Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Harper Collins
UK Release date: May 2012
Genre: Sci-fi
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review
You’d think being a privileged Prince in a vast intergalactic Empire would be about as good as it gets. But it isn’t as great as it sounds. For one thing, Princes are always in danger. Their greatest threat? Other Princes. Khemri discovers that the moment he is proclaimed a Prince.
He also discovers mysteries within the hidden workings of the Empire. Dispatched on a secret mission, Khemri comes across the ruins of a space battle. In the midst of it all he meets a young woman named Raine, who will challenge his view of the Empire, of Princes, and of himself. (Goodreads)
I absolutely LOVED this book. Yes, I loved Garth Nix's Sabriel series, but I did have reservations about his transition from fantasy into science fiction. And despite the fact that it was more sci-fi than I expected, I didn't want to put it down. I wanted the book to continue on and never end. And admittedly I actually cried at the end I enjoyed it so much.
Prince Khemri is an unlikely hero. He is arrogant, selfish and conceited. Having being created and designed to be a Prince of the Empire, he knows nothing other than his place in society. In fact he isn't happy with simply being a prince, he wants to be Emperor. But his training has omitted key information about the reality of being a prince: other princes want him dead and if he wants to become Emperor he must battle against 999 other princes. His transformational character development and admittance of how naive and arrogant he actually is, endeared him to me. As he realises the truth of how the empire actually works, his vanity mellows and I found he grew on me until I became really fond of and attached to him.
Although we knew so little about Haddad, Khemri's Master of Assassins, he came across as a father figure. He was all knowing, but as his position dictated he never overtly gave advice or likewise any real show of emotion or affection. Whilst some might see him as cold, calculating and emotionless, I also really liked him too, and liked his subtle way of helping and guiding Khemri.
The Empire built by Nix was so detailed, complex and yet naturally believable. The fact that it would take days, or even months to travel from one solar system to another, made it more realistic for me. I was a little thrown by the mind communications at first, :My name is Haddad <<identifier>>., but soon got used to them and found them a really interesting way for characters to communicate when they needed a private way to talk or learn of things from the Imperial Mind.
A Confusion of Princes is a sci-fi delight! Highly recommended!
Rating: 5*
2 comments:
Ooh, I'm a huge Garth Nix fan, I'll have to check this one out! I haven't read anything of his in a while - I'm somewhere around Saturday in his Keys to the Kingdom series, but it's been so long I feel like I should reread the whole thing. Glad you liked it!
Gosh, Garth Nix never appealed to me, but you make this novel sound so inviting!
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