There’s a lot of talking about space opera going on out there. First, the redoubtable Paul Di Filippo takes a look at Gary Wolfe’s Space Vulture for Barnes and Noble. Then, John Clute peers into Peter F. Hamilton’s The Dreaming Void over at SciFi.com. And then, finally, Gwyneth Jones (one of my favorite critics) takes a clear-eyed look at Iain M. Banks’ Matter for Strange Horizons.

What to make of it all? Well, Space Vulture doesn’t look to my taste, in truth.  I’m daunted by the sheer volume of backstory that comes with Hamilton’s book, as much as I’ve enjoyed some of his stuff.  The Banks novel, though, I’ve read and enjoyed. Jones’ comments are on the money too.