Bibliographic
Information
A Confusion of
Princes by
Garth Nix. HarperCollins. 2012.
$17.99
for hardcover; $9.99 for paperback
Pages:
352 for hardcover; 352 for paperback
Plot Summary
A
prince of the empire is born not made as Prince Khemri knows full well. He
cannot remember the parents he was taken from nor the mostly comatose state he
endured for ten years as his body was genetically altered. He knows, however,
that it will all be worth it when he becomes a full prince. Then, he will tour
the galaxy in command of his own starship, enjoying the full measure of his
power. But when he wakes on the morning of his investiture to discover that not
only are there 9,999,999 other princes but that their favorite hobby is killing
each other he starts doubting his newly exalted position. Somehow Khemri must
find a way to survive while proving that he is worthy of becoming emperor.
Fortunately, he is assigned a highly experienced master-of-assassins who guides
him to the relative safety of a naval academy. While there Khemri discovers there
is much he doesn’t know and that not everyone plays by the rules. The more Khemri
learns the more he is forced to question the Empire and everything it stands
for including his life dream of becoming emperor.
Critical
Evaluation
As
someone who has read very little science fiction I am not sure what to make of A Confusion of Princes. It certainly is
an engaging novel that manages to simultaneously to be serious and
tongue-in-cheek. Prince Khemri’s journey is action packed and full of
mysterious twists and turns, something that will please most readers. Not only
are there space battles but pirates, secret missions, military training and
duals! There really is something for everyone in this novel—oodles of
technology for the scientifically minded, a love story for romantics, and court
intrigue for history lovers.
Still,
there are problems with the novel. For example, with the exception of eighteen
year old colonist Raine and possibly Khemri’s master-of-assassins, all the
characters are wooden. Khemri has little emotional scope making his
transformation at the end of the novel somewhat unbelievable. His rival, Prince
Atalin is little more than a stock character as are all the other people Khemri
briefly encounters. There is little character development throughout the whole
novel (with the exception of Khemri) which results in a book driven by numerous
action sequences. As a result, A
Confusion of Princes was not as enjoyable as some of Nix’s other work such
as his Keys to the Kingdom series. However, I must admit that my indifference
toward this novel is probably due to my lack of experience with science fiction
novels. I have no doubt that for science fiction fan A
Confusion of Princes is a brilliant read.
Side Notes
A
Short Guide to Prince Khemri’s World
There
are:
10
million princes
17
million systems
10s
of millions of worlds
Trillions
of subjects
Every
prince is assigned a master of assassins by the Emperor when they become a
prince. They then collect other priests along the way.
Houses
are ways for princes to band together. There are over a thousand in existence.
Priests
serve the emperor/princes in a variety of ways (called aspects). Some of the
most frequently mentioned ones include:
·
The Cold Calculator—measures probabilities for princes
·
The Noble Warrior—protects princes through physical combat
·
The Emperor’s Discerning Hand—decides which princes should be
reborn
There
are seven ways princes can serve the emperor:
- Navy
- Marines—perfectly respectable but often looked down upon by other princes. Serious-minded princes usually turn up here.
- Diplomatic Corps
- Colonial Government
- Imperial Government
- Adjustment—princes who monitor the activity of other princes & intervene accordingly.
Random Facts
Did
you know that the multi-player computer game Imperial Galaxy is based on A
Confusion of Princes?
Play
it here
Reader’s
Annotation
As
Prince Khemri tries to protect himself from assassination while gaining favor
in the eyes of the emperor he must come to terms with the increasing discrepancies
between what he has been taught about the Empire and what it actually is.
About the
Author
There
is no doubt that Garth Nix has made a significant contribution to young adult
and children’s literature as he is the author of twenty-six wonderful novels
with more on the way. Surprisingly, he only became a full-time author in 2001.
Before then he worked in the book world as a literary agent, editor, publicist,
and bookseller. He currently lives in Sydney with his wife and two children
where he is working on a fourth Old Kingdom book entitled Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen.
Learn
more about the author here.
Genre
Science
fiction, Space opera
Readalikes
Ender’s
Game by Orson Scott Card
·
Also about a boy who undergoes genetic enhancements courtesy of
the government; also takes place in space
Across
the Universe by Beth Revis
·
Also contains a main character who is trying to figure out who
wants to kill her; also takes place in space
Crown
Duel & Court Deal by Sherwood Smith
·
Also contains a main character caught in court intrigue.
Tags
Princes,
space, technology, science fiction, 18 year old, 20 year old, dueling,
assisnations, government cover-ups, corrupt government, factions, hierarchy,
court intrigue, space ships, space, colonies, pirates, survival story
Awards
Won/Lists On
I
could not find any awards or lists this book was on save unofficial ones like
the ones of GoodReads:
2012
Aussie YA Reads, Teenagers…IN SPACE!, and Best Books of 2012,
Professional
Reviews
ALA
Booklist
Horn Books
Kirkus
Reviews
Publishers
Weekly
School Library Journal
Booktalk Ideas
Focus
on Khemri’s 3 deaths
·
1st death—battling Sad Eyes (Chapters 6 & 7
·
2nd death—battling pirates (Chapters 21 & 22)
·
3rd death—ultimate sacrifice. Make sure to be vague on
this one
Focus
on the discrepancy between what Khemri thought his life would be and what it
actually is
·
Khemri’s dream—Pages 15, 25-26
·
Reality—hard naval training, secret missions
Bibliotherapeutic
Usefulness
This
book could be used to discuss the responsibilities of growing up, how to right
corruption, and how to find meaning in life. This last topic is particularly
interesting as Prince Khemri goes from a life where he is part-hedonist,
part-power seeker to one where he values love, loyalty, and honor.
Reading
Level/Interest Level
Reading
Level: 3rd grade
Interest
Level: 6th grade and up
These
levels are according to AR Bookfinder
Challenge
Issues
This
book includes the following potentially controversial elements:
·
Killing innocents during war
·
The word priests to
refer to people who serve the emperor
·
Genetic modification to body
·
Government snatching children from their homes
·
Drug abuse
·
Occasional swearing
·
Brief mention of sex
·
Brief mention of having sex with both male and female courtesans
·
Gritty fighting sequences
·
Vivid drowning scene
Librarians
can point out that while there are potentially objectionable elements to the book
they are often brief and they were included because the book was heavily
influenced by other space opera novels. The hedonistic elements in the book
were necessary in order to show how Prince Khemri changes as a character.
Ultimately, the book contains the positive message that power and lust do not fulfill.
Why Was This
Included?
I
have always meant to read more of Garth Nix’s books since I greatly enjoyed his
Keys to the Kingdom series. I also
heard from some that A Confusion of
Princes might win the 2013 Printz. I also have little experience with science
fiction and wanted to read more titles in that genre.
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