What I like about my favourite fiction (Douglas Adams, Larry Niven, Vernor Vinge) isn't the plot or characters but the insightful little observational asides an

What I like about my favourite fiction (Douglas Adams, Larry Niven, Vernor Vinge) isn't the plot or characters but the insightful little observational asides and their apt expression. That paragraph, though short, has an awful lot of information; "noise" yes, but interesting and neat observations, even elegant in their economy.