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Pratchett was very widely read in science and physics as well as sf and fantasy, and his work is highly allusive. With an intricate combination of sly allusions and sometimes complex wordplay, Pratchett knew how to put the English language through hoops. To me, spotting the references is part of the fun. From Conan the Barbarian to Black Mask private eye stories, Errol Flynn movies, Schrodinger to Macbeth, grand opera to Australian Aboriginal myth and legend... there's always something going on besides the story.
And my favourite opening line?
IN A DISTANT AND SECONDHAND SET OF DIMENSIONS, in an astral plane that was never meant to fly, the curling star-mists waver and part… (The Colour of Magic)
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