Flatland

[John Bailey]

Remember the excerpt from IV that was posted everywhere? What the heck
does "flatland gear" mean? It's there in the first paragraph
describing Shasta and the closest I can get is "flatlander" as a
derogatory term for an outsider in eastern areas of the US -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatlander

OR

an 1884 novella about (wait for it) dimensional physics!

"Meanwhile, the author is up to his usual business" indeed.