Strata

Strata is a 1981 science fiction comedy novel by English writer Sir Terry Pratchett. It is one of Pratchett's first novels and among the few science fiction novels he wrote, along with The Dark Side of the Sun, Only You Can Save Mankind, The Nome Trilogy and the co-authored The Long Earth. Although Strata may take place in a different fictional universe and is classed 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 "pre-consideration" of Discworld, though the plot and characters are modelled on a parody of the novel Ringworld by Larry Niven.