of the hero received this treatment (from bluish tint of the UK cover to virtually impossible to see on US cover) because of Khemri's natural coloring. I even think that tinting of faces to conceal their actual (non-white) color is the "in" way to go about whitewashing covers. Certainly, it won't be the first time when it happened. Native American Maya in Kelley Armstrong's YA novels has been sporting this disguise for a couple of years now.

What I want to say, though, is that, it appears, YA authors are willing to make their characters diverse. It's the publishers who go above and beyond to hide this diversity.

What do you think, dear readers, am I being paranoid? Or am I onto something?(less)

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Mar 23, 2012 Phoebe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, space-opera, young-adult, intergalactic-academy-reviews, loved-it

Full review at The Intergalactic Academy.

Like a lot of people my age, I dig anime. Girly anime, mostly–Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. My affinity for odd Japanese children’s series has often left me craving a written equivalent. Manga are great and all, but I’m a book girl at heart, and have never really found anything in American YA that satisfies in quite the way that an episode of my favorite shojo might. Magical and often surreal, these shows take the typical universal experience of grow...more Full review at The Intergalactic Academy.

Like a lot of people my age, I dig anime. Girly anime, mostly–Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. My affinity for odd Japanese children’s series has often left me craving a written equivalent. Manga are great and all, but I’m a book girl at heart, and have never really found anything in American YA that satisfies in quite the way that an episode of my favorite shojo might. Magical and often surreal, these shows take the typical universal experience of growing up and wrap them in vivid science fiction or fantasy trappings. But because the narratives are created outside the American cultural sphere, they have a fantastic freshness to them. They feel strange, unexpected–they make your brain work to uncover the mystery of the world even as you follow the main character’s narrative. For example, I recently began watching Revolutionary Girl: Utena, and became immersed in the strange setting (an isolated school with a floating castle out in the woods) and central plot (a student council fight duels and the victor gets to own a girl) as much as I was entertained by the spunky main character.

So I was excited when I read the blurb for Garth Nix’s A Confusion of Princes. I got a strong whiff of “anime story!” from the declaration that “being a Prince in a vast intergalactic Empire isn’t as great as it sounds. Princes may be nearly superhuman, but they are always in danger.” And really, this novel exceeded my expectations. It’s exactly what I’ve been hoping for: inventive as any anime, with strong science fictional worldbuilding, and the distinctive characters that make Western YA novels so lively.

Before you dive in to A Confusion of Princes, you should know that this is an incredibly dense, strange book, at least at first. Within the first hundred pages, we’re introduced to Prince Khemri, who was stolen from his parents (who were either killed, or mind-wiped) in order to become an intergalactic Prince. He spent the first decade in some sort of biogoop, where he had three types of “tek” implanted into him–mektek, bitek, and psitek. These terms are dropped in without explanation, and it took me most of the novel to work them out from context clues. Super strong, with psychic abilities and access to the knowledge of the Imperial Mind, Khem was raised alone with virtual tutors. But at last he’s set free, given a dozen servants, and allowed to join Princely society–where he is, in short order, killed.

(That’s not a spoiler, by the way. We’re told in the first sentence that this is the story of Khem’s first three deaths.)

This is truly challenging science fiction. Khem is not human, least of all in his view of the world. Nix doesn’t do much hand-holding here. We’re plunged into this new, strange universe in a manner more common of adult sci-fi. It’s absolutely fascinating, and I was so excited to discover the mysteries underlying his world that I just kept reading, finishing the novel in one sitting.

It wasn’t until I was about a third of the way through that I realized that aside from Khem–strongly voiced, wryly humorous, absolutely honest–there weren’t really any characters in this book, especially not at first. But I really almost didn’t notice. We’re swept along from one intriguing science fictional situation to the next and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be so preoccupied by figuring it out that you won’t really miss people.

And then Nix pulls the rug out from under us at roughly the halfway point, when Khem meets Raine and begins to slowly take on the mantle of humanity. It’s a fascinating process, and a fascinating move in a novel such as this one. In some ways, this marks a transformation into a more typical upper-YA narrative. But Khem’s journey continues through lush environs and at a sprightly pace–and by the time he started to feel for Raine, I’d begun to feel for both of them. Sure, Nix sacrifices a little bit of the novel’s strangeness, but he exchanges it for tenderness. It works, and works well.

I really adored this book, and would imagine that it would have broad cross-over appeal–not to middle grade audiences like some of Nix’s books, but rather to adult science fiction fans. They’re likely to appreciate the rich, strange world here, even as their younger brothers and sisters enjoy the coming-of-age narrative at its core. In that way, it’s a lot like anime–and precisely what I’ve been waiting for.(less)

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May 29, 2012 Belle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Garth Nix can do Sci-Fi. Not that I'm surprised. This human-robot, far-into-the-future, outer space adventure had me hooked from the beginning. It was an excellent read. Sure, Prince Khemri comes off as a massive jerk, but you know he's been raised to be that way and you want to know what happens to him.

The thing I think could be improved was the romance. Usually, with the male writers I've read, I find that they don't quite do the romance in their story justice. Unfortunately this book is not...more

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Dec 04, 2012 the golden witch. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, arc-galley, space-opera, teenage-shennanigans, reviewed, biopunk

This one was a really fun read. I can see the potential for a series within it, but I’m just as glad that it’s a standalone. “A Confusion of Princes” is a crazy ride through a crazier universe, complete with biogenetically enhanced “Princes” – “higher” beings within the Intergalactic Empire (far, far in our future) that basically help to rule over the whole universe. But what goes into making a Prince and being a Prince, the differences between what you’re told to do, what you’re expected to do,...more This one was a really fun read. I can see the potential for a series within it, but I’m just as glad that it’s a standalone. “A Confusion of Princes” is a crazy ride through a crazier universe, complete with biogenetically enhanced “Princes” – “higher” beings within the Intergalactic Empire (far, far in our future) that basically help to rule over the whole universe. But what goes into making a Prince and being a Prince, the differences between what you’re told to do, what you’re expected to do, and what the reality of what you’re doing all come into play, making for quite the juicy story to sink your teeth into. If you want a biopunk story that’s YA friendly, “A Confusion of Princes” is the book for you.

What I love about this book the most is the narrative/POV – and the fact that Khemri might be an unreliable narrator (though I won’t say why or how) is quietly brought up a few times throughout the book. His perception of what he does, compared to what he’s really doing as well as what he was told he was doing as a Prince gets messed with a lot during the course of the story, from his second “birth” as a real Prince, to his third death and beyond. And the best part? Princes can be male or female – there is no “Princess”, but there are both male and female Princes. And the Emperor has a whole new pronoun to use when referring to it – hier – a mix of “his” and “her”. I love it when authors play with the concept of gender in any kind of story in any kind of genre, and Nix does a really good job with using his characters to make us question our ideas of gender in our current time. Though honestly, I did want more information on the female Princes – I think that would have really improved the book to over-the-top awesome. However, with what little we do get to see in terms of Prince Atalin and her misadventures, I can say I’m satisfied, though I’m dying to know more.

Khemri’s POV is also very detailed, but never lags or gets stuck in one particular place. The pace is smooth, quick, but still allows the reader to sink themselves into a very strange new world with the idea that humans are not the end-all highest beings in the universe. The effort put into the worldbuilding really shows – we go to a lot of different places with Khemri throughout his three lives in the story, from his initial birth as a human (or humanoid), through his rebirth as a “Prince”, through his training as a Prince and onward, we go all over the place. However, we never end up on Earth, which was actually kind of gratifying as I wanted to see all of the worlds that Nix could build aside from what Earth might look like at that point in our future.

All of our characters are also very well constructed, but there’s also some mystery to a few that opens the door for a series, a spin-off, etc. We get left with a few questions at the end, but at the same time, the end is satisfying enough that I’m fine with it being a standalone. Not all of the potential that was there was used, but sometimes those are the best kind of books – the ones that keep you wondering after you’re done with them, allowing you to wallow in the world that has been created for you. So overall, I was really happy with the way this one turned out.

Final verdict? This one is really fun if you’re into sci-fi, but if you’re not into sci-fi, it may not be your kind of book. I still recommend it as it’s worth the read. “A Confusion of Princes” will be out May 15th, 2012 from HarperTeen in North America, so be sure to check it out then!

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)(less)

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Jan 24, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-mt-bookpile

Who doesn't love Garth Nix? There were several Middle School readers at my school anxious about missing the release of each new "day" in his Keys to the Kingdom series - they'll love this new book.

Khemri was chosen by the Emperor Hierself's minions to be a Prince, a life he believes will lead to something like the one he's seen in a number of videos: commanding a starship of some kind, ruling a world, surrounded by luxury and adventure, and many, many rebirths. The reality of life post-Ascension...more

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Apr 21, 2012 sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-ya, scifi-fantasy

More like Confusion of Book Publishers... Are you seriously kidding me? Khemri is OBVIOUSLY dark skinned; it's referenced repeatedly in the book. And the cover model is OBVIOUSLY white. Who is the character on the front cover? Because it is clearly not the character narrating the book. This happens all the time (still? really?) and there's really no excuse for it.

As for the book... I love Garth Nix; I didn't adore this book, but it's just my personal preferences (video games tend to bore me). Bu...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Georgia Conroy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely cannot wait to read this exceptional book! Anything from Garth Nix is a must read!

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May 21, 2013 Jallie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I based my rating on how I felt the moment I finished this book. The last few pages gave me goosebumps. Five stars! Recommended!

Let me start off by saying that Khemri as a character is hilarious, sarcastic, and naive (at the beginning, at least). It was a pleasure to read events from his point of view.

I really enjoyed his story, although it seemed to be slow in the beginning. However, once the plot thickened, I couldn't put it down. I had too many questions about his universe and his fate.

Now, d...more I based my rating on how I felt the moment I finished this book. The last few pages gave me goosebumps. Five stars! Recommended!

Let me start off by saying that Khemri as a character is hilarious, sarcastic, and naive (at the beginning, at least). It was a pleasure to read events from his point of view.

I really enjoyed his story, although it seemed to be slow in the beginning. However, once the plot thickened, I couldn't put it down. I had too many questions about his universe and his fate.

Now, down to BUSINESS. Super spoilers ahead.
(view spoiler)

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May 09, 2013 Cornerofmadness rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is more like 3.5 but there were things holding me back. When I checked it out, the librarian wondered how many books would be in this series. Turns out, just one. Oh I suppose Nix could go back to this universe but this is a very complete in one book.

It’s some far flung future where normal humans are either living on the fringes of the Empire or end up mind-processed into servants (cooks, sex partners, etc.) or as priests/assassins. Then there are the princes, millions of them. When a...more This book is more like 3.5 but there were things holding me back. When I checked it out, the librarian wondered how many books would be in this series. Turns out, just one. Oh I suppose Nix could go back to this universe but this is a very complete in one book.

It’s some far flung future where normal humans are either living on the fringes of the Empire or end up mind-processed into servants (cooks, sex partners, etc.) or as priests/assassins. Then there are the princes, millions of them. When a child has the ability to be a prince, they’re immediately taken from their family and raised in a temple with no sense of family and a huge sense of entitlement. Eventually, once every twenty years a new Emperor is selected from them and it’s mostly a battle to the finish but it turns out death need not be permanent (there seems to be clones of them). In fact, they’re barely human any more, there are so many mektek (mechanical) bitek (biological) and psitek (psychic) enhancements they are superhuman.

The beginning is rather a large info dump and since we know it’s in the future where the protagonist, Prince Khemri, is laying it all out for us, we know he survives at least three deaths (because the dust jacket and he tell us so almost immediately). The story follows Khemri from his release from the temple and into the military and his journey to become an Emperor candidate. Oh for those who get themselves all worked up about females in stories, Prince is gender nonspecific. That said, there are several female roles but the main character is male.

And he leaves the temple with an overconfidence level and arrogance somewhere between Captain Kirk and Zap Brannigan. He is assisted by his Master Assassin Hadad, who is the only reason Khemri lasts five minutes, literally. Khemri learns almost instantly that everything he learned about being a prince is a half-truth at best and most other princes want him dead before he can meld with the Imperial Mind which will witness the things around him (there are rules for killing each other but what the Mind doesn’t see…). He also meets with Morojal, an arch priestess who clues him in that he’s actual special.

The story takes us through his first year as a cadet then beyond to something that puts him at great risk but will make him a better prince. As Khemri goes, the princely entitlement is chipped away and some humanity peeks through but is he becoming too human? The answer to that would spoil the ending.

And here is where some of my problems lie. The ending was too pat, too happy really. This is one story where a happily ever after seems out of place or at least rushed. And that’s my other problem, it’s not the best-paced novel I’ve ever read. Some parts drag on and on and others are rushed. The ending and his transformation definitely felt too fast. Over all I liked it in spite of that and Khemri isn’t always an easy character to like as arrogant as he starts out but this is his coming of age story and it mostly works.
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Mar 25, 2013 Rema rated it 3 of 5 stars

A Confusion of Princes is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller with a bit of romance throw into the mix. Prince Khemri, like all other Princes, desires to become Emperor. Little does he know the life of a Prince and the journey to becoming Emperor is filled with peril and secrets. Khemri finds most of the things he'd grown up knowing is a lie and the laws the Princes must abide by can be bent and even broken. Khemri starts doubting his lifestyle and wonders what it really means to be a Prince, when he m...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Jocelyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Khemri has been chosen. From a young age he has been raised in luxury, taught to use his physical and psychic enhancements, and regaled with tales of the deeds he will do and the battles he will win as he fulfils his destiny to become the next Emperor. Unfortunately, the other ten million Princes of the Empire have been raised on the same tales. And when Khemri comes of age he quickly discovers that there is more to the stories than anyone has been told.

Soon, Khemri is in over his head, fighting...more Khemri has been chosen. From a young age he has been raised in luxury, taught to use his physical and psychic enhancements, and regaled with tales of the deeds he will do and the battles he will win as he fulfils his destiny to become the next Emperor. Unfortunately, the other ten million Princes of the Empire have been raised on the same tales. And when Khemri comes of age he quickly discovers that there is more to the stories than anyone has been told.

Soon, Khemri is in over his head, fighting to stay alive and one step ahead of his rival Princes. When he’s selected for a special opportunity, Khemri must go outside the Empire for a year and make his way back alone for any hope of gaining the power he’s anticipated his whole life. But once he sees what life is like outside the Empire's influence, will he want to return?

Garth Nix takes an interesting approach to worldbuilding: he doesn’t spoon feed a comprehensive outline of his universe to the reader, choosing rather to let the pertinent information come out over the course of the story. I love this, because it feels as though Nix trusts his readers enough to let them work their way into his world, rather than being passively led through it.

Nix also has an uncanny ability to create characters I fiercely identify with, mainly because no matter how fantastical or alien the universe they inhabit, these characters are unavoidably, unapologetically human. They have egos, and at times they can be arrogant, reckless, foolish or even cowardly. But beyond any of this, Nix’s creations have a great deal of heart. Prince Khemri, Nix’s latest protagonist, is no exception.

This is my kind of writing. The plot is tightly constructed and satisfyingly complex, with a few different and equally valid points of view to consider. Khemri is a wonderful protagonist, and the supporting cast are just as well imagined, particularly Haddad, Khemri’s Master of Assassins (who even gets his own short story at the end of the book, yay!).(less)

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Mar 03, 2013 Delanie Washburn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book. I read it while I was very stressed and out and I couldn't seem to put it down. I haven't stayed up at night to read a book in a while but I stayed up to continue reading it. It wasn't so grabbing that I couldn't put it down, I read most of it last night and finished it up this morning at breakfast (I love reading while I eat. Don't judge). I really want to like sci-fi but most of the time it is over my head, too complicated, too fast paced, with not enough informatio...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Amy Sherman rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not Garth Nix's best work. The first 5 chapters or so were actually pretty tough slogging--so much exposition, and in a voice that definitely sounds like a 19-year-old boy's efforts at science fiction. I don't know if that last bit is a compliment: Nix is obviously capable of writing in other tones, so maybe it's verisimilitude. But it's also not particularly enjoyable writing. Furthermore, there was quite a bit of repetition throughout the book, from Khemri speaking from his present-tense, much...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cloak-n-dagger, love-that-dauphin, space, kidz

RESOLVED, that Garth Nix shall henceforth be the Emperor of all young adult fiction.

Just kidding, but really he is a master, and A Confusion of Princes is a delightful read.

Tonally ACoF is a big departure both from the Abhorsen series, which is very somber and high-fantasy, and from Shade's Children, which is grim (and, incidentally, responsible for at least 50% of my vivisection nightmares). Khemri, the protagonist of ACoF, makes jokes and says "shit" a lot. The mood is lighthearted, even at r...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Kylara Jensen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: magic-school

This was a YA Science Fiction book. That's kind of rare. If there is high science fiction in the way of high fantasy, then this is it. It's set in a space federation where the main character is a Prince and there are millions of princes serving in leadership capacities all over the galaxy under an Emperor with an Imperial Hive Mind. He is raised to be a prince then once initiated he has to go to school and go through some tests and stuff. It has the magic school vibe in the fact that he is still...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Li rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-new-to-me-author, read-in-2012, sf, young-adult, favorites

This was an imaginative YA SF romp through space. The engaging (and totally self-centred) narrator, Prince Khemli, made this book for me, and although I normally hate the foreshadowing device, having Khemli announce at the start that this is the story of how he has died three times adds a certain something.

Khemli may be a prince, but in an empire that has ten million princes and all of them vying to be the next Emperor, the title has less meaning than you would expect. So Khemli needs to figure...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Taryn Wagner rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 13-25

Prince Khemri is one of the many princes that exist within the Empire. As a Prince, he is more enhanced than the average human. This does him no good however, when his greatest threat is other Princes. When Khemri is chosen for a special assignment, he discovers more about the workings in the Empire than he ever wished to know, and after certain events transpire, he discovers that maybe, he doesnt want a part of it any more.
This book was ok. It reminded me of a video game, especially with the c...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Matthew "awesome" rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Confusion of Princes
This book is about a Prince of The Empire, the largest political entity in political history, it expands across the galaxy, encompassing billions of star systems and trillions of people, most of which are humans, from earth. Khemri, The Prince, is one of ten million Princes of The Empire. A Prince is a human taken at birth, and trained at a temple, until the age of 16. Then you become initiated as a Prince and you connect to The Great Mind. The great mind is kind of like an...more A Confusion of Princes
This book is about a Prince of The Empire, the largest political entity in political history, it expands across the galaxy, encompassing billions of star systems and trillions of people, most of which are humans, from earth. Khemri, The Prince, is one of ten million Princes of The Empire. A Prince is a human taken at birth, and trained at a temple, until the age of 16. Then you become initiated as a Prince and you connect to The Great Mind. The great mind is kind of like an inter-galactic internet, which is controlled by the Emperor. The connections to the great mind are done via priests. As a Prince, you are assigned priests that follow you wherever you go. If you die, and you are connected to the Mind, your death will be reviewed, and if it is seen as ‘ok’ you may be revived. There are also three kinds of Tek; Mektek, Psitek, and Bitek (Mechanical tech, Psychological tech, and Biological tech). Mektek, is anything mechanical, some guns, engines, and bolts, there are also Mektek trooper, which are not different from clones. Psitek, is tech controlled with your mind, you connect to the Mind via Psitek, some doors are opened by it, you can also communicate via it. Bitek is an ability to produce anything biological, from reproductions of wood for desks, to entire ships.
The story starts with Khemri saying that he dies three times, and three times been revived. As a prince, he was taken at birth, and his parents were given a choice, die, or have there memory wiped of the baby and they are relocated to a different location. As he begins his initiation, he doesn’t get to connect to the great mind, for he is interrupted by and assassination attempt and forced to flee. He joins the Imperial Navy, and spends a few years there, learning the basics, and realizing that he is not as big as he thought. After that he is given orders, form the mysterious Emperor himself, to go to a temple and there is given orders by an unknown, section, of government, that his abilities are to be tested, stripped of his Teks, he is to be dropped at an unknown location, and to get back to the Empire. He falls in love along the way, and a conflict begins, whether he should stay, or get back to his home, until where he is is attacked, and in saving the place he reveals himself and dies saving them. He is revived and is angered at the Empire. He realizes all he wants is his love and tries to get back, until he becomes selected as one of 1000 nominees for Emperor. This be, where I leave you, to find out what happens read this really good book!
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Oct 05, 2012 Dorian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-books

Garth Nix is a writer whose books I want to like. I didn't really succeed with this one.

On the good side, there's a huge great human diaspora across galaxies, all run by these millions of Princes under the Imperial Mind, and all sorts of cool world-building there. There's Our Hero being a distinctly unreliable narrator, and also growing and changing over the course of the book.

And really, the tiresome-brat-learns-a-few-things-and-eventually-earns-a-sort-of-happy-ending story is quite good.

On the...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Emily Craven rated it 4 of 5 stars

FIRST POSTED AT REVIEW MUSEUM: http://reviewmuseum.blogspot.com.au/2...

Author Bio:
Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia. A full-time writer since 2001, he has worked as a literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, bookseller, and as a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. Garth’s books include the award-winning fantasy novels Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen; and the cult favourite YA SF novel Shade’s Children. His fantasy n...more FIRST POSTED AT REVIEW MUSEUM: http://reviewmuseum.blogspot.com.au/2...

Author Bio:
Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia. A full-time writer since 2001, he has worked as a literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, bookseller, and as a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. Garth’s books include the award-winning fantasy novels Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen; and the cult favourite YA SF novel Shade’s Children. His fantasy novels for children include The Ragwitch; the six books of The Seventh Tower sequence, and The Keys to the Kingdom series. More than five million copies of his books have been sold around the world, his books have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, The Guardian and The Australian, and his work has been translated into 37 languages. He lives in a Sydney beach suburb with his wife and two children.

The Break Down:
This story follows the deaths of Prince Khemiri. Taken from his parents as a child, Khemri is now a Prince of the Empire, an enhanced human being equipped with biological and technological improvements that make him faster, stronger and smarter than the ‘average bear’. Not to mention the perks of (biased) immortality: should he die, and be deemed worthy, he will be reborn... A blessing for this Prince, for as soon as Khemri graduates to full Princehood he learns the terrible truth behind the Empire: there are ten million princes, and all of them want each other dead. Told in his own words we follow him as he discovers the hidden workings of the Empire. One day, given no choice, he is dispatched on a secret mission and comes across the ruins of a space battle. In the debris he meets a young woman named Raine, who challenges his view of the Empire, of Princes, and of himself.

The Verdict:
Garth Nix is a genius of the multilayered world and this book does not disappoint. The culture Khemri is born into is fascinating, it takes about half the book to set the world up but it is done in such an engaging way that you don’t really mind the slow build up to the story’s main point. Seeing it from the eyes of one who is supposed to be at the top of the evolutionary chain was a good choice as we find out at the same time Khemri does that he has not been told the whole truth about the universe. At first Prince Khemri acts like an arrogant arse, convinced of his own superiority even though the first couple of assassinations should tell him otherwise.

But as we move into the second half of the book and meet Raine, a romance blooms that is completely alien to Khemri and turns his lifelong ideals on their head. Garth Nix skilfully shows the changing of Khemri’s values in a realistic way unlike some novels where love at first sight seems to always worm itself in. In the end, the main crux of the novel is an exploration of what it means to be human from a totally alien perspective. It has you asking yourself, if you could choose between humanity and a super human life, which would be more fulfilling? I would recommend it for an older YA audience (And of course the adults who don’t give a damn if it’s YA or not) due to the time it takes to get the technology and terminology right in your head.

Side Note:
For those of you who love Garth’s fantasy novels be aware, this is unabashedly a science fiction novel, if that doesn’t float your boat you may want to read the sample chapter on Amazon first. However, ACOP is written with Garth’s ever brilliant prose so if you haven’t read much sci-fi before now, this would be the perfect book in which to introduce yourself to the genre.

Star Rating:
**** Four Galactic Battle Cruisers(less)

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Sep 02, 2012 Libby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-my-boys, science-fiction, young-adult-fiction

I generally avoid science fiction out of personal preference, but I am trying to give each type of book a chance. A Confusion of Princes is an intriguing story with compelling psychological questions and without the over abundance of futuristic technology that weighs so many science fiction novels down. It is a great read for science fiction lovers and a good read for others. None of the content is inappropriate, but I recommend it for older readers because of the depth of the psychological ques...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Holly rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love Garth Nix and am not a fan of science fiction, so this was an interesting read for me. I liked the world Nix created and the technology--both mechanical and physical--and how it was understandable for a non-science fiction reading person like me. I liked present-Khemri's comments on his behavior as narrated and how it made him a likeable character when otherwise he would have been thoroughly unlikeable, though I wish they'd been set off more, like in parentheses or italics or something. I...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Lydia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Many argue that the story is weak in comparison to the world. I beg to differ. I agree that the story world is rich, beautifully crafted and lovingly thought out - Psitek, Bitek and Mektek, shiplice, Princes, Priests, singleships, acceleration gel, rebirth, the Imperial Mind - these were all great elements of a fantastic sci-fi story. But more importantly, A Confusion of Princes is in fact a powerful story about self-discovery and finding your individuality.

Khemri, the main character of this sto...more Many argue that the story is weak in comparison to the world. I beg to differ. I agree that the story world is rich, beautifully crafted and lovingly thought out - Psitek, Bitek and Mektek, shiplice, Princes, Priests, singleships, acceleration gel, rebirth, the Imperial Mind - these were all great elements of a fantastic sci-fi story. But more importantly, A Confusion of Princes is in fact a powerful story about self-discovery and finding your individuality.

Khemri, the main character of this story, is a Prince genetically and mechanically engineered to be a superhuman race of Princes. Initially he is an obnoxious, spoiled brat with the Empire-ingrained ambition to become Emperor. As the story goes, Khemri grows into a person who acts for another instead of just himself, through a series of trials that are great fun to read. (Khemri does not grow to be perfect- he is still selfish, in a way- but he chooses his own path and carves his own destiny.) Although some characters are weak and receive little attention, they are only shallow to reflect upon the lack of choice and individuality, a product of their engineering. What matters here is that Khemri is real and fully three-dimensional; this story is about him versus the Empire, and the story well achieves this goal.

The romance was indeed a little rushed, and so isn't well-suited for big romance readers. (Even so, it moved me to tears at one point and so succeeds as a romance in my opinion.) This, however, is justified for the pace and theme of the story. In order for the story to charge on, not much can be described about Khemri's love affair; the reader just has to trust that Khemri fell in love, and found another life to be desired rather than that of the coveted Emperor. The romance helped a part of Khemri's engineered body to develop its own thoughts and desires, rather than follow that of the Empire's wishes - the crux of this story.

This is a powerful story about finding oneself amidst the stresses of society. Society is often telling you what to do, but what happens if we break away from the mould and work towards the life of our dreams? It will not be easy, as shown in Khemri's various obstacles and setbacks, but the results will be worth it. The strongest aspect of this story is transforming into a person who recognizes and follows one's heart's desire, rather than doing what is expected.

As an aside, I am glad this isn't a part of a series, since many of those incorporate needless distractions that do not serve the main story at all, but exist merely to increase the length of it and increase the author's title numbers. A Confusion of Princes is a full and complete story that follows Khemri on his journey to self-discovery and fulfilment. All secrets are revealed by the conclusion, something that almost never happens when a book is part of a series (unless it's the final book). We are given all the details of the world, and that is an important factor that contributes to the story world's richness.

In all, this is a superb sci-fi YA story with a sympathetic protagonist who undergoes a realistic transformation into a free individual in a rich intergalactic world. I highly recommend this to YA and sci-fi lovers - buy this or borrow from a library for a try (and then buy it). You won't regret it. (less)

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Aug 17, 2012 Melissa Proffitt rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, science-fiction, space-opera

This book left me terribly conflicted. On the one hand, I love Garth Nix's writing, and I love the worlds and ideas he comes up with. This one is no exception. Much as Prince Khemri's arrogance and selfishness is obnoxious, it's also justified by the world he lives in, and ultimately he overcomes it enough to be someone you can cheer for. Khemri's adventures take him through many different places and cultures, all of which interested me (I think inventing new cultures is something Nix is consist...more This book left me terribly conflicted. On the one hand, I love Garth Nix's writing, and I love the worlds and ideas he comes up with. This one is no exception. Much as Prince Khemri's arrogance and selfishness is obnoxious, it's also justified by the world he lives in, and ultimately he overcomes it enough to be someone you can cheer for. Khemri's adventures take him through many different places and cultures, all of which interested me (I think inventing new cultures is something Nix is consistently good at). And I was especially fond of Khemri's priest/assassin/babysitter Haddad, who truly has the patience of a saint and a genuine affection for Khemri all out of proportion to how much he deserves it.

So why only two stars? Because so much of the rest of the book dissatisfies me. My general complaint is that I don't feel this has the same polish, the same unity, that has distinguished Nix's other books. The plot seems disjointed, as though individual moments (Khemri's military service, his time in the training habitats, etc.) are connected the way a set of independently-published stories might be fitted into a frame novel; they're related, but they don't flow together. Also, the narrative is Khemri's first-person story, something he's telling after all the events of the novel have passed, and it often slips into a dull "here's what happened, and then this happened" voice that kept me somewhat alienated from the novel.

More specifically, while I could see that Khemri's personality at the end was a possible outgrowth of his personality at the beginning, he didn't always learn from his experiences the lessons he should have. Example: Khemri's sent to a set of four artificial environments to learn important survival skills, including humility. He quickly discovers that his arrogant assumptions of privilege will get his teeth kicked in by regular folks. It's *stated* in his narrative that he learned that ordinary humans (Princes are genetically enhanced for strength, intelligence, what have you) are deserving of respect and aren't just inferiors to be ordered around. Yet in his very next "mission," he goes back to acting as though he'd never learned that lesson. (It apparently takes the magic of sex to make this lesson permanent.) Ultimately, I liked the Khemri at the end of the book despite his character transformation and not because of it.

But this is just nit-picking by comparison to what really bugged me: Am I the only person who was seriously disturbed at the idea of mind-programmed humans serving the Princes? They're mentioned only briefly near the beginning, something Khemri takes for granted, so my first thought was that their introduction was to show Khemri being a self-absorbed jerk. The next time, I wondered if these were people who'd volunteered for the position, and thus they'd chosen to give up their free will. But no, when Khemri starts considering bringing someone he cares about back to the Empire so they can stay together, he remembers that she'd have to be mind-programmed for obedience and that this would be required of her. And yeah, it turns them into slaves with no will of their own, effectively killing the person they once were. At no time is it ever suggested that turning people into robots--robots who, among other things, may become sex toys for Princes--is a bad thing on a universal scale; it's wrong only so far as individuals Khemri cares about are concerned. Khemri's newfound respect for non-augmented people doesn't seem to extend far enough to even wonder where mind-programmed servants come from. While I'm not faulting the book for not being about Khemri freeing the slaves, I am faulting it for not even subtextually suggesting that this practice is evil.

Two stars, and that makes me sad.(less)

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Aug 02, 2012 Lesley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

I really liked this one! One star deducted because I agree with other reviewers who felt the main character's transformation happens a little too quickly. It's not too much of a spoiler to reveal there are essentially two halves of the book: first, establishing Khemri as a superpowered narcissist, then showing how spending time as an ordinary human changes him. I would have loved a lot more of the latter, especially since there are such great elements, like his first encounters with concepts lik...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Karin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: future, science-fiction, borrowed-from-the-library, princes, augmented-humans, young-adult-fiction, action, assassins, assassination

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 25, 2012 Yune rated it 3 of 5 stars

My favorite of Garth Nix's works so far isn't his acclaimed fantasy series (Sabriel et al.) but the science fiction dystopian young adult Shade's Children. So when I heard about another young adult science fiction book from him (with a title that reminded me of Nine Princes in Amber), I grabbed it from the library.

Khemeri is one of millions of Princes, each of whom is biologically enhanced and telepathically connected to the Imperial Mind. This connection allows their personality and memories to...more My favorite of Garth Nix's works so far isn't his acclaimed fantasy series (Sabriel et al.) but the science fiction dystopian young adult Shade's Children. So when I heard about another young adult science fiction book from him (with a title that reminded me of Nine Princes in Amber), I grabbed it from the library.

Khemeri is one of millions of Princes, each of whom is biologically enhanced and telepathically connected to the Imperial Mind. This connection allows their personality and memories to be downloaded for convenient rebirths in case of physical death (identical new body, same mind). This is particularly handy because the Princes are a scheming lot, prone to alliances and backstabbing and clawing their way into the limelight via heroic acts -- because survivors who have impressed the Emperor have a chance of becoming his successor.

It's a fun premise, and I don't regret reading this book, but I'm glad I got it from the library. There was a little too much emphasis on the "young" part of "young adult," I think; the language and emotions felt too simplistic to me. Khemeri, like all his kind, is arrogant, but he takes it to the point of stupidity -- such as rudeness toward superiors, since he considers himself to be pretty much superior. He's assigned the service of a Master of Assassins who preserves his hide on multiple occasions, and it turns out that he merited a particularly experienced assassin. He also gets special instructions from the Imperial Mind, and I had a hard time figuring out why he was deserving of this special attention. (view spoiler)

He earns some common sense and respect for normal, unenhanced humans when he's put into a normal, unenhanced body and let loose to survive on his own. I bought this transformation, but it bothered me that he had no meaningful relationships with people during this most vulnerable of times. It's only when he encounters a girl later at the top of his game that he feels a strange emotional tug. Like Khem, she struck me as nothing special, and I spent the rest of the book wondering why her? (view spoiler)

So: neat setting, but a little hollow and didactic in the end.(less)

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Jul 22, 2012 Jaylia3 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ultimately, Prince Khemri has a choice. Or at least he hopes he does. After years of development and training, becoming a prince of the vast galaxy-spanning Empire had sounded great. Khenri’s mind and body have been enhanced to almost superhero status with advanced mechanical, biological and cognitive technologies, and he has legions of priests and servants to see to his every need, but his dreams of glorious, solo exploits soon come crashing down. Becoming a prince means being in constant threa...more

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Jul 17, 2012 T rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed A Confusion of Princes, perched as it is somewhere in a tree on the edge of the scrubby forest between YA and Sci-Fi. Was I disappointed that it did not live up to the excellence of Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen? Not quite as much as I was by the Silmarillion not living up to The Lord of the Rings.

"A major standalone space opera," proclaims the PR material. I found it an engaging, imaginative world, pitting once again the Human against the System, represented here by a Galacta-political str...more I enjoyed A Confusion of Princes, perched as it is somewhere in a tree on the edge of the scrubby forest between YA and Sci-Fi. Was I disappointed that it did not live up to the excellence of Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen? Not quite as much as I was by the Silmarillion not living up to The Lord of the Rings.

"A major standalone space opera," proclaims the PR material. I found it an engaging, imaginative world, pitting once again the Human against the System, represented here by a Galacta-political structure. More pop than opera, and more pulp than major to my way of thinking, but I enjoyed it just fine that way. I mean PR people would turn a clemantine into a "juicy, glowing orb of stored sunshine", so I shouldn't wonder.
In the plus column, there was something in it that reminded me of Dune. I could never quite put my finger on it -- partly it is the psychic element, partly the space travel. Also, there is something very stark in the way Nix portrays power – clever, convoluted and corrupt yet imposing like a high stone wall -- that reminded me of the vivid politics of Arrakis. Dune being one of the greatest Sci-Fi novels ever written, this did not rise to the same standard, remaining merely interesting and enjoyable rather than totally involving the way a book like Dune is.
In the minus column, A Confusion of Princes felt perfunctory. The darkness of Sabriel was not present, and the world around these characters was not as deeply imagined or engaging, for all its inventiveness. Perhaps the best thing about it was that it led me to Garth Nix’s web site, which is excellent.
http://www.garthnix.com/

It was great fun to read his two articles on how he writes, and the Alphabetical Rememberance of authors he read in his childhood and early years was also very cool. I am glad A Confusion of Princes was not my introduction to Garth Nix, as I then might not have gone back to read Sabriel, which would be a great shame as it is one of my favorite books. If you have not read it, waste no time in doing so. I think Garth Nix should stick to fantasy, and I worry that he is not giving his well time to replenish its Sabriel-quality resources. I wish he would stop writing junenile stories, and write another kick-ass YA fantasy series. Then again, I wish plenty of things, but none of them cost two cents, so I'll leave it at that.(less)

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Jul 16, 2012 Bryan LeBlanc rated it 4 of 5 stars

You may have read some of the reviews above or below. In case you haven't, I'll summarize- many people love it because of the concepts and action, some love it for the story, and plenty love it for the awful reason of it being a Garth Nix book. In my opinion, a Garth Nix book is good enough to be bought without you knowing he is in fact the author. In my mind, this book cements his genius- it felt to me like an incredibly experience sci-fi writer was behind the pen, when I know that this is (if...more You may have read some of the reviews above or below. In case you haven't, I'll summarize- many people love it because of the concepts and action, some love it for the story, and plenty love it for the awful reason of it being a Garth Nix book. In my opinion, a Garth Nix book is good enough to be bought without you knowing he is in fact the author. In my mind, this book cements his genius- it felt to me like an incredibly experience sci-fi writer was behind the pen, when I know that this is (if not his first foray, then close to) his first step into the genre.

Some issues stated were that the tone is fairly robotic, the romance (a pivotal part of the book) and the character development is pretty flat and metallic, almost an automatic response to a situation rather than human reactions or reflections. In my opinion, these are all true, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a superb book.

I'm giving it 4 stars because yes, it's romance and character development were very flat. Possibly because it's a older teen novel, and probably directed at a publisher's idea of nerdy boys who they think wouldn't want to read about love or character progression. It's really more about what the reader wants out of a book, rather than the demographic. This is science fiction, and this is occasionally what the genre feels like.

For instance, some people called this book retro. It has the feel to it- if you've read Starship Trooper, you'll recognize a similar kind of feeling to being a cog in a complex machine. A feeling that I crave, having read the greats like Starship Trooper, Dune, and others I can't think of right now growing up, but that some people might find dry.

I acknowledge that it may be too dry or sparse in places, but it's not a romance novel and doesn't claim to be. The true beauty of A Confusion of Princes are the concepts- the aliens or enemies, which get the perfect (tiny) amount of information about, leaving you pleading for more. The psychic and bio elements, both of don't seem all that innovative but the psychic feels very electronic and real, and reminds me of how Orson Scott Wells "invented" the laptop decades before they existed with "desks" in Ender's Game.

For a fantastic book that sucks you in instantly into a universe that seems more thought out and prepared than our own, I would recommend it to anyone very highly, with only the slightest word of caution to those who are relative newbies to the science fiction realm.(less)

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