Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Praxis | 2002 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 2 | Rozpad | 2003 | Walter Jon Williams | N/A |
| 3 | The Sundering | 2003 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 4 | Conventions of War | 2005 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 5 | Wojna | 2005 | Walter Jon Williams | N/A |
| 6 | Investments | 2012 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 7 | Impersonations | 2016 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 8 | The Accidental War | 2018 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 9 | Fleet Elements | 2020 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 10 | Imperium Restored | 2022 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
| 11 | Investments plus The Stickpin | 2018 | Walter Jon Williams | Buy |
Dread Empire’s Fall is set in a galaxy-spanning empire called the Praxis, which has been ruled for millennia by the alien Shaa. When the last of the Shaa dies, the subject races begin fighting for control. The opening trilogy follows two officers, Caroline Sula and Gareth Martinez, as they navigate a civil war that threatens to tear the empire apart. Williams brings a military SF sensibility to the space battles while giving equal time to the political maneuvering and class tensions that drive the conflict.
After the original trilogy wrapped up in 2005, Williams returned to the setting with two novellas, Investments and Impersonations, before launching a second trilogy starting with The Accidental War (2018). The later books pick up years after the civil war and find Sula and Martinez dealing with new threats to what remains of the empire. The series rewards readers who like their space opera with real consequences, where victories come at a cost and characters carry the weight of earlier decisions.