@gikkt
Having grown up on "hard" sci-fi, I had passed up Pratchett, thinking the books were "just fantasy".
I read "The Colour of Magic" and was hooked. I found that my local library had 38 Pratchett books; I had a wonderful 6-month binge.
Pratchett respects all his characters, and he has a biting, brilliant, and insightful sense of humor. (yes, present tense: GNU TerryPratchett... this will make sense later)