This Is Not A Space Opera
I found This is Not a Game by Walter Jon Williams at the library, and Jo Walton’s review of his Dread Empire’s Fall space opera trilogy at Tor.com. Commenters note that WJW is undermined by his breadth: one year he’s David Weber, the next year he’s Iain M. Banks, and now he happens to be … Charlie Stross, according to a few commenters on John Joseph Adams' Tor.com review of This is Not a Game. (Readers apparently prefer the same damn thing over and over again.)
There’s a more detailed review at io9.