About the Author

Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing’Hail the Conquering Hero Comes’ or possibly’Roll Out the Barrel’. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter. He is now an award-winning author and one of the most influential names in contemporary fantasy.

Reviews

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

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.

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.