Beyond the Empire

I love the SciFiNow blurb for the first book: "Like an intergalactic The West Wing, but with more assassination attempts", which is a pretty accurate description.

One of the things I think the author has really successfully accomplished is to make the unraveling of a hugely complex web of political machinations such an integral part of the series -- but in such a way that it's still interestingly, even nail-biting-suspensefully, done.

There is still plenty of action as well. While each book stands on its own, as a trilogy the story really excels and engrosses. I loved these books, and they're on my Hugo nomination ballot for Best Series.