What is the author's style in Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett?

Reaper Man is a third person omniscient narrative. Perspective is anchored to the current character of interest, but routinely switches between characters to explore different facets of the overarching story. Though the author is omniscient, the reader is privy only to the perspective of the current protagonist. There is nevertheless a sense that the story is continuing elsewhere, "off the page." While the reader follows the events of Bill Door and Windle Poons, for example, the Archchancellor Ridcully and the wizards of the Unseen University are captured by the mall queen. The reader isn't aware of this fact, however, until Windle Poons arrives at the mall.

Pratchett is the Ringworld authority. He provides frequent annotations concerning other relevant "facts" of Ringworld. This gives the impression that Ringworld is a "real place" and that Pratchett is the scholastic authority on the subject of Ringworld's culture and history. Nevertheless, the author often makes "round world" references, specifically referring to elements of the reader's world. This establishes Pratchett as "one of us." While he may be the authority on Ringworld, he is still very much a part of the "real" world.

Pratchett's writing is strongly directed. He establishes rather than implies, telling the reader what is rather than relying on reader interpretation. He will, for example, tell the reader that the Bursar is a calm, quiet fellow rather than demonstrating this behavior in the narrative. This gives Pratchett more control over the experience of the story, minimizing the risk of reader misinterpretation. It also allows Pratchett to quickly provide non-essential details so that the story may quickly continue.