Strata

Strata is a 1981 science fiction comedy novel by Terry Pratchett. It is one of Pratchett's first novels and one of the few purely science fiction novels he wrote, along with The Dark Side of the Sun. Although it takes place in a different fictional universe and is more science fiction than fantasy, it could be said to be a kind of precursor to the Discworld novels, as it also features a flat Earth similar to the Discworld. It has been called a "preconsideration" of Discworld, though the plot and characters are modelled on (or parodies of) the novel Ringworld by Larry Niven. Plot summary Kin Arad is a human planetary engineer working for "the Company", a human organisation that manufactures habitable planets using techniques and equipment salvaged from an extinct alien race, the "Spindle Kings", who excelled at terraforming. The express purpose of the Company's planet-manufacturing business is to create dispersed branches of humanity, diverse enough to ensure the whole species' survival for eternity. The Earth's population in the past has been decimated due to the lethal "Mindquakes", epidemic mass deaths caused by too much homogeneity among the populace.