If you were hooked by Peter’s chess match with world powers and the way Alai and Virlomi reshape nations, you’ll sink into the ruthless statecraft of Dune. Herbert pits House Atreides against Harkonnen and the Emperor across the Landsraad, where Duke Leto’s compromises and Paul’s strategic gambits echo the Hegemon’s balancing act—every treaty, assassination, and prophecy is a lever in a vast geopolitical machine.

If you liked how shifting viewpoints—Bean’s ticking Anton’s Key crisis, Petra’s stolen embryos, Peter’s power plays, Alai’s faith and leadership—built a bigger picture, Hyperion delivers that in spades. Seven pilgrims’ interlocking narratives (the Priest, the Soldier, the Poet, and more) peel back layers of a looming war and a lethal enigma, each account reshaping what you think the true battle really is.

If Peter’s long‑range schemes, the scramble to secure colony launches, and the way small moves cascade into global realignments thrilled you, Foundation is a perfect fit. Hari Seldon’s psychohistorical plan guides centuries of crises, where savvy diplomats and traders outmaneuver warlords and kings—the same delight of seeing policy, persuasion, and timing outflank raw force.

If the way Bean and Petra lean on each other—coordinating rescues, choosing which embryos to risk, and trusting through impossible stakes—moved you, Ancillary Justice offers a similarly gripping bond. Breq, a fragment of a destroyed starship AI, protects and gradually trusts the disgraced noble Seivarden; their wary alliance turns into a lifeline while they take on the imperial power that remade them.

If you appreciated how shifting loyalties and cultural forces—Alai’s faith‑rooted legitimacy, Virlomi’s mythmaking, and Peter’s careful diplomacy—decide the fate of nations, The Left Hand of Darkness centers that same human calculus. Envoy Genly Ai and statesman Estraven navigate the rival states of Gethen, where gender, custom, and subtle politics steer history more powerfully than any gadget.