I wouldn't call TBP "hard sf", its more like hard fantasy sf. It delivers on that pretty well - better than anything other series I have read. As for hackneyed

I wouldn't call TBP "hard sf", its more like hard fantasy sf. It delivers on that pretty well - better than anything other series I have read. As for hackneyed and tropey, I can't think of another sf series that has this many original ideas presented in a way that's this compelling.