Lacking Natural Simplicity

John Clute said some interesting things about Hard SF in his November 2003 review of The Hard SF Renaissance (edited by David G .Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, Tor Books).

He also has some interesting things to say about the new adventure SF and the old adventure SF.

Right. Modern space operas are kind of analogous to … operas. The old joke-formulation is, perhaps, more than just a joke. Both operas and space operas are absurd when described realistically; and both make sense only when they lunge and lurch after the sublime. And sometimes reach it. Operas and space operas are music: they are songs about the sublime. — John Clute, in his column Excessive Candor