Heirs of Empire (Dodecahedral)

Twelve worlds answer to one crown, and the Emperor who wears it is old and failing. Sally Ann Melia's Dodecahedral series moves from the fight for Earth's throne to a far larger contest for the Empire. King Teodor has survived pirates, the monazite mines and a plague-ridden savannah crossed with the Spider Riders, only to find his cousin Tomas unwilling to give up the power he seized.

Around him, old identities fall away. Guy Erma, now a captain in the Dome Militant, must live up to being Prince Guillaume Erederon. Marline, a translator free at last of her debts to the Valvanchi, is revealed as Princess Marie Rose and circled by lords with designs on her power. A Gold Medal winner at the Global Books Awards, it suits teenage readers who like their science fiction thick with court intrigue and divided loyalties.