Right, this is what space opera is meant to be like: an interesting universe (no FTL; widespread bioengineering; lots of different cultures separated by space and time), compelling characters, Gibsonesque converging storylines, and a sensible helping of Actual Science underneath it all. Extremely good stuff -- one of the best SF books I've read.
This is one of those series that manages to get better as it progresses, too...
ISBN 0441009425.