Ian McDonald has been one of my favorite authors from the moment I picked up his first novel, at random. The 1988
Desolation Road is indeed a space opera (still one of my favorite books of all time), as is, to a lesser extent, its 2001 sequel
Ares Express. Don't know if either is available as an e-book, but a recent reprint of
Desolation Road was hands-down the most typo-laden hard copy book I've ever seen in my life -- to the point of being hard to follow. Just be aware, in reality the text is good.
Anything of McDonald's is extremely rewarding to read. He shows just how well it is possible to write science fiction. May be peerless.
For a few free samples of his work:
http://www.freesfonline.de/authors/Ian_McDonald.html