Ken Kelly prelim for STRATA by Terry Pratchett

This is an unsigned preliminary for the cover of Terry Pratchett's 1981 novel "Strata" written in a unique blend of humor and science fiction. The 12.5" x 16" oil on paper prelim uses his usual palette of purples, blues, beige and black and closely represents the final painting. Additional photos show the final painting sold on Heritage and the paperback itself.

Storyline: Strata is the story of Kin Arad, a woman who is thousands of years old and who works for the Company building planets with strata machines. The strata machines are creations of an advanced society who died out many generations ago but have been utilized by the Company in order to perpetuate the human race. Kin learns of a flat world discovered by a survivor of a mission years ago to send pilots flying into the outermost regions of space. None of these pilots were expected to survive, but this one apparently has and stumbled onto a world possibly fashioned by the creators of the strata machine. Strata follows Kin and two companions as she lands on and explores this strange, flat world. Strata is a science fiction novel that explores universal questions in a way that leaves the reader guessing to the very end.