The best dystopian franchise of all time
Dystopian fantasies have always been popular. From classics like 1984 and Brave New World to modern day series like The Hunger Games and the Divergent series, there’s something about a world where things have gone ever so wrong yet echo similarities in our world.
I’m here to argue that the best of these worlds is actually the Star Wars universe. It features a well-imagined world with an oppressive regime (the Empire) controlling an interesting land (the countless planets). There’s a fairly well designed magic system (the Force), and super cool technology (lightspeed, speeders, blasters, etc).
Furthermore, through the novels, you can get into this aspect of Star Wars without any prior Star Wars knowledge. In this article, I’m going to share the best 3 books to start off with to find the next best dystopian franchise.
All these books take place during the reign of the Empire, and provide different perspectives on this dystopian world.
Thrawn by Timothy Zahn
From the perspective of an outsider, this is the best way to get into this universe. You don’t need to know anything about Star Wars to enjoy this novel, since its titular character also knows virtually nothing. Thrawn also is just incredibly fun to follow, and he uses his wit and understanding to break down any challenge he faces.
A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller
From the perspective of the “good guys” of Star Wars, this shows firsthand the brutality of the Empire, and follows a compelling protagonist struggling to decide whether to fight back or to simply just survive. This book also serves as a prequel to the TV Series Rebels, so if you like this, you can watch more of its main characters in that show
Tarkin by James Luceno
This novel showcases the calculating logic of the Empire, and how they reason every decision made throughout. Tarkin’s a fascinating character, and Luceno showcases some of the brutality that explains Tarkin’s behavior + the decision for the Death Star in general. This one does draw a bit on knowing some of Star Wars (notably episode 4, a New Hope), but if you read this after the other ones it’ll be fine.
Overall, the Star Wars universe has countless stories to tell, and the books provide a great entry point for folks who might like dystopian fiction to get into the franchise!
