If the way the Mule topples worlds and outflanks the Seldon Plan gripped you—especially the tense political gambits around Bayta and Toran Darell’s flight and the quiet, decisive choice Bayta makes to derail Ebling Mis—then you’ll relish how Dune stages imperial power plays on Arrakis. Paul Atreides’s rise weaves covert training, prophecy as statecraft, and knife‑edge negotiations into a slow-burn takeover, mirroring the strategic cat‑and‑mouse that made the Mule’s campaigns so compelling.

If the reveal that “Magnifico” is the Mule made your jaw drop and forced you to reevaluate earlier scenes, Use of Weapons delivers that same thrill. As the Culture’s operative Cheradenine Zakalwe carries out morally gray missions, the narrative coils toward a final revelation that, like the Mule’s mask coming off, reshapes your understanding of motives, loyalties, and the true cost of manipulation across a star‑spanning stage.

If psychohistory’s social engineering and the Mule’s empathic control appealed more than nuts‑and‑bolts tech—especially the way crowd behavior and morale can tilt history—Ancillary Justice will click. Breq’s hunt through the Radchaai empire dissects conformity, language, and personhood with the same cool focus that made the Foundation’s sociological lens—and the Mule’s disruption of it—so fascinating.

If you enjoyed following Toran, Bayta, and Ebling Mis as they trace rumors of the Second Foundation and hunt the unseen hand steering the war, you’ll love Ambassador Mahit Dzmare’s sleuthing through Teixcalaanli court politics. Like the pursuit of the Mule’s true nature, her inquiry into her predecessor’s death unwinds into a dangerous plot that could redirect an empire’s future.

If the Mule’s power to overwrite emotions—and Bayta’s fateful choice to stop Ebling Mis to prevent a benevolent tyranny—stuck with you, The Lathe of Heaven digs into that same dilemma. Dr. Haber’s attempts to reshape reality through George Orr’s dreams echo the Mule’s grand social rewrites, forcing you to weigh intentions against the profound ethical cost of imposed “better” worlds.