If the cat-and-mouse fleet maneuvers of Grand Admiral Thrawn, the scramble to unify smugglers with the New Republic, and set pieces like Han’s back-channel mission with Lando had you hooked, you’ll love how Leviathan Wakes throws a hard-bitten cop and a small-crew captain into a conspiracy that threatens every world. It has that same blend of tense standoffs, desperate chases, and strategic gambits that echo Thrawn’s art-reading stratagems and the New Republic’s peril.

Loved the New Republic Council infighting, Leia’s high-stakes diplomacy while fending off Noghri threats, and Thrawn’s use of proxies like Joruus C’baoth? Cetaganda dives into a web of courtly schemes and cover-ups where one misstep shifts interstellar power. You’ll get clever investigations and political brinkmanship that feel like the scenes where Leia and Han navigate treacherous alliances while an unseen mastermind tightens the net.

If the ensemble energy of Luke, Leia, Han, Lando, Mara Jade, and Talon Karrde—complete with snappy banter, clashing loyalties, and grudging respect—was your favorite part, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet delivers that found-family vibe. Think of the way Han and Karrde test each other or how Mara’s prickly competence plays off Luke; here, a tunneling ship’s crew bonds across species and cultures while tackling dicey jobs that echo those smuggler negotiations and uneasy alliances.

Enjoyed hopping from Thrawn’s bridge to Luke’s Force-challenged missions (thanks, ysalamiri) to Leia’s diplomatic peril and Han’s underworld outreach? The Collapsing Empire uses multiple viewpoints—an embattled ruler, a sharp-tongued trader, a working scientist—to reveal a civilization-wide catastrophe from every seat at the table. It captures that Heir-style rhythm of cutting between command decisions, backroom deals, and on-the-ground scrapes as the stakes escalate.

If Thrawn’s grand strategy, the Noghri’s secret loyalties, and C’baoth’s ominous pull made the conflict in Heir to the Empire feel vast and fateful, Dune scales that up to a seismic struggle. You’ll find intricate power plays like Thrawn’s campaigns, prophetic abilities with the weight of destiny akin to Luke’s burden, and battles whose outcomes reshape politics across star systems—just as the New Republic and Imperial remnants fight for the future.