Sci-fi Books Featuring a Galactic Empire

The Hegemony of Man in the Hyperion Cantos spans the stars and hundreds of planets, connected by terrifyingly powerful technology (including a god-like AI). It depicts what society might be like immediately following the golden age of human expansion, once the growth and exploration has finally stopped and people begin to realize how fragile the society they’ve built really is.

This series delivers a truly riveting exploration of the illusion of democracy (a common theme in sci-fi) and gifts us with one of the most terrifying sci-fi antagonistic monsters ever created: the Shrike. 

Dune was one of the first sci-fi series to introduce the Galactic Empire concept, and boy did they do it well. The Empire in Dune is under the rule of the Padishah Emperor, and beneath him is a classic feudal structure comprised of noble Great Houses governing their planets and vieing for power in the Imperial court.

With the Empire’s dependence on “spice”, the abundance of corruption, and the stagnation of the Empire’s expansion, it’s a hotbed of political intrigue and betrayal—and all but guaranteed to breed rebellion and revolution.  

The Interdependency in John Scalzi’s Interdependency Trilogy is less all-powerful Empire and more corporate conglomerate that spans the known universe. It’s a seafaring (or spacefaring) empire that controls through clever politics, economic monopolies, and most importantly, limiting general access to technology. Unlike many other empires, it’s not self-sufficient or self-sustaining, but like the stock markets and global economies of today, only works so long as everyone agrees to buy into the delusion and play the economic game.

When the Flow (FTL travel) begins to collapse, it’s a race against time to keep the Interdependency from collapsing right along with it.  

The Red Rising series draws inspiration heavily from Ancient Greece and Rome, and though the Society isn’t exactly an empire (it calls itself a Republic), it feels a great deal like the Roman Empire, with a senate comprised of the Peerless Golds ruling over everything.

Governed by the Sovereign (an emperor or empress in all but name), its singular goal is to maintain peace in the solar system—often by stirring up war between the ruling aristocracy to keep the lower colors (castes) diverted from their grim plight. It’s a bloody-dark portrayal of Imperial power wielded with absolute ruthlessness. 

In The Decurion Saga, we’re dropped into a brilliantly constructed empire that feels like Nazi Germany or Cold War Russia, complete with antiquated and repressive views on gender roles, sexuality, reproduction, civic harmony, and freedom of…well, pretty much everything. The state really does feel infinite as the title suggests, with power that can reach into any home in what feels like a vast sci-fi civilization.

It’s an oppressive, twisted, bureaucratic nightmare of a place, and inevitably, one that you are desperate for the characters to break free of as they set off to form their own free democratic world. One of the darkest sci-fi empires I’ve read since the Warhammer universe!

The Sollan Empire shares a few similarities with the empire in Dune: it’s ancient, spans countless star systems, dominates human space, and maintains a staunch hierarchical structure. Only this Empire leans heavily on theocracy, too, with the Chantry enforcing strict religious doctrine and governing (read: restricting and censoring) every aspect of technological process.

The ruling class enjoys near-immortality, which has increased their power but also creates a decadence that is clearly contributing to the slow decay of the Empire despite the near-endless war with the Cielcin race. And as with Dune, rebellion is inevitable.  

The Teixcalaanli Empire is an expansionist government, seeking to conquer and control new planets through their military might. Yet in a fascinating twist, it’s also hyper-obsessed with poetry and linguistics, and they see it as their mandate to spread their culture to the rest of the universe. The empire makes its arts, language, and traditions the aspiration of all peoples—always by force—and so outsiders abandon their own language and customs in an effort to assimilate.

It is a “cultural hegemony”, wielding the linguistic arts as effectively as their vast weapons of war. Echoes of Brave New World are clearly seen in the way language and poetry is used as a tool of control.