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.^[1][2][3] 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."^[4][5]

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.^[2] Before creating the Discworld, Pratchett wrote about two different flat worlds, first in this novel, and then in the novel Strata.^[3]

• 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

The book explores the conflict between traditions and innovation. There is an established civilization, complete with bureaucrats, taxes imposed and collected, 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.