The A Meal of Thorns podcast had a good conversation with Alexandra Pierce about Revenant Gun, the third book in the Machineries of Empire trilogy by Yoon Ha Lee. Naturally the conversation ranged across the series, which begins with Ninefox Gambit. Since it was a Nebula finalist, it must have been on my reading list at some point, but I can no longer remember why I removed it (Sarah vaguely recalls having read it, but none of the details). This is a case where I am happy to enjoy someone else's enjoyment of a book!
During the discussion, they note that Machineries of Empire is one of a number of series in the last 15 years that concerns itself with the problems of empire, including Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch and Arkady Martine's Teixcalaan series. I would note that Robert Jackson Bennett's Ana and Din mysteries also fit the bill.
Star Wars is mentioned a couple of times a little dismissively; the criticism that Star Wars engages in simple solutions is generally fair. I also think that when we look beyond the movies at materials like The Clone Wars we get a more interesting characterization of Anakin Skywalker. This gets overwhelmed by the pew pew, but his descent from ruthless pragmatism in the service of good to pure ruthlessness could/should have been the main storyline of the prequels.
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