I've taken a break from writing lately, and as a result, have finally had some time for reading. I came across Garth Nix's new YA book, A Confusion of Princes.  (Didn't much care for the title, I must say.)

Now, Garth Nix is one of my favorite writers in the YA and MG field. I've liked everything I've read of his – in fact, his book Sabriel is an all time favorite, brilliant on many different levels.

He's always been known as a fantasy writer, so when I saw he was trying his hand at science fiction, I had to take a look.

Result? A lovely book, lots of fun, with his usual strong characterizations and plot. A tale of an immense empire so far in the future that earth is barely a legend and a memory. Where humans are very different – and yet, of course, very much the same. Lots of action and adventure, yet subtle in many ways.

But what's really neat is that it's the kind of book you hardly ever see any more. When I was young, I loved Robert Heinlein and Andre Norton with their grand sweep and epic adventures. People call it space opera now, which has a slightly pejorative ring, but they sure were a lot of fun to read.

The book took me back to a different age – it's retro, in a way, but also very modern. The influence of Heinlein especially is obvious – and if you might think it's perhaps unintended, note the dedication in the front of the book.

But it's not a copy of Heinlein. Not in any sense – it'd a tip of the hat to the way books were once written. Hard to pull off, but done so smoothly that it never feels forced or phony.

Anyway, a lot of fun and like all of Nix's books, worth the read.