If you think
of Terry Pratchett then as a rule you think of Discworld, but a relatively
small part of the large selection of books that he’s written has nothing to do
with the disc. Strata quite literally straddles this border.
It was
written before he had fully developed the concept of the disc but at the same time
it is an early exploration of it. Centering on Kin Arad it is about her
discoveries regarding the creation of the universe. She is over 200 years old
and has been creating planets for much of her life. Nothing fazes her.
That is until
she is brought the news of a planet which is a disc, situated in uncharted
space. She sets out to explore it, in the company of two unlikely and
unexpected companions. Marco the legally human Kung, a species of highly
warlike, four-armed, giant frogs. And silver, the gentle Shand, a linguist and
historian who has to eat the synthetic flesh of her own species or she will
transform into a ravening monster.
This book is
stock full of Terry Pratchett’s legendary wit and is satisfying in the
completeness of it’s storyline. The three discover the secrets of the disc, it’s
utter wrongness and inevitably decide upon a course of action which will solve
all of their problems.
I’d never
heard of this book, unlike most of his books which you can see everywhere. If
you get the chance then I’d recommend you read it.
Rowen
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