The Carpet People
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The Carpet People is a comic fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett. First published in 1971 and written when Pratchett was 17 years old, it was later re-written by the author when his work became more widespread and well-known.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> In the Author's Note of the revised edition, published in 1992, Pratchett wrote: "This book had two authors, and they were both the same person."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Carpet People contains a similar mix of humour and serious topics like war, death and religion, which later became a major part of the Discworld series.<ref name=":0" /> Before creating the Discworld, Pratchett wrote about two different flat worlds, first in this novel, and then in the novel Strata.<ref name=":1" />
Characters
- Glurk, chief of the Munrungs
- Snibril, Glurk's younger brother
- Pismire, the wise man of the Munrung tribe
- Bane, a Dumii general
- Brocando, King of the Deftmenes
- Fray, a natural phenomenon wreaking havoc on the Carpet
- Mouls, a power-hungry species
- Wights, who remember the future
- Camus Cadmes
Themes
The book explores the conflict between traditions and innovation. There is an established civilization, complete with bureaucrats, taxation, and permits; there are people who resent the establishment; there is a need for both groups to find common ground in order to save their collective civilization.