Unseen Academicals: A Novel of Discworld

While it was a very enjoyable book, I think it was not one of the best Discworld novels. The characters were very well written and interesting, and I'd love to read about Mister Nutt's further adventures. If you like sports, football in particular, you'll find this book highly entertaining.

I enjoy Terry Pratchett's humor. Being from America it was a bit difficult to relate to the "football" aspect as our sport is football. Still all in all another great romp through the streets of Ahnkmorpork.

Whilst not the finest and most logical of the Discworld series, Unseen Academicals was nonetheless a diverting and funny read, with an unexpected, tender romance running through the madcap tale of football (er..soccer to North Americans), fashion and...pies?

I Bought this book as a gift for my husband (he has several other Discworld books). It must have been good, because he couldn't stop reading it. He read it before bed, at the dinner table, during breaks and lunchtime from work (which he works from home), and every free moment he had. He got the book on Thursday Night and was finished by Saturday Afternoon.

Maybe not quite as funny as some of the earlier Diskworld books, but a most enjoyable read nevertheless. The character development is as rich and complex as ever, and once again Pratchett does a superb job of conveying the atmosphere of daily life in Ankh Morpork. Recommended.

I enjoy all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, some more than others, because of the characters involved. I do enjoy the wizards at Unseen University and their many quirks. This book is a hoot because the wizards, whose idea of physical activity is lifting a fork to their mouths, are trying to organize the English version of a football team. Their star player turns out to be a somewhat peculiar fellow who works far, far down in the basement It's funny, trust me.

Pratchett has his typical problems with coming up with a good title... Honestly- Unseen Academicals? Especially since the book is about soccer. However, it's classic Pratchett, and his fans will enjoy it.

Agony. Pure agony. From the moment that you pick up this book in your sweaty palms, like a Scotsman who finds a pound note lying in the street, you just can't put it down. Your arms get tired, your eyes squint as you just don't want to stop reading. If you're reading this in a public place then you will get funny looks from people as you laugh at the wit and numerous little details that play with your minds eye (The archchancelor "swayed backwards, like a man subjected to an attack by a hitherto comatose sheep", Ponder Stibbons plunged on with his enquiry because "when you have dived off a cliff, your only hope is to press for abolition of gravity").
Mr Pratchett's attention to detail, the way he draws you into the new characters, and the existing ones from older discworld novels are a delight and a pain, like covering yourself in luxurious velvet before diving into a vat of pig swill, as you want more.
Arguably the best discworld novel yet. Terry Pratchett is the Billy Connolly of the written word.
As a side note, I wish Mr Pratchett would do a book with the main characters being the patrician and death.

Had I read this earlier in the Discworld series I may have liked it more but I think I'm just over the whole thing. After this many books you can hardly berate Pratchett for a lack of freshness though.

The latest Discworld novel is just what I needed after a few months without any new Pratchett to read. I think it is among the top five Discworld novels. It focuses on the wizards and introduces a new race of Morporkian.

I have the entire Discworld series and have reread most of them many times. While this isn't what I would call one of his absolute best it's still a very, very good read. I found I enjoyed it more the second time around and would recommend it to any Pratchett fan.

Only Sir Terry could intertwine Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with British soccer and create a masterpiece. Many of our favorite characters appear in cameo roles, all too brief; I am re-reading the book and as usual with Pratchett finding subtle bits I missed rushing through the first time. I hope he will write many more books, include the new characters and bring back more of the old ones who did not make the cut this time: Nutt, Glenda, and Pepe, meet Susan, Cheery, and Dorfl: - Discworld forever!

As Discworld novels go, some are good, and some are great. But this one is Worthy! It is the best Pratchett has ever done, and that is saying a lot! For the first time he actually uses some Forbidden Words, and delves further into adult territory than he has ever done before. The odd thing is that it works masterfully. It is a bit grittier than previous books, and that surprise alone made me laugh out loud. The book is about Foot The Ball (Soccer), Glenda, Juliet, and Mr. Nutt. And Pies. Mr Nutt has got to be one of his best characters ever, and watching this little goblin grow and find his worth is fascinating. Not since Sam Vimes has there been so great a potential for a character. The Dean's treachery makes a great little side plot, and Lord V. is as Machiavellian as ever. Glenda the night cook cooks up more than just pies, and her best friend Juliet stumbles into becoming the Discworld's very first super model. Trevor won't play 'cause his dad got dead in a game' and 'he promised his old mum'. Of course our favorite orangutan is there, and even Rincewind shows up to play. The subtitles are there in all their glorious lunacy. Arch chancellor Ridcully has a larger part in this book than is usual, and proves to be as likable and devious a lunatic as any we have ever met on the disc. All in all, the biggest problem with this book is that it is far too short, and over far too quickly. If you love Pratchett and his motley crew of .....ahem.....people, then you just gotta read this one.

Kudos to you Mr Pratchett. You are a true genius. May you write forever!

I loved this one. Nutt maybe one of my favorite characters - right up there with Sam and Esme. And I enjoyed the gentle dip into Tolkien territory. A little L-space entanglement which enriches both worlds. Thank you again, Mr. Pratchett.

As a fan of Terry Pratchett, this is not one of his best books. The plot reveolves around the codifying of Football (soccer) in England. The basis of the book is in accord with what I know about the game's orgins. I have liked others he has written much more.

Excellent, read in a day and a half. TP at his intricate best. Good message also. Interesting cross section on humanity, our foibles/strengths/possibilities (humanity not limited to humans). Vetinari laughing ... I was shocked although he would have to have a sense of humour to deal with vimes (2 of my favourite characters).

"Unseen Academicals" is the thirty-third installment in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, not including the "young adult" and "science" novels. And miracle of miracles, the books keep on growing in inventiveness and wisdom. On the surface, "Unseen Academicals" is a satire about English football (and academic institutions and even fashion models), but in reality the novel asks genuinely thoughtful questions about people rising above their own expectations and perceived limitations.

Although "Unseen Academicals" to a great extent involves the faculty of Unseen University, it is not a "Rincewind the Wizzard" novel (Rincewind makes only a few fleeting appearances in its pages), but rather may be allied more with novels like "The Truth" that use Ankh-Morpork and its citizens as vehicles for exploring in a hilarious fashion quite serious matters.

I think the novel would be best appreciated by a reader already acquainted with Discworld, although there is perhaps less dependence upon an intimate familiarity with that strange world and its stranger races than many of the other novels in the series. As always, there is plenty of clever wordplay and insane humor. I don't know if I would rank "Unseen Academicals" as being quite the equal of "Thud!" and "Going Postal" (two of my top favorites) but I would say it is at least the equal of, and probably superior to, "Making Money".

O.k. this a Pratchett Discworld book, so you know it will be good. This one is good, but only good, not great. There's loose ends that never get resolved, details that don't quite ring true to characters/scenarios from previous books, and stray bits of story that just don't fit in anywhere. When did Vetinari become a chatterbox? Or interested in eating the food of the masses? Rincewind keeps getting mentioned, but does he have an actual line anywhere in the book? The Librarian eat a poisoned banana?! Just wouldn't happen. We read at the start about the bequest the UU will lose if it doesn't play a "foot the ball" game by a certain date, but we never get clear info on the timeline or details of that problem. The guards are referred to as "Old Sam" - where did that come from? Has that term ever been used before? The whole story line with Juliet almost seems like a throw-away plot, as if Terry Pratchett originally couldn't decide what plot line to use, and then decided midway through the book he liked Nutt better.

Anyway, it took me four days to finish this book because I could put it down. It was a bit harder to pick it back up and figure out who was what and so on. Usually I finish a new Discworld book within 8 hours of the box arriving, but not this time.

Discworld books have been evolving since 1983, when first novel was published. At first they were light and funny stories, a satire on so called "high fantasy". With time though they started to be more serious, characters gained depth, received human characteristics and flaws. Discworld became closer and closer to the world we see every day. Fantastic monsters dwelling on the Disc became respectable members of the community and new kind of horrors emerged: war, greed, prejudice and many others.

37th Discworld novel continues the trend set by The Truth, Going Postal and Making Money. After introducing printing press, postal service and paper money, Ankh-Morpork is going through another change, another phenomenon is finding its way from our world to the Disc. A new sport is born, the sport of "foot-the-ball".

Through very unfortunate turn of events the wizards of Unseen University have to play a match of foot-the-ball or face the dreadful reality of limiting themselves to only three meals a day. If it were a matter of saving the world wizards would probably fight valiantly against the concept of being involved in sport, but under of threat of hunger there was little resistance. Unseen Academicals team was born.

Even though it may seem that the book is about football Pratchett wouldn't be himself if he didn't weave few more themes into the story. The main subplot of Unseen Academicals is "the Shove", which is Discworld's term for football hooligan brawl. The football culture is represented with brutal reality. The supporters are often thugs, who don't care about the game, all they care for is the Shove. In the mids of all this there is a young boy, who suddenly finds out that he wants out.

In the background, but cleverly woven into the main plot there is another story. Mr. Nutt, one of the few remaining alive Orcs finds his future in Ankh-Morpork. Before he's able to enjoy it though he has to face his dark side and then prejudice of the surrounding world. His jurney of self discovery and finding one's own place in life could serve as a separate book.

Pratchett has outdone himself again. Magical realm of Discworld came alive with universal problems that appeal to readers regardless of their interest with fantasy. Pratchett colorful language and unparalleled metaphors continue to amaze, while the story flows easily keeping the reader firmly in it's grasp.

Unseen Academicals is definitely a great read and a must-read for any Discworld fan.

Review from Fantasy-[...]

I've read all of Pratchett's Discworld series and a couple of others, and this was my first disappointment. I was for the first time able to set it aside, read something else for a while, and then return to UA. Why?

Too many ill-coordinated subplots;
too many changes in familiar characters (Vetineri drinking?!);
too many new important characters: Nutt, Glenda, Pepe, Juliet;
sudden and hard-to-follow shifts in point of view; and
those blasted "Do you think it's over?" endnotes!

In short? Go ahead and buy it, in whatever format, but don't expect it to match up to Pratchett's other works.

There are books you open up and don't close until you've finished reading them and, more rarely, there are books so good and rich that you take it in small bites and savor every part. This is a return to the Discworld with all the jewels of language that Pratchett excels in. If you've never read a discworld book then start with the very first and build up to this one...in the same rank as Guardsmen, Small Gods, Wyrd Sisters etc. etc.

I found this Discworld book to be slightly 'off'. The writing was different. It's just not as delightful as the others. I did like the character of Mr. Nutt. And I always love Vetirnari, though he is much more relaxed and talkative than in previous books. I'll take any Pratchett book I can get, but I see a difference in this one. It's written more by an outsider looking in, rather than right in the middle of the glorious craziness of Discworld.

Now I know a lot of die hard Pratchett fans are going to disagree with me in this review. I respect that. But I feel honesty is best. Also, I myself am a huge fan of everything Pratchett has written (and yes, I've read nearly everything I could find). I'll always hold him in high esteem.

So saying...this book, while amusing...while good, is not up to Pratchett's usual excellence. It doesn't even really FEEL like Pratchett. Oh, there are accents of him all over it, but it...feels...like it was written by another. It definitely feels ghostwritten. It doesn't have Pratchett's usual sharp wit and style. Is it worth reading? Definitely. It's a good book, but it's merely ok, instead of the Pratchett norm. I realize I'm completely spoiled by his previous books but there it is.

It pains me to say this but I suspect Mr. Pratchett's announcement of poor health has something to do with it. So, buy it. Read it. Enjoy yet another Discworld novel with a good idea behind it, full of many new and old characters...but take it also with a large grain of salt.

I have read and own every single one of Terry Pratchett's novels and enjoy them immensely. This was the first Discworld book that I actually considered stopping in the middle of it. The peculiar charm and wit that is so much a part of the Discworld series seems to be lacking. It nearly seems like a whole different person wrote this book. From the long monologues that each character makes at one or another time in the book to the lack of character identity I found this such a disappointing read. The character of Lord Vetinari has been nearly completely altered, there is a scene towards the end where he actually covers his mouth to stop laughing, and his conversations with Her Ladyship seem banal. I have to say that I was crushingly disappointed with this book and hope that if Sir Terry writes more Discworld novels they can get back to what makes them so good.

First, let's be very clear that this audio drama is NOT the book that Pratchett wrote. It's not the audio book, either. It's not even a dramatization of the book. It is an entirely different story told using quite different characters of the same name, who say many of the same things, and go through similar events as in Terry's excellent book. Why anyone chose to do this is beyond me, but it's not bad. I've enjoyed it.

EXCEPT. There's one thing these unnamed dramatists did that I just can't forgive. The speech Vetinari makes about the otter eating the salmon, and how he can still remember the sweet pink of its rows. Pratchett meant something very specific by this passage, and he summed it up at the end of the speech, "if there is a god, it is surely our duty to be his moral superior." This idea is a major cornerstone of Pratchett's philosophy, and the fact that he had Vetinari, his tyrant, say this is a profound glimpse into the subtlety of the character. But the ham-fisted barbarian who took it upon him or herself to needlessly rewrite a work of genius butchered this passage altogether by leaving out Vetinari's summation, and instead having him use the story to exhort his listeners to barbarity. Exactly the opposite of what Pratchett wrote. It just chaps me. And it's sad.

It's fine to rearrange a story, and I hope and trust that Pratchett's works will see other dramatic efforts. I just hope they're done by people with a better idea of what they're about.

The wizards of the Unseen University love their food, alcohol, and tradition which Lord Vetinari exploits to ensure that the chaotic football matches taking place get under control. Unseen Academicals is Terry Pratchett’s 37th Discworld book and the last focusing on Rincewind and the wizards of the Unseen University, even though it seemed that they were of secondary concern throughout the book.

The wizards at the Unseen University find out that their budget is tied to a trust fund that only pays out if they play at least one football match a year, after realizing this means a change of diet they decide to play a game of football. This pleases Lord Vetinari who then asks the wizards to organize the sport so it can be taken from the street. But this changing of the game has an effect on the rest of the city, especially four workers inside the University whose lives and identities turned out to be tied to the success of the new version of football.

Although the wizards do have their share of point-of-views, Rincewind hardly appears in the book as well as The Librarian but the focus on Ponder Stibbons somewhat made up for it, they turned out not to be the focus of the book. In fact the most important character was Mister Nutt, an orc, who was “civilized” and was sent to Ankh-Morpork to change the minds of people about orcs. Yet Nutt was pushed into the background several times for his friends Trevor Likely, Glenda, and Juliet who had their own story arcs. All-in-all there was a lot of narratives that created the story, but it all felt unfocused especially when it came to the satire that felt more like painting the numbers than what Pratchett had previously done.

While enjoyable, Unseen Academicals is unfortunately all over the place with the narrative focus and set in and around the Unseen University the wizards took a back seat. Overall the book was good, but it just didn’t grab me and it didn’t make me laugh like previous books.

Before I purchased this book I read some of the reviews here and some of them distressed me a little.

After actually reading the book I am a bit puzzled at some of the charges that Alzheimer's is at the heart of a poor book. WTF? This was one of the more complex Discworld books to date, perhaps not as light and fluffy as some would hope, but very dense and meaningful. Yes, football seems to be what the book is about, but that is, excuse me, a very facile interpretation of the story, which IS about prejudice, finding meaning in life, love, friendship, the interaction of social classes, and so much more, football is merely the foil upon which part of the book plays out against. This is a discworld book that follows several narratives until they reduce down to one. It is one of the more challenging discworld books in it story telling, and rewards faithful reading of the series with all manners of small insights into formerly minor (and major) characters.

Those that blame Alzheimer's for a book they don't like are on the wrong track, it is fine to not like the book, it took me longer to engage with this book than many other discworld books, but the not liking is a personal preference and not the result of the disease.

Once I adjusted to the flow and style of the book I was pulled further and further in and by the end it ranks near the top of discworld books ever for me.

It is good, nay.. it is great.

One of my favorite things about Terry Pratchett's novels is that he takes the most unpromising characters--in the case of "I Shall Wear Midnight, it is a pregnant-out-of-wedlock 14-year-old--and gives them dignity, originality, and sometimes even a dose of that sacred fire, magic.

In this fourth Tiffany Aching adventure, Pratchett also scrags a character and a relationship that he had been carefully building through the previous three novels, then blames the resulting casualties on witchcraft.

Tiffany survives this book intact, and stronger than ever. Much of her energy is directed toward tasks that in our nonmagical world, would be palmed off on social workers. Even so, people are turning against witches, again. There is even talk of burning them.

"I Shall Wear Midnight" doesn't have a strong plot to glue together the separate stories, and although the villain gets a tremendous build-up, he didn't quite live up to his bad PR, so the story's end seemed anticlimactic. This is a Discworld book with lots of talk but little action. Even the Feegles, who tend to act without much preliminary discussion, reveal a tendency toward wordiness, especially after their showdown with Wee Mad Arthur.

Nevertheless, we Discworld fanatics get to interact with lots of our favorite characters, most of them in cameo roles, and the Feegle unleash mayhem where ever they butt heads (their mayhem is on a very short leash).

I enjoyed this further adventure of Tiffany Aching, although 'Midnight' is the least of the four books about this young witch and her little blue 'helpers.' Her character isn't so much further developed as it is hardened along lines suggested in previous novels. However, I'll still look forward to a fifth installation in this Discworld subseries.

Football has come to Anhk-Morpork, and it's getting messy. The games are getting bloodier, the rivalries are becoming nastier. It's time for a solution. Lord Vetinari manufactures a solution: Unseen University must field a team. In fielding a team, we see the upstairs/downstairs world of the University, see the rise of the Disc's first supermodel, get a skewering of paparazzi and celebrity tabloids, and witness the birth of a mostly-friendly rivalry between the Disc's two universities for wizards.

It's been awhile since us Discworld fans have had a Wizard book. I'm not sure if I would quite count this one as a Wizard book -- while they are part of the story, the real story is about the football mania that has taken over the rest of Anhk-Morpork. The Wizards are the weakest link in the story, with only the ending giving them any new depth or color. The depth comes in learning more about how the university works and who keeps the wizards well-fed and happy. We meet another goblin, and we get to see just a little bit more of how ties are strengthening between Ankh-Morpork and Uberwald.

Ankh-Morpork, and the Disc overall, continue to become more and more modern. For all that I didn't feel like this was truly a Wizards book, maybe that's because the Wizards of the early Discworld novels don't quite fit in to a modern Discworld. Pratchett is going to have to figure out how to give them something more than just a habit of having three dinners if he's going to keep them around as anything other than bit characters. Although I loved the early Wizards novels, maybe I don't mind.

I love this book! I have had it in the print version for years...I should tell you I don't buy a print book unless I know I am going to reread it.Well now I am yearning to read this hilarious story again but I have cataracts....Until I get them fixed, I am unable to read print for very long of a time. Guess what?I found this favorite of mine at a low cost on kindle!!!! YAY...back in Ankh-Morpork (and points...west?) and in 7th heaven. This is wonderful.

Terry Pratchett has pretty much ceased to be merely one of the most bestselling authors in English -- ever -- and has evolved into practically a force of Nature. (And it's Sir Terry now, Her Majesty's government having finally woken up to the inevitable and given him his gong.) The jacket copy and the reviews will tell you that his latest novel is "about" this and that and the other, but those are superficialities. Pratchett's books are always about people. The author himself is a model of tolerant humanity and the protagonists in his books, with all their foibles and mistakes, are the sort of people one could wish inhabited in larger numbers what we are pleased to regard as the "real world."

Well, the first plot (there are always several, intertwined) involves tradition. Unseen University of Ankh-Morpork, the most important and most ancient academic institution on Discworld, and the center of the world's wizardry, is governed by tradition. In this case, it is discovered that one of the University's most generous and important bequests (because it finances lunchtime for the faculty) requires that they periodically field a football team. Since this hasn't happened in several centuries, wizards not being the naturally athletic type, it is suddenly an urgent matter and Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully orders it be so. The variety of cheeses available on the faculty cheeseboard demands it. Meantime, Lord Vetinari, the Patrician and Tyrant who runs Ankh-Morpork so efficiently, decides it's time football was reformed and modernized, having been for some time merely a sort of unfocused mayhem involving a wooden ball. And the University is just the agency to take care of things for him. The third ingredient in this plot thread is supplied by the fact that the Dean of U.U. has recently gone off to become rival Archchancellor at another university and now he wants to wear The Hat. It appears a match between the two institutions will be inevitable.

But that's only part of the story, perhaps not even the most important part. Glenda Sugarbean, head cook of the University's Night Kitchen (the appetites of wizards must be catered to whatever the hour), is a thoroughly practical and upright person, though a little stuffy, as she comes to realize as she contemplates her life in the crab bucket. Her best friend, Juliet, whom she looks after remorselessly, is an uncommon natural beauty of very little brain or (perhaps) sense who turns out to also be a natural fashion model in the world of dwarfish haute couture. And Juliet has an admirer in the form of Trevor Likely, son of one of the greatest footballers of all time, though he has the sense not to risk his life in the game himself. Trevor runs the candle vats in the University's cellars and his best friend is Mr. Nutt, a person of unlikely breadth of intellect, who, quite against his will and better judgment, will become the pivot point of the entire book. Because Mr. Nutt is not only not what he seems, he's not even what he doesn't seem to be, either. But he's a noble individual for all that. Will they all live happily ever after? I'll never tell.

People who want to become authors often enroll in classes on writing. I would suggest that those who want to do authoring for a living would better spend their time by lining up all of Pratchett's three dozen or so books and reading them straight through in chronological order. His humor started out thirty-odd years ago as funny but obvious, largely dependent on terrible puns, and has evolved into subtle and wry observations on universal truths. His characters used to be painted in primary colors -- skillful but also obvious -- and are now multi-dimensional portraits of real people, even the trolls and dwarves. And he has become a true master of the language. You can use up an entire highlighter marking quotable passages in his books. Consider: "The rising sun managed to peek around the vast column of smoke that forever rose from Ankh-Morpork, City of Cities, illustrating that smoke means progress or, at least, people setting fire to things." Or: "'I never did!' said Trevor hotly. `Your automatic, unthinking and spring-loaded reply is noted, Mister Trev.'" Or: "Don't be smart. Smart is only a polished version of dumb. Try intelligence. It will surely see you through." And, perhaps the single best sentence in the book, describing the climactic football match: "The noise of the crowd would have been incandescent had it been visible." Thank you, Sir Terry. And please keep 'em coming for a long time yet.

Many Terry Pratchett fans will tell you that his DISCWORLD novels are really social satire masquerading as fantasy. With the more recent installments, this has become even more apparent, as they have often taken on a very specific subject or theme. The Truth: Terry Pratchett about journalism. Making Money: banking. Going Postal: well... the postal service. The most recent addition to the series, Unseen Academicals, is another example of this, as it takes on sports, with a minor focus on the fashion industry.

In Ankh-Morpork, the slightly grubby and always fascinating metropolis that's the setting for many DISCWORLD novels, the ancient sport of foot-the-ball is not just the main entertainment of the working classes, it's practically a way of life. Every neighborhood has its own team, rivalries are long-lived and vicious, and wearing your team's colors is practically a must for safe passage through certain areas. The sport combines aspects of current-day soccer (or football, for our non-US readers) with rugby and, well, more or less full-scale warfare, and is such a big deal to Ankh-Morporkians that it's almost incomprehensible that we haven't heard much about it in earlier books in the series.

Meanwhile in Unseen University, the city's main college of magic, Ponder Stibbons (the most organized and bright wizard of the bunch) has added yet another task to his already huge agenda: he has become the Master of the Traditions, making sure the eternally squabbling group of wizards, between their nine square meals a day and their non-existent lectures, stay in touch with the illustrious history and rituals of their institution. Stibbons discovers that a good part of the university's endowment depends on an ancient donator's requirement: the faculty must field a foot-the-ball team. It suddenly becomes vitally important for the wizards to learn and play the game, because if not, roughly 84% of their food budget may be cut...

A separate story, which in the best Terry Pratchett fashion eventually links up with the main plot, focuses on two young women working in the University's Night Kitchen. Glenda, who runs the kitchen, keeps a watchful eye over her friend Juliet, a gorgeous but slightly empty-headed girl who is fascinated with fashion. Juliet becomes, more or less by accident, Ankh-Morpork's first supermodel, while Glenda slowly discovers more about one of the University's professional candle dribblers, Mr. Nutt, who is a mysterious and extremely intelligent... goblin?

Unseen Academicals is a decent addition to the DISCWORLD series. On the plus side, I definitely enjoyed the focus on the Unseen University wizards, as well as my favorite overall character of the series, Havelock Vetinari, the benevolent dictator of Ankh-Morpork. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments when the wizards are center stage, and lots of incisive snarkiness from the Patrician. Mr. Nutt is a fascinating character and probably the best part of this novel -- and I hope we'll encounter him in the future. On the negative side, plot-wise this is one of the weaker books in the series. Especially the fashion sub-plot is very thin, and its connection with the main story just didn't work for me.

After more than 35 novels in the series, reading a new DISCWORLD novel feels like visiting an old friend. It's pleasantly familiar, meets certain expectations, and doesn't pose any challenges. It's the literary equivalent of comfort food. Because of this, Unseen Academicals will probably please many fans, but as much as it pains me to say it, I'd consider it one of the weaker novels in an otherwise excellent series, and definitely a far cry from the brilliance of some of the earlier DISCWORLD books.

A new Terry Pratchett Discworld title is always a nice treat. Especially now that the author is battling with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, his legions of fans are aware that there might not be that many more installments to come.

With Pratchett's tackling his country's passionate love affair with football (or soccer, if like me you live on the other side of the Atlantic), I believed that Unseen Academicals had the potential of being another terrific addition to the Discworld sequence. With his trademark witty humor and intelligent narrative, I felt that this would be another winner. And yet, sadly, Unseen Academical was, for me at least, one massive failure to launch.

Here's the blurb:

Football has come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork - not the old fashioned, grubby pushing and shoving, but the new, fast football with pointy hats for goalposts and balls that go going when you drop them. And now, the wizards of Unseen University must win a football match, without using magic, so they're in the mood for trying everything else. The prospect of the Big Match draws in a street urchin with a wonderful talent for kicking a tin can, a maker of jolly good pies, a dim but beautiful young woman, who might just turn out to be the greatest fashion model there has ever been, and the mysterious Mr Nutt (and no one knows anything much about Mr Nutt, not even Mr Nutt, which worries him, too). As the match approaches, four lives are entangled and changed for ever. Because the thing about football - the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football. Here we go! Here we go! Here we go!

The main problem was that Pratchett is all over the place with this one. And as a result, the novel fails to form a cohesive whole. The chuckles and the laughs are there, don't worry. But the various storylines don't come together very well. And for the first time in my life, portions of a Terry Pratchett book bored me out of my mind. I simply could not get into Unseen Academicals.

Some of the plotlines are hilarious, true. Everything that had to do with the Unseen University was a lot of fun to read. Alas, all the scenes regarding Juliet's burgeoning modelling career were on the lame side. The same could be said of the relationship between Mr. Nutt and Glenda the Night Kitchen cook. Mr. Nutt was an interesting character in his own right until the truth about his identity is revealed. Overall, these disparate storylines make for an uneven read.

At times it feels as though Pratchett lacked enough material for a complete novel, so he was forced to pad the plot with filler material. Given the fact that I was expecting another brilliant Pratchett offering, Unseen Academicals sometimes felt a bit uninspired.

Nonetheless, this novel will likely please some of the author's less demanding fans or those looking for light fantasy fare, but I doubt it will help win him new ones. If you have yet to sample Pratchett's comical and intelligent style, Unseen Academicals is not a good place to start.

Here's to hoping that the next Discworld book will be a return to form. . .

For long years the game of foot-the-ball has been played in the back alleys of Ankh-Morpork, with teams formed from street communities coming together in sporting comradeship (involving violence and pies, not necessarily in that order). But the game is starting to turn ugly, and in the spirit of maintaining civil order the Patrician has decided to make the game legitimate, with professionally-organised teams and codified rules. The wizards of Unseen University are invited to form a team and Archchancellor Ridcully enthusiastically agrees, with new staffmember Mr. Nutt proving an invaluable asset. But the old street game isn't going to die peacefully...

Unseen Academicals is the most recent novel in the Discworld series and, at around 530 pages, is also the longest. It's also one of the more unfocused books in the series, with lots of excellent ideas which Pratchett is unable to bring together with his customary cleverness. For example, we are given two different reasons why UU has to form a football team. As well as the general sense of civic duty as the Patrician attempts to legitimise the game, we also have a requirement in the will of a deceased wizard whose money is funding the UU kitchens that the university has to field a football team or lose his money (and thus their food). This is an amusing idea, but also unconvincing and, after it is initially brought up, is promptly dropped.

Thankfully, for those who are not big fans of football, that element of the novel soon drops into the background, with Pratchett focusing most of the action on the character of Nutt and his enigmatic background. Nutt makes for a likable protagonist, but the revelation of his backstory lacks punch, mainly because with so many other formerly-considered-evil creatures now living in Ankh-Morpork, the addition of one more is not particularly notable. Glenda, the other main protagonist, is also interesting but there is little to distinguish her from Pratchett's other stoic, brave and resolute female protagonists. She is no Granny Weatherwax or Susan, that's for sure, but is likable enough.

The book also has its funny moments, with Ridcully given a new nemesis in the shape of his former Dean, who has 'betrayed' UU and become Archchancellor of Pseudopolis's magical academy, and the arrival of a flamboyant Genuan wizard who becomes the UU team's star striker, but it is definitely light in the out-and-out laughter stakes compared to many of the other volumes in the series.

Where the book does excel is in its worldbuilding. Ankh-Morpork has been the greatest fantasy city ever created for some considerable time, but here it gains additional depth as Pratchett delves into the social history and relationships of different communities amongst the common folk of the city and the world of servants below stairs at UU, and we get some nice additional insight into how the Patrician rules and orders the city so efficiently given its chaotic nature. In addition Pratchett uses his vast existing library of Discworld characters to populate the city, with William de Worde getting his biggest role (although still an extended cameo) since The Truth and the return of Rincewind and his luggage (although again only briefly).

Unseen Academicals (***) is well-written and occasionally amusing, but it is also flabby, overlong and unfocused, with protagonists who are intriguing but unremarkable compared to many others in the series, despite the excellent use of the setting. The book is available now in the UK and USA.

"Unseen Academicals" is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and was first published in 2009.

The current batch of Wizards at the Unseen University are much more sedate than their predecessors. In years gone by, wizards often killed their superiors in order to force through a promotion. Nowadays, with the current Archchancellor proving extremely difficult to dispatch, things gave settled down a great deal : the lecturers - like the students - apparently try to avoid going to lectures, while the staff tend to focus on prodigious eating and marathon dozes. In fact, one of the most junior members of staff, Ponder Stibbons, effectively runs the place - as the only wizard who actually tries to get anything done, he's been given twelve different posts (With one vote for each position, he IS the majority on the college council). Recently, Ponder became the Master of the Traditions - foolishly, he'd discovered the post had been left vacant for 200 years - and comes across some very disturbing news in the Book of Traditions. At least once every twenty years, the University has to play a football match - a game that's often fatal in Ankh-Morpork. If they don't, Archchancellor Bigger's sizeable bequest will revert to the Bigger family - which, in turn, will have a devastating effect on the University's food budget...

However, the book's real action takes place "below stairs". "Unseen Academicals" introduces several new characters - most notably Glenda Sugarbean, Trev Likely, Juliet Stollop and Mr Nutt. Glenda and Juliet both work in the Night Kitchen - Glenda's an expert with pies, the stunning Juliet is devoted to fashion - while Nutt and Trev both deal with the university's candles. Trev's father, Dave, was a legendary football player, having scored four goals over his career - but he was also one of the game's higher-profile fatalitites. Nutt is a mysterious character - in fact, there are parts of his past even he knows nothing about. However, we do know he's originally from Uberwald and that he's apparently been sent to to Ankh-Morpork by Lady Margolotta. (It's a highly diplomatic move by the looks of it. Both Ridcully and the Patrician know he's in town and - although both are worried about his presence - Vetinari is determined that Nutt "should get his chance"). While both are keeping a very careful eye on him, he's inspires a great deal of loyalty in his friends at the university - particularly Glenda.

A hugely enjoyable book and, somehow, Pratchett has produced his best book in quite some time. (It's much better than the Moist books, for my money). Nutt and Glenda are very likeable characters - I have a slight regret that they've only turned up so late in the series. There's some very insightful writing and plenty of old-school Pratchett-style gags - however, while you might miss one or two of them if you're not a football fan, you'll still get the vast majority of them. Totally recommended, top marks.

Unseen Academicals is a 2009 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. Here, the wizards of Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University are forced to field a soccer team in order to maintain a rather sizeable bequest, lest they find themselves reduced to an intolerable three meals a day.

Obviously, Unseen Academicals pokes quite a bit of fun at Britain's soccer culture. But beyond this, it's similar to a number of recent Discworld novels in that it doesn't really have, per se, a plot, but rather is about the lives of various relatively disparate characters (mostly new ones this time), and how they interact against the framework of the given social institution, and how they and the novel's premise tidily intersect toward the end of the story. This is something that Pratchett is quite good at - bringing all his threads together without making things feel contrived.

Within this structure, Pratchett explores a number of themes beyond the masses' love of sport, notably prejudice, relationship, and following one's dreams. Pratchett has a knack for subtly incorporating his themes into his novels, although the new character Nutt, with his monologues, makes things a little more overt - this is distinctly un-Pratchett-like heavy-handedness. Pratchett's general antipathy toward God and religion leaks through on occasion, distractingly.

Pratchett's turn of phrase is still as clever as ever, and his vocabulary as large. Nearly all his gags work. Unseen Academicals is never laugh-out-loud funny, but it is always entertaining. And it may behoove the reader to keep a German-English dictionary handy.

Unseen Acadmicals isn't the same league as the greatest of the Discworld novels, but Pratchett certainly knows how to keep the pages turning.

A new Terry Pratchett Discworld title is always a nice treat. Especially now that the author is battling with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, his legions of fans are aware that there might not be that many more installments to come.

With Pratchett's tackling his country's passionate love affair with football (or soccer, if like me you live on the other side of the Atlantic), I believed that Unseen Academicals had the potential of being another terrific addition to the Discworld sequence. With his trademark witty humor and intelligent narrative, I felt that this would be another winner. And yet, sadly, Unseen Academical was, for me at least, one massive failure to launch.

Here's the blurb:

Football has come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork - not the old fashioned, grubby pushing and shoving, but the new, fast football with pointy hats for goalposts and balls that go going when you drop them. And now, the wizards of Unseen University must win a football match, without using magic, so they're in the mood for trying everything else. The prospect of the Big Match draws in a street urchin with a wonderful talent for kicking a tin can, a maker of jolly good pies, a dim but beautiful young woman, who might just turn out to be the greatest fashion model there has ever been, and the mysterious Mr Nutt (and no one knows anything much about Mr Nutt, not even Mr Nutt, which worries him, too). As the match approaches, four lives are entangled and changed for ever. Because the thing about football - the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football. Here we go! Here we go! Here we go!

The main problem was that Pratchett is all over the place with this one. And as a result, the novel fails to form a cohesive whole. The chuckles and the laughs are there, don't worry. But the various storylines don't come together very well. And for the first time in my life, portions of a Terry Pratchett book bored me out of my mind. I simply could not get into Unseen Academicals.

Some of the plotlines are hilarious, true. Everything that had to do with the Unseen University was a lot of fun to read. Alas, all the scenes regarding Juliet's burgeoning modelling career were on the lame side. The same could be said of the relationship between Mr. Nutt and Glenda the Night Kitchen cook. Mr. Nutt was an interesting character in his own right until the truth about his identity is revealed. Overall, these disparate storylines make for an uneven read.

At times it feels as though Pratchett lacked enough material for a complete novel, so he was forced to pad the plot with filler material. Given the fact that I was expecting another brilliant Pratchett offering, Unseen Academicals sometimes felt a bit uninspired.

Nonetheless, this novel will likely please some of the author's less demanding fans or those looking for light fantasy fare, but I doubt it will help win him new ones. If you have yet to sample Pratchett's comical and intelligent style, Unseen Academicals is not a good place to start.

Here's to hoping that the next Discworld book will be a return to form. . .

For long years the game of foot-the-ball has been played in the back alleys of Ankh-Morpork, with teams formed from street communities coming together in sporting comradeship (involving violence and pies, not necessarily in that order). But the game is starting to turn ugly, and in the spirit of maintaining civil order the Patrician has decided to make the game legitimate, with professionally-organised teams and codified rules. The wizards of Unseen University are invited to form a team and Archchancellor Ridcully enthusiastically agrees, with new staffmember Mr. Nutt proving an invaluable asset. But the old street game isn't going to die peacefully...

Unseen Academicals is the most recent novel in the Discworld series and, at around 530 pages, is also the longest. It's also one of the more unfocused books in the series, with lots of excellent ideas which Pratchett is unable to bring together with his customary cleverness. For example, we are given two different reasons why UU has to form a football team. As well as the general sense of civic duty as the Patrician attempts to legitimise the game, we also have a requirement in the will of a deceased wizard whose money is funding the UU kitchens that the university has to field a football team or lose his money (and thus their food). This is an amusing idea, but also unconvincing and, after it is initially brought up, is promptly dropped.

Thankfully, for those who are not big fans of football, that element of the novel soon drops into the background, with Pratchett focusing most of the action on the character of Nutt and his enigmatic background. Nutt makes for a likable protagonist, but the revelation of his backstory lacks punch, mainly because with so many other formerly-considered-evil creatures now living in Ankh-Morpork, the addition of one more is not particularly notable. Glenda, the other main protagonist, is also interesting but there is little to distinguish her from Pratchett's other stoic, brave and resolute female protagonists. She is no Granny Weatherwax or Susan, that's for sure, but is likable enough.

The book also has its funny moments, with Ridcully given a new nemesis in the shape of his former Dean, who has 'betrayed' UU and become Archchancellor of Pseudopolis's magical academy, and the arrival of a flamboyant Genuan wizard who becomes the UU team's star striker, but it is definitely light in the out-and-out laughter stakes compared to many of the other volumes in the series.

Where the book does excel is in its worldbuilding. Ankh-Morpork has been the greatest fantasy city ever created for some considerable time, but here it gains additional depth as Pratchett delves into the social history and relationships of different communities amongst the common folk of the city and the world of servants below stairs at UU, and we get some nice additional insight into how the Patrician rules and orders the city so efficiently given its chaotic nature. In addition Pratchett uses his vast existing library of Discworld characters to populate the city, with William de Worde getting his biggest role (although still an extended cameo) since The Truth and the return of Rincewind and his luggage (although again only briefly).

Unseen Academicals (***) is well-written and occasionally amusing, but it is also flabby, overlong and unfocused, with protagonists who are intriguing but unremarkable compared to many others in the series, despite the excellent use of the setting. The book is available now in the UK and USA.

"Unseen Academicals" is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and was first published in 2009.

The current batch of Wizards at the Unseen University are much more sedate than their predecessors. In years gone by, wizards often killed their superiors in order to force through a promotion. Nowadays, with the current Archchancellor proving extremely difficult to dispatch, things gave settled down a great deal : the lecturers - like the students - apparently try to avoid going to lectures, while the staff tend to focus on prodigious eating and marathon dozes. In fact, one of the most junior members of staff, Ponder Stibbons, effectively runs the place - as the only wizard who actually tries to get anything done, he's been given twelve different posts (With one vote for each position, he IS the majority on the college council). Recently, Ponder became the Master of the Traditions - foolishly, he'd discovered the post had been left vacant for 200 years - and comes across some very disturbing news in the Book of Traditions. At least once every twenty years, the University has to play a football match - a game that's often fatal in Ankh-Morpork. If they don't, Archchancellor Bigger's sizeable bequest will revert to the Bigger family - which, in turn, will have a devastating effect on the University's food budget...

However, the book's real action takes place "below stairs". "Unseen Academicals" introduces several new characters - most notably Glenda Sugarbean, Trev Likely, Juliet Stollop and Mr Nutt. Glenda and Juliet both work in the Night Kitchen - Glenda's an expert with pies, the stunning Juliet is devoted to fashion - while Nutt and Trev both deal with the university's candles. Trev's father, Dave, was a legendary football player, having scored four goals over his career - but he was also one of the game's higher-profile fatalitites. Nutt is a mysterious character - in fact, there are parts of his past even he knows nothing about. However, we do know he's originally from Uberwald and that he's apparently been sent to to Ankh-Morpork by Lady Margolotta. (It's a highly diplomatic move by the looks of it. Both Ridcully and the Patrician know he's in town and - although both are worried about his presence - Vetinari is determined that Nutt "should get his chance"). While both are keeping a very careful eye on him, he's inspires a great deal of loyalty in his friends at the university - particularly Glenda.

A hugely enjoyable book and, somehow, Pratchett has produced his best book in quite some time. (It's much better than the Moist books, for my money). Nutt and Glenda are very likeable characters - I have a slight regret that they've only turned up so late in the series. There's some very insightful writing and plenty of old-school Pratchett-style gags - however, while you might miss one or two of them if you're not a football fan, you'll still get the vast majority of them. Totally recommended, top marks.

Unseen Academicals is a 2009 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. Here, the wizards of Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University are forced to field a soccer team in order to maintain a rather sizeable bequest, lest they find themselves reduced to an intolerable three meals a day.

Obviously, Unseen Academicals pokes quite a bit of fun at Britain's soccer culture. But beyond this, it's similar to a number of recent Discworld novels in that it doesn't really have, per se, a plot, but rather is about the lives of various relatively disparate characters (mostly new ones this time), and how they interact against the framework of the given social institution, and how they and the novel's premise tidily intersect toward the end of the story. This is something that Pratchett is quite good at - bringing all his threads together without making things feel contrived.

Within this structure, Pratchett explores a number of themes beyond the masses' love of sport, notably prejudice, relationship, and following one's dreams. Pratchett has a knack for subtly incorporating his themes into his novels, although the new character Nutt, with his monologues, makes things a little more overt - this is distinctly un-Pratchett-like heavy-handedness. Pratchett's general antipathy toward God and religion leaks through on occasion, distractingly.

Pratchett's turn of phrase is still as clever as ever, and his vocabulary as large. Nearly all his gags work. Unseen Academicals is never laugh-out-loud funny, but it is always entertaining. And it may behoove the reader to keep a German-English dictionary handy.

Unseen Acadmicals isn't the same league as the greatest of the Discworld novels, but Pratchett certainly knows how to keep the pages turning.

Lord Ventinari has always opposed football, the game of hooligans that spills over the streets of Anhk-Morpork, leaving injuries and relatively few goals behind. But he's also a realist and he's learned to co-opt and use what he doesn't like when an outright ban doesn't work. So, when the Unseen University administration learns that they are about to lose a key bequest if they don't sponsor a football team, Ventinari decides to go along...but only if the game has new (supposedly old) rules.

Nutt is a supposed goblin with issues. He's convinced he has to prove his worth, speaks with an upper class accent while living with the working class, and has read just about every book in discworld. He's also got a firm grip and desceptive strength...and an appetite for pie.

Nutt becomes friends with Trev, the son of a former football player, who gets Nutt to do all of his work while Trev chases after the beautiful (but not too bright) Juliet. Juliet, managed by Nutt's pie-cooker, has a chance to get out of the kitchen and become a dwarf model (modeling the new, no-chaffing, micro-mail armor).

From a story perspective, it doesn't sound like much...and it isn't. But author Terry Pratchett balances humor, social commentary, and the heroically fascinating character of Nutt to create a page-turning novel nevertheless. Certainly UNSEEN ACADEMICALS would have to be ranked below Pratchett's best, but Pratchett has set a very high standard. Even a minor work like this is an enjoyable treat to read.

UA is another brilliant offering from Terry Pratchett in his Diskworld series. The snack-happy wizards from Unseen University are caught up in the town's mania over "Foot the Ball," a soccer-like sport that is one part sport and two parts urban uprising. Pratchett brings his trademark wit to bear on popular sports as well as the world fashion. The story revolves around Mr. Nutt, a mysterious and brilliant goblin who works as a "dribbler" in the candle vats beneath the university. Hilarity ensues when the cosmically beautiful (and dimwitted) Juliet attends a fashion show at Shatta, a high-end dwarf fashion boutique. She ends up wearing a beard and modeling dwarf clothing made of the new, chic substance -- Micromail (does not cause chafing!) - causing a sensation.

UA gives us a hilarious mix of Ankh-Morpork's citizens (humans, werewolves, wizards and the wily Lord Vetinari) in a mix of love, athletics, thuggery, the redemption of history's errors and the cooking of pies. Not to be missed!

If you have never been to the Discworld, this is not really the book to start with. Not that it is a bad story or that it cannot be enjoyed on its own, but that there are so many references to earlier books (The Truth, Going Postal, Making Money, Guards! Guards!, Men At Arms, Carpé Jugulum, The Fifth Elephant and many others) that you would really do better to start with them.

The story is a wonderful combination of Romeo & Juliet mixed with a bit of Cyrano and set against the backdrop of the Ankh-Morpork football scene. To their horror and dismay, the faculty of Unseen University much choose to either foot a soccer team or lose a huge bequest which pays for the extravagant meals of which the wizards are so fond. All the usual suspects are here including Archchancellor Ridculley, Ponder Stibbons and The Lecturer in Recent Runes as well as Rinsewind and even the Luggage has a cameo. The Librarian plays goal of course. The opposition is led by The Dean (now Archchancellor of his own university in Quirm) assisted by Professor Turnipseed (Ponder Stibbons' old assistant once known as Mad Drongo in Soul Music)
New characters include Nutt the Orc, who is coming to terms with his existance (our Cyrano character), and Trev Lightly, son of a famous footballer, Juliet, the love interest from a rival cheering squad, (our Romeo & Juliet). Through them we get a look behind the scenes at Unseen University and also at the history of Ankh-Morpork football.

My only problem with the Discworld novels has been that in the United States we don't get the wonderful cover art which has been created by Paul Kidby. I recommend ordering this book from the UK the store website. It makes a world of difference.

Unseen Academicals is a Discworld novel in the Wizards sub-series, although the main character is a very well-learned goblin named Mr. Nutt who works as candle-dribbler in the vats of Unseen University. Nutt's best friend is his coworker Trevor Likely (son of football legend Dave Likely) who is expert at tossing an old tin can in the air. Trev is in love with Juliet Stollop, the lovely and soon-to-become-dwarfish-fashion-model assistant of Miss Glenda, the night-kitchen cook, who makes the best pies.

And in the meantime, the wizards discover that according to an old tradition, they are to play a game of football every twenty years (and that means about now) or they will have to reduce their meals to only three a day and only so many cheeseboards too. Only the football that is currently played in the streets of Ankh-Morpork looks more like a mob riot.

The book describes how the Wizards, advised my Nutt, Trev, Glenda, Juliet and Lord Vetinari, set out to write down new and more civilized rules for football, and finally gather the UU team.

I really enjoyed Unseen Academicals as a whole, but especially I found the four main characters very endearing, particularly Mr. Nutt who is always striving to "be worthy" (as he was taught by Her Ladyship in Uberwald) and Miss Glenda, who is very down-to-earth but learns that sometimes, just sometimes, you have to follow your impulses.

I truly enjoy Discworld novels, owning every one including the ones that explored the concepts used like Carpet People and Strata. That said, I think this is one of my least favorite Discworld books simply because it is very dense with concepts.

Discworld has several novels that are much deeper than the others. Thief of Time is probably my favorite one - you cannot simply race through that novel. Even the teen ones like Wintersmith are not immune from dense concepts. So just as a warning, this is not a happy jaunty book, but it is far from serious, being a Discworld book.

This book takes the concept of football aka soccer and twists it on the ear. In typical Pratchett fashion, there's also multiple other small stories going on behind that interact with the main story in the brilliant way he has. Like most Pratchett novels, attempting to discuss part of the book will make you want to talk about another part until you've written a book yourself! The characters in here are so rich with descriptions you'll be amazed that they are all (well mostly) new to this book. I've honestly never seen a writer do character descriptions and details as well as he does, because after a chapter you feel you've known the character for ages.

Highly recommended, especially if you can read it for a good bit at a time.

It took me a bit of time to fall into Discworld -- at first. I'd finally bought a copy of The Colour Of Magic, and it felt like wannabe Robert Sheckley, at first. But then, again, my ex grabbed my copy and threw it into the ocean when we were camped out on the beach in Costa Rica. On reflection, I suppose that tells me I was so enrapt that I wasn't paying enough attention to her. Or Costa Rica. But with the next book, I was hooked. Ever since then, I have made it a practice to get the newest Discworld book, put it on my shelf, and hold off as long as I can stand to before starting it, as the pleasure is always too soon over. In recent years, I was beginning to miss some of the old lunacy. Yes, I've loved The Night Guard,Thud,and Making Money, and Going Postal, but all these Guard- or Ankh-Morpork centered stories left me wanting more of UU. Now we've got it, in spades. This one made me laugh out loud more than any have, for years. I'd read it again, but my daughter snagged it and took it back to England with her (coals to Newcastle?). Anyhow, I do not understand why some critics are, well, so critical of this one. I found it a long-desired breath of not-so-fresh (considering the Ankh-Morport setting) air, another amazing pudding of the serious, the satirical, and the simply silly.

I've loved the Discworld books since I was a kid, and recommended them to my own children and to my husband. There are one or two books that are less favorites, and the rest are my favorite books in the series. There aren't many series you can say that of.
The last few books have been dealing with more and more serious themes and I like that. Things change, people change, and it feels like these books have matured with me. This one is in some ways the most serious to date. A lot of themes that have been lightly touched on in other books are a lot more explicitly touched on in this one.
But saying it's serious doesn't mean it's not funny. Mr. Pratchett is a master of satire. He can poke fun and make you think at the same time.
I loved the characters in this book, identified with some of their traits. The main character seems in some ways to be Mr. Nutt who is trying to be worthy, trying very hard to matter, but a lot of the point of view is Glenda's, the cook who rules the Night Kitchen at the Unseen University.
You can say the book is about racism, about war, about politics and about football, and it is about all those things. But it's also about not feeling like you belong and trying to find or make a place for yourself in the world.

Why am I seemingly one of the only people who loves this book? I finished reading through all of Discworld this year, and I counted this book as my 2nd favorite of the entire series. It's so full of fun moments, so full of meaningful conversations, so many little twists in the plot. And then it ends on the biggest Rocky-style ending of the entire series.

Yes, it's a little too long-winded. It could be a bit shorter. And it's a little too perfect - good things happen to all of the good people, bad things happen to all of the bad people, everything turns out all right in the end. But it's just a book that gives me hope for humanity. It makes you believe that people can grow and be better than what they are. Have a go if you think you're hard enough.

Thank goodness another Terry and Lyn Pratchett novel is out!

In "Unseen Academicals" our latest Ankh-Morpork Episode focuses on Unseen University, where Ponder Stibbons (inventor of the Hex machine) as newest Master Of The Traditions discovers the wizards must play a game of "foot-the-ball" or lose a bequest that funds eighty-seven point four per cent of their food bill.

Meanwhile, a member of an exotic but downtrodden species has been placed for protection in Ankh-Morpark by its Patrician and Lady Margolotta of Uberwald. (Lady is a vampire who swore off human blood but that's another Pratchett story.)

As usual with reading Terry Pratchett I have a sneaking feeling I'm learning something underneath the involuntary snorts, chuckles, and guffaws emmitted while reading.

I've read and reread Pratchett's work so much I feel I LIVE in the Pratchett World. The common themes are humor, deft writing, social satire, and digs at everything from academic hierarchies to politics, from quantum mechanics and astrophysics to religion. Underneath it all is a steady gentle love for the eccentric ways of people.

Jump into Prachett World!

I love most everything Pratchett. I was introduced to Sir Pratchett's books back in high school (over a decade ago) with Small Gods and have gobbled up essentially everything that the man has put out.

That said, I've not been as much of a fan of his works since around Thud. I've found the newer of his books to have highly formulaic stories along with missing some of that punch as was present before. The characters are not quite as engaging for whatever reason either.

Mind you, I'm not trained in literary criticism, so I may be misusing these terms; however, I can say that there is *something* different (possibly due to his unfortunate condition, possibly just a natural progression of style), and because of that I'm just not grabbed quite as much.

That said, this book is still entertaining. I'm not going to tell you not to read it, just that it's not a good starting point for someone new to Pratchett nor one deserving of clearing your calendar to read.

This book was quite a surprise to me. I picked it up at the airport and was the first Discworld book I had read.

It is confusing a bit at first if you have not read any of the other books in the series, but that soon clears away.

Despite being a humor/fantasy book it is filled with touching moments and, wisdom and philosophical thoughts.

A couple of examples:
When confronted with the fact that someone they know had a homosexual relationship that broke up, everyone expects this very conservative professor to be angry about the sexual preference. Instead, he finds it sad, "That is sad, what the world needs is more love."
And at one point a very lovely thought:
"Sometimes, when you want to go to the ball, you have to be your own fairy godmother"

I enjoyed this immensely. Highly recommended. Can be read on its own. You don't need to read the preceding 36 books.

Pratchett never tires of twisting our reality into Discworld for the sole purpose of lovingly beating it into a pulp. This time out the mob rule of Foot the Ball and the bizarre fascination with mysterious models are the targets and Pratchett doesn't disappoint. With the inclusion of Mr. Nutt, a mild mannered young fellow with a very dark secret, Pratchett once again creates a worthy new addition to his sprawling world, but it is the examination of soccer's tremendous hold on its fans that is the really the focus of this book. The utter chaos revolving around the game of Foot the ball and the constant threat of death or at least a proper maiming for its fans gives Pratchett multiple opportunities for some sarcastic fun and when you add into the mix Vetinari's machination's, Ridcully's professors, and dwarf fashion designers(?) this book is a proper visit to Discworld's incredibly funny environs.

Having read all the Discworld books (over and over again), I naturally pounced on Unseen Academicals as soon as it came out. And I wasn't disappointed. What a funny, funny read!

Note to Self: Don't read Pratchett's books in public places! I find myself laughing aloud and drawing everyone's attention to myself, which can be quite embarrassing! (I was in my local diner reading Unseen Academicals, and I laughed so hard that the lady in the next booth wrote down the title of the book so she could go home and buy a copy!)

New characters mix easily with old in this charming tale about soccer/football. I was delighted that Dr. Hix - the resident "not really a necromancer" - made another appearance, along with the Librarian, Rincewind, William DeWord, and all the higher ranked wizards of Unseen University. And new characters Juliette, Trev, Nutt and Glenda were welcome additions to Discworld society.

Favorite moments: I LOVED it when Glenda told off the very powerful vampire Lady Margolotta. And I loved the sub-plot about the Dean (Sorry, can't give it away! You'd better read the book!)

Hilarious. Five stars plus!! Go UA!

There's no doubt that every positive term out there has already been used to describe sir Terry Pratchett's writing: witty, humorous, insightful, inventive, deep, heartfelt. And yet, each new book in the Discworld series feels like a complete rediscovery of everything that keeps people coming back for more, and "Unseen academicals" is no exception. From learning about the important work of dribblers, to catching up with the latest tendencies of dwarf fashion, to following a team of wizards as they attempt to prepare for an all-important match of "foot-the-ball", to learning about the toe-breaking, head-smashing, shouting, pushing, shoving history of Ankh-Morpork's favorite sport, this book is an experience to remember from the first page to last, sparkling with Pratchett's sharp wit, ingenious humor and meticulous attention to detail. And it's not all jokes either: as is characteristic of his writing, sir Terry explores serious topics such as the consequences of imperialism, surviving within the mob mentality, social inequality and self-acceptance, and he does it in a manner that is as sensitive as it is unrelenting, using both the dramatic and humorous parts of the story to paint a picture that hits close to home for many, yet leaves the reader feeling hopeful and warmed. Beloved old favorites among the characters meet with new ones in this installment, and their journey is one worth following again and again.

The first novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series (The Colour of Magic) was published in 1983 so it's no surprise that I feel like I've been following the series for my whole life. Pratchett is one of the best-selling authors in the UK and is a prolific writer - Unseen Academicals is the 37th novel set in Discworld - but his standards never slip.

In Unseen Academicals Pratchett focuses on life above and below stairs at the Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork and turns his satirical eye on the world of football. The faculty of wizards at the Unseen University are faced with a difficult decision - either survive on only three meals a day or form a football team to compete in a tournament that would ensure funding for the University from a wealthy family of patrons. They are not keen to lose their meal privileges. Unfortunately for the wizard, football in Ankh-Morpork is a particularly dangerous sport and deaths are common. The wizards therefore team up with Lord Vetinari, beloved dictator of the city, to compile a set of official rules for football, which includes the banning of handling the ball and proscribes the use of unofficial balls. The rules might well make the game somewhat safer, but they're certainly not enough to guarantee the wizards victory in the tournament.

While the wizards are concentrating on training and tactics, four ordinary citizens of Ankh-Morpork are becoming mixed up in some shady footballing business. Mr Nutt is a candle dribbler who must shake-off his race's reputation for being mindless killing machines when he is appointed as trainer for the wizards ahead of their big match. Mr Nutt's co-worker and friend, Trev Likely, is the son of the most famous deceased footballer in Ankh-Morpork but has unfortunately promised his mum that he will not play in the match. Glenda is a friend of both Mr Nutt and Trev and works in the Unseen University's Night Kitchen making the best pies in the whole of the Discworld. Juliet works for Glenda, fancies Trev and might just be the best fashion model to ever grace the Disc. These four disparate characters all end up advising the wizards during the build-up to their epic match against the former street footballers of Ankh-Morpork.

With Unseen Academicals Terry Pratchett has written yet another cracker of a Discworld novel. I'm not a big fan of football myself so I wasn't sure whether I would find the set-up here to be as interesting as the previous novels but it was quickly clear that Unseen Academicals is a satire on the old formula of 'team of no-hopers coached by a washed up, one time great player must play and beat the favourite team' and the situation of the wizards having to win using official non-magic rules in order to guarantee the continuation of their slothful lives is just as hilarious and entertaining as the previous satirical Discworld novels (Pratchett having parodied the post office and banking, amongst other famous British institutions, in recent novels). I've always enjoyed witnessing life in the Unseen University and several well-loved characters from previous novels (such as The Luggage and Rincewind) crop up again to great effect in Unseen Academicals. Each of the four new characters introduced in this novel were strong and likeable and help to drive the plot forward. I particularly liked the enigmatic and stoical Mr Nutt. The plot knits together well through a series of amusing happenstance and the pace of the story is lively. The tone here is less dark than that of the more recent Discworld stories and there are many laugh-out-loud moments.

I can't wait to see what will be happening in the Discworld next!

This feels more like a free-writing exercise than an actual novel. We get some of Sir Terry's impressions about the emotional feel of a soccer match and we get a fairly brief description of a single soccer match with the UU staff involved. But there's not much else to the story. Oh, there's an orc who is looked down upon by society but is, of course, actually a wonderful person. There's a female character who is too repressed and another that is too ditsy to really be liked. And that's about it. Nothing here really adds to the Discworld's setting and the entire book is forgettable. I'd hoped for better but Pratchett seems to have lost a lot of his skills.

I was rather apathetic to this book. I read it after rereading men at arms (for the umpteenth time) but never really got into it.

It had a lot of what you'd expect from a Pratchett. Quick humour, insightful observations and well developed characters but it doesn't have the edge, it isn't genius. It's almost like an avid fan of newer books (The truth onwards) tried to write his own but didn't quite get the point.

In the great books the comedy was intelligent, imaginative and while not subtle it had an unerring ability to catch you off guard. At its heart Pratchett is fish out of water comedy from the narrative of complex, witty and invariability intelligent characters stuck in an unfamiliar world. Whether that's Rincewind inventing Discworld style tourism, Sam Vines in high society or Granny Weatherwax at the Opera. The style worked well giving suspense and comedy derived from the characters observations of their world and analogies to our own.

In this book there isn't really a central character that the narrative follows and you empathise with. Consequentiality, this book has narrative and gags, they rarely merge. Worst than this is the loss of suspense. I used to read a Pratchett over a weekend then turn back to the beginning, this took me two months because I just didn't care what happened.

Actually in my opinion the worst sin of this book is that it leeches past books. Ridcully and the Dean are some of the finest characters ever written but they are simple, one dimensional, predictable and with minor parts. In this book they've been promoted to larger roles and changed. This is a mistake. If you want new characters, create new characters don't corrupt old favourites. There's other references to past books too. Like mentioning Rincewind's defeat of sorcery with the old brick in a sock trick. This was a brilliant comic image but here it is just out of place.

To summarise.

Good book alone but not discworld.

Unseen Academicals (2009) is the thirty-fourth Fantasy novel in the Discworld series, following Making Money. In the previous volume, Lord Vetinari appointed Moist von Lipwig -- the Postmaster General -- as Master of the Royal Mint. The postage stamps invented by von Lipwig had already become a sort of lightweight, low value currency. So he then invented paper money without the adhesive.

In this novel, Mister Nutt is a dribbler at the Unseen University. He works at the candle vats to produce artistic dribbles on the candles. He is a meek looking sort and was recommended by higher level.

Mustrum Ridcully is the higher level, Archchancellor of UU. He thinks of himself as first among equals, with the emphasis on "first".

Ponder Stibbens is the Master of Traditions and eleven other positions at UU (at last count).

The Librarian is an orangutan due to an unfortunate accident with an overly excited folio. He still holds his position, but now eats more bananas than previously. He is much more agile and quick than anyone else on the faculty. And he has very long arms.

Henry is the former Dean of UU. Now he is the Archchancellor of Brazeneck University in Pseudopolis. He is getting paid -- wizards at UU are not paid as such, but have many perks -- in his new position and is working hard at his new school to overtake its rival.

Glenda Sugarbean is head of the Night Kitchen at UU. She cooks the most delicious Ploughman's Pie with crisp onions.

Juliet Stollop is a friend of Glenda and works in the Night Kitchen. Jools is quite beautiful and even the wizards have noticed. They wait for her to bring in cheeses and other dainties and are disappointed if someone else brings them. They almost remember about sex and romance.

Trevor Likely is the son of Dave Likely and is in charge of the candle vats at UU. His father was the only man in Ankh-Morpork who ever scored four goals in one foot-a-ball game. But somebody killed him in the street, so Trev promised his mom never to play the game. Still, he does likes to kick his tin can up and down and around.

Havelock Vetinari is the Tyrant of Ankh-Morpork. He always has a plan and probably knows more about you than you do.

In this story, the Candle Knave notices that his assistant is not Trev, but some unknown person. When he asks, Mr. Nutt gives him the proper name. Then he corrects attempts to call him Nutts.

When Trev is not there, Nutt takes charge of the people who have sought sanctuary within the candle vats. Of course, the vats are located at the end of a corridor, so anyone who passes by can see them. But no one ever passes by without a very good reason.

Glenda is wondering what is keeping Juliet from coming to work. When Jools arrives, she reminds Glenda that she had been at a foot-the-ball game with Rotten Johnny. Glenda asks her who was thw winner, but Jools had left before they finished counting the wound points.

The wizards are having a conference while waiting for their buffet to appear. As they are watching for Juliet, the Archchancellor remembers the traitorous move of the Dean to Brazeneck University. While calming him down, Ponder notices the pages turning in a book and discovers an overlooked tradition.

It seems that the Bigger bequest is predicated on Unseen U playing a game of foot-the-ball at least once every twenty years. Nobody is certain when the last game was played, but most believe it to have been about twenty tears afore. Ponders points out that the bequest expires if UU doesn't play foot-a-ball very soon.

Faced by the possible loss of the bequest and a reduction in the number of meals offered per day from nine or so to only three, the faculty decides to form a foot-a-ball team. Someone points out that the game is illegal, but Ridcully counters that the wizards don't pay attention to mundane laws. However, he agrees to discuss the issue with Lord Vetinari.

In the ensuing conference, Ridcully finds himself taking on the task of redefining foot-a-ball. Upon returning to the University, he forms a committee to reformulate the game of football (the name change seemed appropriate). Naturally, the wizards are good at committees, but Ridcully insists that the rule changes be produced in the next few days.

They change rules as they try out the game. The ancient rules say that no player can use his hand to catch or propel the ball. But when the Librarian uses his hands to save a large stained glass window, some call for reconsideration of this rule. They finally decide to let the goalie use his hands to catch or divert the ball.

Ridcully appoints Ponder as the chairman of the committee and suggests the use of Hex -- the Unseen computer -- to scan the documents and compile a list of modifications. The task is completed well before a banquet is held to inform the foot-a-ball captains of the rule changes and to announce the University team. The captains are asked to select an opposing team to play the Unseen Academicals.

Meanwhile, Trev starts hanging around with Juliet. She tells Glenda that he hasn't tried any hanky-panky, so she has never had to knee him. Glenda wonders if Trev has fallen in love.

Nutt writes a poem for Glenda, but gives it to Juliet as coming from Trev. Juliet can't read the posh poetry, so Glenda translates it for her. Juliet is very pleased with the poem. Glenda begins to suspect that Trev had not written it.

This tale has Nutt killed after a foot-the-ball game, but he recovers in the morgue. Glenda and Juliet go to a dwarf fashion show and Jools is asked to model; she succeeds beyond all expectations. Nutt becomes THE trainer for the Unseen team, with some help from Trev.

Note: football is a game more like soccer that American football. But no reasonable comparison can be made with Terran games.

This story concludes severally. The next installment will most surely conjure up more fun and fancy. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Pratchett fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of wizard schools, football matches, and true love. If anyone has not previously read this series, the initial volume is The Color of Magic.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I'm a huge fan of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. The tongue-in-cheek parodies are guaranteed entertainment. This time, in Unseen Academicals, Pratchett takes on football. This is, of course, British football, although the antics of players and spectators are little different to those of their American counterparts. But, as Pratchett says, football is never just about football.

When the overweight, overindulgent wizards of Unseen University discover a clause in an endowment that states they must play football or lose a tidy sum of money--that means they would have to pare back spending on food, and worse, reduce the size of the cheese plate--they have no choice. They must form a team and take part in Ankh-Morpork's popular sport of Foot the Ball, and being Unseen University, they must win. Without using magic.

We find many old friends in Unseen Academicals: successful tyrant Lord Ventinari, Archancellor Mustrum Ridcully, the Librarian, and more. As per Pratchett's m.o.d., we also meet new characters we hope to see in future Discworld novels. Trev Likely, son of Ankh-Morpork's most famous footballer, who died on the field. Trev promised his old mum he wouldn't play the game, but he's a whiz with a shiny tin can. Sensible, intelligent Glenda, pie-maker supreme in UU's night kitchen. Glenda's friend and total opposite, the stunning Juliet; beautiful, romantic, illiterate and dimmer than a 25-watt light bulb. And then there is Mr. Nutt. Everyone thinks Nutt is a goblin, but Pratchett lets us into the secret of what Nutt really is early on. Thugs, dwarf couturiers, rivals from another university, all make their appearance; not to forget Mr. Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler, who always manages to weasel his way into a scene, albeit briefly.

As UU tries to research the game of Foot the Ball, a gold-colored urn mysteriously comes to light. This urn conveniently lists the original, goddess-given rules of football. And just in time, too, before the UU team has to participate in the current knock-em-down-and-stomp-on-em street version. This new game of football will be civilized, and with Mr. Nutt to tutor them in strategy and technique, how can they lose?

But, as said before, football is never just about football.

With Unseen Academicals, the wonderful Terry Pratchett returns to the world of Unseen University and the faculty wizards. However, as with many books focused on the wizards, he also has a secondary plot that might almost be the main one, involving some never before seen characters. All in all, it's not quite up to the standards of the best of Pratchett, but it's very good all the same.

It seems that to keep the money flowing from a fund that has been used for many years to finance the university, the Unseen University is supposed to annually field a regular "foot-the-ball" team and play against the other guilds in the city of Ankh-Morpork. Since these wizards consider eating to be the most strenuous sport they'll ever play, this could become a problem. Foot-the-ball has been going on in an unorganized fashion for many years, resulting in much violence and mayhem, and Lord Vetinari (Ankh Morpork's benevolent tyrant) has decided to organize a game to bring the rabble under control. Meanwhile, behind the scenes at the university, other weirdness is occurring. Trev (son of an ex-player who died on the streets) has fallen for Juliet the maid, who's friends with Glenda, the night cook who specializes in pies. Glenda, meanwhile, has befriended Mr. Nutt, a creature sheltered by the university who doesn't know anything about his own history. When all the secrets, both known and unknown, come boiling to the surface, some people could lose their heads!

I really did enjoy Unseen Academicals, though it wasn't as gripping as Pratchett's books usually are. The jokes are there, even more so than there have been in more recent books. As in most of Pratchett's books where he features the wizards of Unseen University, the other storyline is much more interesting and solid. It seems that Pratchett feels (and I quite agree) that he can't really write a socially relevant book that is completely about the wizards. They are much too buffoonish for that. Interesting points can be made through them, but not enough to sustain a whole novel.

Which is why I have to say I loved the other storyline. The four-pronged semi-romance is quite touching in its own way, but it also shows us that you can find the good in people if you really want to. All you have to do is look. Mr. Nutt's mystery is intriguing (I won't spoil it here), as a man (or creature, I guess) who is looking for his own self-worth. He shows off talents that consistently surprise those around him, and Nutt continuously cowers from the limelight that those successes bring him. He must not stand out; must be part of the crowd. While these "rules" from his sophisticated mistress (in the "master" sense, not the "cheating on a spouse" sense) about how to operate in society seem to there to protect him, he was also taught them in order to hide what he is.

Meanwhile, Glenda sees the true worth hiding beneath Nutt's exterior. Trev, the boy from the streets who is seriously rough around the edges but who has a major crush on Juliet, who doesn't have two brain cells to rub together but yet is quite beautiful and very sweet and who is protected by Glenda from stepping into any bad situations...well, you can see there's a lot going on there. Glenda also learns about letting go and that people cannot grow to their vast potential when being protectively smothered.

Nutt is the glue that ties both stories together, as Ridcully (head of Unseen University) and Lord Vetinari know Nutt's secret and know why he is being sheltered at the university. Nutt's heightened intelligence and training is enlisted when the wizards must form a soccer team against a rival university. Vetinari is determined to make the game a sport again instead of an excuse for random hooliganism and tribalism on the streets.

I was quite surprised and pleased to see that Pratchett ended up giving Ridcully a bit of a third dimension in Unseen Academicals, with him getting introspective about Nutt and about his relationship with Vetinari. It did, however, seem to jar with his public persona a bit. There are scenes where he's acting as seemingly clueless as the other wizards, and it doesn't seem to be an act put on for the rest of the faculty. Still, I did appreciate it. Stibbons, of course, is still the put-upon faculty member and the only one who demonstrates much actual intelligence. Whenever a new job comes up that the wizards have to deal with, they always drop it on him. His reactions to this are quite amusing.

The book has plenty of jokes in it, especially where the wizards are involved but also in the other storyline too. Vetinari is, as usual, priceless, even more so when it seems he may have met his match in the manipulation department. The final game that concludes the book is a laugh-riot, though, making me race to the end after having slogged through the first half. That was not the book's fault, but my own problem, and I only include it to show how gripping the last half actually was. I was having trouble keeping quiet as the Librarian (who, as most Discworld fans know, was turned into an ape in a magical accident) plays goal.

All in all, Unseen Academicals is not one of Pratchett's best books, but it is certainly more of the usual Pratchett magic. There are plenty of jokes mixed in with the social commentary, and the commentary itself is quite sharp and incisive. Yet Pratchett doesn't let that overwhelm just how funny the book can be. And, best yet, the hilarious footnotes are back! How can you go wrong?

Originally published on Curled Up With a Good Book. © David Roy, 2009

That's bloody pathetic.

This is without a doubt one of the best books Pratchett has ever written. It's prose are just as warm and personal as one could hope. It's plot is more then just a story map it is thematic and moral ride that the characters take you on through an environment that is incredibly real. It's characters include some of the most sympathetic i have ever read.

And all of this happens around one of the nicest touches in the book. The sport. Who actually cares about the sport in this book? Nobody. Does the sport have anything to do with the story besides being a brilliant plot device to peel back the layers of society and human psychology and root around. Not really. It just helps us look at people.

Let Mr. Pratchett peel back a few layers for you, forget what you know of his previous work and you will be more then pleasantly surprised. It's not all that different but there are so many people who are to close minded to allow for a little change. Cut the crappy two star reviews written from unacceptable insecurity, and allow for some fresh stuff.

What a great book.

For some odd reason, totally not my usual way of doing things, I bought this book the moment it came out (okay, that's normal with a favorite) and then put off reading it for quite a while....which can be normal for me with a lot of books, but NEVER with a Terry Pratchett book. In fact, I ended up reading the next book, Snuff, before I finally dug Unseen Academicals back out of the TBR pile. Of course, once I began reading I was soon pulled into the story....

Reading a Terry Pratchett novel is quite an experience. The man is clever, brilliant AND on top of that, can write a charming, interesting, humorous novel full of twists, turns, surprises, tidbits and social satire. He does not shy away from difficult or uncomfortable subjects and yet can write with humor, so while you're laughing, you're still thinking about the injustices of the world. Somehow, and rightly so, you're left know just how idiotic these injustices are yet even while the novel seethes with trouble makers, the poor, the desparate - by the end of the book you are enjoying the fact that while still imperfect - the characters have had small victories, huge victories, or temporary victories, and even if they don't necessarily get a fairytale happy ending - they get the right ending.

In this case, we're not only reading about sports and how it affects people, but all the other behavours and issues that a popular well attended sporting event can bring up - bigotry, politics, rights of the people, rioting, cheating, loyalties, competition, ....you know, all the craziness that can accompany sports and sporting events and even within sporting families.

There's this game that's been going on since forever, it gets bigger and bigger, truly mythical proportions, even the spectators seem to be part of the game (like in American football, when they call the crowd the 12th man). The game seems to be a cross between Rugby, Soccer and Football, and in this early, discworld version the game seems to move from place to place; not because of the day, but because of where the players are throwing the ball. The game and "12th man" becoming so epic has drawn the attention of Lord Vetinari. When he becomes interested in something - watch out.

There are some familiar faces in Unseen Academicals - The Unseen University, the wizards within; Ponder, Stibbons, Ridcully, The Librarian, etc. However, Pratchett introduces new characters to readers: the head of the night kitchen, Glenda, who is a no nonsense type of woman, one everyone depends on and who seems to be middle ages, though she's much younger; Juliet, the beautiful worshipped maid, who is the same age as Glenda, yet seems years younger; Trev, who works for the Unseen University - a young handsome roguish man, big sports enthusiast, and unfortunately a supporter of the wrong team. Unfortunate, because he's in love with Juliet and her family/neighborhood are for the other team. There's a bit of a Romeo/Juliet thing going here - just the beginnings.... There is also this whiz of a candle maker - Mr. Nutt. In fact, he seems to be an expert on just about everything, and yet there is something slightly sinister and mysterious about him People seem nervous around him...

There's such a wondrous mix of stories here. I see a sort of West Side/East Side, Romeo and Juliet, Necessary Roughness, all kinds of stories going on here - and it's all weaved into one master story by this brilliant writer, Terry Pratchett. As usual, Pratchett uses humor, satire, cleverness, multiple storylines and wonderful dialogue all together to bring his take on things - in this example, sports and love. If you haven't yet tried a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, this is a good one - though he has over 30 novels set in this Discworld, they all stand alone in their own right. And if you have read them, just haven't yet picked up this one, go get it, you won't be disappointed.

There isn't much to say about a Discworld novel at this point.You like the series or you don't, you shouldn't start with this one (although it isn't that bad of a starter, it doesn't give a lot of background on the characters--start elsewhere), and you just want to know if it's one of the (rare) standouts, either as extra genius (Night Watch) or a klunker (Monstrous Regiment).

It's a solid Discworld book, and we seem to have precious few of those left, so cherish it.

For recurring characters, it revolves around Vetinari and the yahoos at the Unseen University. Lots of Mustrum Ridcully, we see Vetinari actually drunk, Lady Margolota makes an appearance, and we have passing time with Angua, the Librarian (more than usual), and Rincewind. Yes, the Luggage does drop by.

For new characters, we get the usual lovers who probably only appear in this book, we get a classic "what is he? he's new! he plays against type!" Pratchett character (the actual star of he book), and we meet a wonderful member of the University staff, the professor of "Post Mortem Communication," which, unlike necromancy, is legal. He wears black robes, has a widow's peak and goatee, and sports the official University skull ring, so he is required to be slightly, but acceptably, evil, break rules, and undermine the staff at predictable and mostly-harmless intervals. He apologizes a lot. I loved him.

Oh, and a *lot* of Ponder Stibbins. Which is always good. We get to see Stibbins competitive and crafty side, as well as some actual vindictiveness. He is certainly on the second- or third-tier of the Discworld's "dangerous when aroused to anger" list, the first being Vetinari and Esme Weatherwax and the second being Death, Susan Sto Lat, and Sam Vimes. Third tier is not bad.

The plot revolves around Vetinari, for some reason, interfering in the working-class sport of football (Ankh-Morpork football is like Soccer plus Rugby plus American Football, with some cage match and fan interference thrown in). The University is forced to choose between their food budget and fielding a staff/faculty team, which means, to Ridcully's delight, the professors have to actually go outside, wear trousers and exercise. Which apparently does not involve picnics and smoking their pipes. Stibbins is the team coach, which leads to the expected hilarity.

Of course, the romantic subplot, the underlying observations on class, politics, and human nature, and quietly put message about human dignity and equality are all present. Pratchett is at his best when he lets those underly, but not consume, his stories and he's as good as usual here (i.e., this isn't Monstrous Regiment).

And as expected, nothing that Vetinari does is what it seems. His motives and his plans (layered several on top of each other) are brilliant as always.

Not a "top 3" Discworld book, but well in the space of the more recent books (and far better than the early ones).

In a review, the reader tries to create a sense of the book; the task is to boil down the essence of the work and to summarize and give opinion about the quality of the object in a very subjective manner. I am making a project of finding that essence in the most constrained manner possible. Here, I present you with a haiku review. I hope you like the review and take under consideration a purchase of the work.

The archchancellor,
who we have seen before now
starts a football team.

Amazing story. Longer and more encompassing than most discworld books with a range of new and old characters to get embroiled with.
Audiobook: Outstanding performance by Steven Briggs. The characters were believable, even the female voices. Just fantastic reading. I wish he'd go back and do the older discworld books. I'm glad they have audio, but Mr. Briggs takes it to a new level and does Mr. Pratchett's characters proud.

I have been reading Terry Pratchett novels ever since his first book, The Carpet People, was given to me at the Sci-Fi con in San Francisco in 1972, by another fantasy author. I have been reading everything he has written since then. In fact, I ordered many of the titles from England, back in the days prior to the 'net, because there was often some delay in them being published here and often I didn't like the covers or the fact they weren't available in hardback.
I love the footnotes! I love the in-jokes that are subtle but sparkling.
I got an advance copy - purchased at the first North American Discworld Convention held in Tempe, AZ last month (September '09) and it is signed by the author.

I just knew, when the subject of "football" popped up way back in Jingo, that we hadn't heard the end of it.
The author has taken the concept of entertaining satire and amazing irony and run with it right into the end zone (American football reference) or the goal (rest of the world football reference) and has kept right on going to the top of the mountain.
Since my first reading (from cover to cover with breaks only for the absolutely most necessary stuff) I have read it a second time, a bit slower, to catch some of the subtle bits I missed the first time. I will also read it again, as I have all of the novels, short stories and etc., and always with great enjoyment.
I am not going to include a synopsis because others have and no sense repeating. I do take exception to those who have panned the book. The story is interesting, has some odd quirks and goes into some areas heretofore unexplored but it is still a terrific story, has a sneaky plot and some weird and wonderful characters, some new, some regulars and some yanked up from earlier books.
It's fun to read and I recommend it unconditionally.

NB: I received a review copy of this book.

Football (Soccer to us Americans). Romeo and Juliet (with a dash of Cyrano de Bergerac). Secret pasts of characters. Cooking.

Such is the Matter of Unseen Academicals, the latest Discworld novel from Terry Pratchett. Centering on Unseen University, Pratchett takes us not only into the doings of the wizards there, but the "little people" who make the University work. We meet Glenda, head of the Night Kitchen and possibly one of the best cooks anywhere. We meet Trev Lively, son of the famous football player Dave Lively (who scored an unprecedented four goals in his career in the old and illegal version of football played on Discworld's streets). We meet Juliet, a fashion star waiting to be born from her humble beginnings in the kitchen. And we meet the mysterious Mr. Nutt, who is from Uberwald. He's a candle dribbler, but also amazingly educated for someone of his station. Oh, and he is a monster of unusual stripe...

How is it? Well, while I was entertained, UA is frankly, not as good as some of Pratchett's best novels. There are a few things here which are not as well integrated as other plotlines in the novel. Stuff that felt like they should be more important, or were going to be, but never quite came to fruition. I was expecting more out of them than we actually got. Its possible, due to my scattershot reading of Pratchett's work that there are some characterization issues that I am missing. Lord Vetinari feels different than he does in the novels I have read, for example.

On the other hand, a very good Pratchett as opposed to a first-rank Pratchett is still better than a lot of the dreck out there. And there are wonderful things in the novel that frankly made me laugh aloud while reading it. The footnote about the Explorer's Guild, for example. Or the offhand mentioned consequence of yet another strange addition to the Watch. The character growth of Ponder Stibbons, who is rapidly becoming a force within the University to rival Ridcully himself. Or the climatic game for that matter. (although there is an incident in the game involving how the Librarian is removed from goalkeeper that felt very wrong).

I have a large gap in unread Pratchett novels that was little handicap in reading this novel, and so I can unreservedly recommend this latest Discworld novel to readers of all levels of familiarity with Pratchett's work. Is it up to his highest standards? No. On the other hand, only very good Pratchett is still much better than much of the competition.

Oh, what's the use of talking to you. If you have read one of Pratchett's Discworld series you have read them all, or in the process of reading them. If you haven't, grab one and read it. I do think you will enjoy Unseen Academicals more if you read a couple of the earlier stories first. In this one we meet many of the people and situations involving the disfunctional city of Ankh-Morpork, though many of them aresomewhat changed. Consistency has never been a Pratchett characteriatic anyway. Now the wizards have become football players, a dubious premise if ever there was one. Somehow it works.

Ankh-Morpork's clever ruler Lord Ventinari informs Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully he could lose a humongous grant if they fail to field a sports team playing football; some sort of hybrid of soccer and rugby. The wizard faculty and administration are in a frenzied state as none of the practitioners understand the rudiments of the game so they struggle to become adept rather quickly; depending ironically on the mundane support staff.

As they put together a squad around a good kicker who apparently is not part of UU, but part of the streets of UU, Ventinari plans to take advantage of the competition to further his ambitions as sponsors expect much more than a front row seat. Part of his tasking of the wizards is to remove the violence out of the sport as the two best teams in the city, the Dimmers and the Dollies, break a lot of bones and not just on the playing field or limited to the players.

The latest Discworld satire lampoons team sports, fans and academics as UU always put learning and eating way above athletics, but now must dropkick athletics way above learning; eating remains at the top thanks to the cook. Fans will enjoy this amusing look at football and universities with side mockings of racism, sexism and fanatics as learning gets benched for a Top Ten team of headbangers.

Harriet Klausner

Contrary to popular belief, I don't hate sports.

I know this may come as a surprise, since I studiously avoid all but the most cursory acknowledgment of current sporting events. I finish the paper when I hit the sports section, and the sport report on the news is, for me, time to wash the dishes. I have no favorite teams of any kind, no players I look up to, and no interest in following play-offs, bowl games, championships or derbys. Hell, even with the Olympics my interest plummets after the opening ceremonies.

But I don't hate sports.

You see, in order to hate something, you have to actually care about it. And that's the thing about sports - I just don't care.

I wasn't always like this, of course. When I was a kid, I tried all kinds of sports. I tried (deep breath) baseball, basketball, skiing, swimming, sailing, soccer, tennis, golf and judo. And those were after school. In PE class we had all the usual PE things - volleyball, softball, track and field, running, archery, field hockey, dodgeball.... What it came down to was that I had no natural talent for sports [1] and, more importantly, I never had fun. I never saw the point of the whole thing, so I pretty much said "Bugger this," and turned to other areas of entertainment, thereby sealing off the sporting world from my interest forever.

A lot of my friends do love their sports, though, so I try to keep a cursory understanding of things - you know, how many touchdowns there are in an inning, that kind of thing. I mean, there's nothing more disappointing than trying to talk about something you love, something for which you have great passion and enthusiasm and having someone just ignore you, right?

RIGHT??

Anyway, I'm telling you all this so that you can correct for it when I tell you about Unseen Academicals, the latest of the Discworld books. If my attitude seems kind of lackluster or disinterested, keep in mind that it's probably not Sir Terry's fault.

The book, you see, is about football. Not the sissy-pants American kind where the guys are so afraid of grievous bodily harm that they wear protective armor all the time, but the good, old-fashioned British kind, wherein people get their heads cracked open by cobblestones and die on the streets. You know, fun for the whole family.

In the great and exciting city of Ankh-Morpork, footy is a tradition. It's a lifestyle, in fact. Where you live determines who your team is, and who your team is tells you with whom you can associate and mingle. A supporter of one team wandering into the territory of another is a person asking to be beaten to death by enthusiastic and drunk hooligans. "Suicide," I believe the police refer to it as. It's a game that goes beyond the simple description of "rough and tumble." It's a substitute for war in a time where war is neither profitable nor productive. It's a channel for long-standing feuds and grudges and aggressions, and is practiced religiously in the streets of the city every weekend.

So obviously what this grand, injurious tradition needs, then, is the introduction of wizardry.

The wizards of the Unseen University are forced, through a clause in a long-forgotten honorarium, to put together a football team and play a match. Despite most wizards having the athletic ability of an overstuffed beanbag chair, it's either play the game or lose so much money that they'll have to cut down to only three meals a day. So, with the help of the son of one of the greatest footballers in the city's history, two cooks from the Night Kitchen and a young Orc who is trying to find value in his life, they put together a team and oh gods, I'm bored already.

Seriously, I couldn't care less about football. The book's not really even about football, to be honest. It's about identity and self-image, two things that are inextricably tied up in sports and sports fandom. The book is a lot less subtle than usual, pretty much hitting you over the head with a mallet and saying, "You are who you choose to be!!" over and over again.

Actually, what gets said over and over again is a variation on "A leopard can't change its shorts," a kind of humorous eggcorn that loses its humorous value after about the fifth time it gets used in the book. But it's pretty much the theme of the book - what is identity, and can it be changed?

To explore this, we have, for example, Trevor Likely, the son of a famous (dead) footballer who has sworn to his (also dead) mother that he will never play football again after what happened to his father. He's introduced as a young layabout, a lazy grifter who works very hard at not having to work, and desperately doesn't want to live up to his responsibilities. Unfortunately for him , he falls in love with young Juliet, a beautiful - if somewhat dim - young woman who works in the Night Kitchen. Standing in the way of their love, however, is the fact that they support opposing teams, and her family would never allow her to see the young man if they knew.

Hmmm. Trev and Juliet. Doesn't have the same ring, does it?

Also mixed up in this is Glenda, the head of the Night Kitchen, whose identity as a below-the-stairs cook is so ingrained into her head that trying to become something else is almost unthinkable. The wizards themselves face an identity crisis as well - the Dean has gone off and accepted the Archchancellor's position at another university, and has now come back to try and stand as an equal to Ridcully, the head of the Unseen University.

At the center of the book is Nutt, a strange young person who possesses a mysterious past. He looks a little odd, has an enormous intelligence, and harbors an unshakable desire to acquire self-worth, even if he's not entirely sure what that means.

All of these people are trying to figure out the same thing - who they are. Some of them are surprised by what they find, others dismayed. Nutt discovers that he is an Orc, a race of creatures so hated and reviled that he could be killed on sight. Juliet discovers that her beauty is her path out of the kitchens, Glenda that her desire to control others can be focused into something productive, and Trevor that the destiny he has avoided for so long is what he always should have been.

Threaded throughout all this is the love of the game, the dedication of these people to their football. Indeed, the identity of the game itself comes into play here as well - will it remain a violent street game, wherein the only rule is that there are no rules, or will it gain a sense of purpose and order? How will the old-school, bare-knuckle footy fans deal with the changes imposed upon their game by Lord Vetinari and the Wizards?

It's hard for me to filter through the sports aspect of this book, which is disappointing because it's something that a lot of people will probably enjoy. There's something about the devotion to a sport or to a team that is very important to most people that I just don't get, and so my general lack of interest in this book is entirely my fault, and not Terry's. I enjoyed the identity theme, of course - that's always a rich seam of storytelling material. Watching Nutt come to grips with his identity as an Orc, or Glenda realize that her entire sense of self has been culturally imposed upon her, well, that was fascinating. It's just that there was a whole thematic element to the book that I couldn't identify with and didn't care about.

It's kind of like listening to Mozart and wishing someone would just shut all those bloody violins up.

So, if you're a fan of Discworld, pick this up. If you like sports, pick this up. If you don't like sports, well, you take your chances. As a Pratchett completist, there was no question about reading this book. But I don't think it'll be one that I come back to very often.

It's not you, Terry. It's me.

------------------------------------------------------------------
"It seems to me that we have a challenge. University against university. City, as it were, against city. Warfare, as it were, without the tedious necessity of picking up all those heads and limbs afterwards."
- Lord Vetinari, Unseen Academicals
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[1] I think I made it to first base once in my Little League career, and actually got hit on the head by a fly ball - which, I am given to understand, are the easiest to catch. I nearly drowned myself repeatedly trying to learn how to sail. I used to knock myself over trying to kick goals in soccer, my trick ankles pretty much meant that tennis and basketball and any other activity involving quick stops and starts were out, and I got tired of being thrown to the ground real fast in judo. If there was ever such thing as an anti-athlete, I was it. I feared to shake hands with the jocks because I thought we'd both vanish in a cloud of photons.

The wizards of the Unseen University have a problem. It seems that they've neglected a tradition of maintaining a Football team, and they are in danger of losing a substantial bequest as a result. Unfortunately, football has degenerated to a chaotic street game, associated with thugs and street violence.

As the University attempts to establish a team and impose some order onto the sport, a number of people find their lives changing in ways they would never have expected. Along the way, Pratchett manages to insert satirical comments on the world of fashion models, tabloid media, door-to-door cosmetic sales, the world of academia and of course the English Football culture. There a a lot of threads here, but they all tie back together in the end, and provide a laugh-out-loud trip to Discworld.

I've been reading Terry Pratchett's novels for 10 years. He is by far one of the best authors in any genre. His newest novel just exemplifies his creativity, insight and of course, that wonderful sense of humor.

If you take into consideration he wrote this while in the midst of dealing with early Alzheimers then you will be amazed at how this story is delightfully constructed. Well, you'll be amazed if haven't read anything by Terry Pratchett before.

For the rest of us, it's just another damned good Discworld novel.

This one starts slow - the new characters take time to introduce and set up and the background connivances require sufficient explanation. If you've watched kids play football [soccer] you will practically choke on your laughter during some of the descriptions of the wizards practicing.

There are some of the deeper parts about worth and how people can be unthinkingly cruel with their attempts at kindness.

The repeating characters are Ridcully and Ponder Stibbons with the Librarian and other wizards adding their cameos. The Bursar doesn't appear though which was disappointing (I wonder if he [TP] finds that character less entertaining under the circumstances.) While Vetinari has some more lines than usual he isn't utilized as much as I thought he'd be. Vimes has all of three lines at the end, DEATH has one line, and none of the witches, watch, or aristocrats show up. [All of which is neither here nor there - just noting the characters for those who are more or less eager for stories about specific characters.]

Overall it's quite worth reading. Hopefully we can get a few more books of this quality out of the series before he's unable to continue writing.

Reading the beginning few chapters of UNSEEN ACADEMICALS gives the impression of something... not quite right.

No, not 'not quite right', because that implies that Pratchett has written a book that is wrong, and universes have ended on less staggering ideas.

So... amiss?

No, again, that implies something is not in its proper place.

So... off?

Okay, something off. No, I don't believe this is down to Pratchett's battle with Alzheimer's, this is just... off. It almost feels like we missed a book. The Dean has left UU and is now Archchancellor of a University we've never heard of before. Football is popular on a near-religious level in Ankh-Morpork even though it's never been mentioned before. The game, called "foot-the-ball", is played using a wooden sphere wrapped in leather, despite Carrot having an inflatable football in Jingo.

But as the book progresses, we realise why we love Pratchett's work so much. He expertly knits all of the disparate threads together into a pleasing storyline that builds to an impressive and satisfying climax.

Of course, the book is about football. And that's football, not that strap-on-the-suit-of-armour-and-play-a-watered-down-version-of-rugby kind of football. Thus, it should be obvious, 99% of the jokes will sail past American readers like a walloped penalty past a blind goalie.

See?

Page 2 contains the first such joke--the lady in the golden dress holding up a globe--and they continue right down to the Keith Wolstenholme reference from the '66 World Cup final on the very last page.

(hint: to get the lady with the globe joke, google "JULES RIMET TROPHY".)

There's fashion in there, too. And Vetinari getting drunk. Seriously. And how subtle the joke that so few got it?

Pratchett takes a slightly less in-your-face approach to the social commentary in this book as in comparison to some of his other works. There are strong themes of mob mentality, stupidity in the face of fandom, and some passages that seem to be designed to make the reader think about how we treat others based upon their race.

All in all, UNSEEN ACADEMICALS doesn't rank up at the peak of Pratchett's work, say in the lofty heights of NIGHT WATCH or SOUL MUSIC, but it's not near the bottom either. Good work, well written, stick with it. You will be rewarded for your patience.

One of the saddest reading experiences of my life. Beloved characters Vetinari and Ridcully have lost their brevity and incisiveness, and have become pompous and verbose. All Discworld novels from this one onwards are a tragic reminder of the damage done by an appalling disease.

I love Pratchett. I love his complex world-building and his clear love of language. I can't stop laughing about the Unseen Academicals. As an academic I find them especially hilarious.
He skewers everything under the sun-- nothing is sacred-- and it is fun to tag along.

Mr Pratchett has used many of his novels to give a comic fantasy twist to many subjects ranging from Banking, movie making to newspapers. Here he turns his hand to blending football into the Discworld. And the football here is the British Soccer, not football as understood by you chaps in the US.

I have been with the Discworld novels since the very beginning, way before the author turned into a phenomenon and then an official National British Treasure. Recently his much discussed illness has perhaps made us appreciate his genius even more. Now, a slight confession, although I was there from the start, I kind of lost my way about Hogfather - maybe it was my age or my tastes changed, but suddenly the books weren't doing it for me and since Hogfather I have only been dipping in and out of the occasional one.

But I love football and was keen to see how Terry Pratchett would morph our beautiful game into a Discworld version! And would the classic humour and clever writing be there as I remembered it from the days of avid reading. In short, yes.

In essence, the wizards of the Unseen University have to win a football match. And they are not allowed to use magic. So they resort to bringing in some players many of whom, in typical Pratchett fashion, are not quite what they seem. But although there are many amusing digs at the football culture, football and the challenge match are just the framework in which the author places interesting characters and very funny interplay. And there comes a point where you realise that actually this book might be about something that is nothing to do with football as we also get a gentle love story and comments on such maters as diverse as discrimination and fashion!
Knowledge of 'soccer' is not required to appreciate this, but there are two elements of British culture that may be worth explaining. Firstly British football is very tribal and who you support and intense rivalries that can border on hate, are part of the culture. Also part of the culture are the stadium pies. These are no culinary delights but are a stadium tradition, you eat them without asking too many questions - nobody expects decent quality food at a football ground in the UK. These are running themes in the book so worth mentioning for background.
Also towards the end the chapters have titles such as "They think it's all over" and "It is now"...this is from a famous TV commentary from 1966 when England won the World Cup.
It's astonishing that an author who is suffering with a serious illness can still produce such high quality stuff. The word genius was never more appropriate.

As I found the reviews somewhat mixed I held off buying this book for a long, long time. Previously I had taken every masterful Discworld book on pre-order. However, with Mr Pratchett becoming a victim of Alzheimer's I feared the worst for his writing. I did not want to be disappointed, I did not want the last 'new' Discworld book I read to be a disappointment. Really, I should have paid more attention because this book is about soccer. I eat, drink and sleep soccer. I love this book, it is truly both brilliant and hilarious. I would venture to suggest that any failure to enjoy this book is not the fault of the author but the fault of the reader. The book is funny in a smart way. All Discworld books are funny in a smart way. If a reader does not know the topic being satirized then it is really just too bad for them. Anyone not enjoying this book should look at themselves first and the book second when wondering what went wrong.

I have quite a collection of Terry Pratchett books. Some are great, some bounce around so much I can't keep the story(ies) straight. This is one of the best--a laugh out loud spoof of British soccer, perfectly adaptable to American college football hysteria. And, from this former faculty wife's perspective, spot on in skewering the, um, unnecessarily pompous aspects of higher education.

I made it about 3/4 of the way through this and by that point had no interest in picking it up again. (I literally forgot I was reading it and found it under the bed months later.) There are moments when Pratchett's genius is visible, but they are far between. For the most part the story is dull and tedious. Yes, the tedious parts are arguably well-written, but the story could do without many of them. The delightful quality of Pratchett's other works is not here.

Brilliant, funny. Have re-read it a dozen times. The last great Pratchett book. Don't worry, all the elements you love about Pratchett are here: the characters, the madness, mystery, ooks. A definite buy.

There's something almost bittersweet with the release of each new Discworld novel from the incomparable Terry Pratchett. Since the publication of THE COLOUR OF MAGIC in 1983, Pratchett has been making readers laugh through a vast comedic cavalcade of yarns peopled by a patchwork of wonderful and amusing characters. But since his diagnosis of a rare and early form of Alzheimer's in 2007, the delight in each new book has been coupled with an underlying gloom as faithful readers wonder if it will be his last.

Nonetheless, his books are still a joy to read, and his latest work, UNSEEN ACADEMICALS, is just as uproarious and fun as any other. This time around, the peculiar denizens of Ankh-Morpork must pull on the uniform of athletics. Lord Ventinari, the kind and benevolent tyrannical ruler of the city, has decided that the powerful and wise wizards of Unseen University need to bring an old tradition back from the dusty pages of history: the faculty, students and staff are to field a football team. Of course, one of the main drawbacks to this decision is that none of the wizards actually know how to play the game. But most shocking is that not only are they commanded to win a match, they must do so without the use of magic.

As if the argumentative, magic-prohibited wizards trying to learn the rough-and-tumble game of football weren't enough, we are also drawn into the story of Mr. Nutt. An over-educated goblin with a past shrouded in mystery, Mr. Nutt doesn't know anything about himself, and his journey of self-discovery is the heart of UNSEEN ACADEMICALS. Throw in a fashion model, a tin-can-kicking street punk, and a wicked good pie maker, and you have the standard fare for tackling the sport of football in Discworld.

Although the book is a fun time, Pratchett doesn't really seek to break the mold as it were. His readers keep returning because he gives them exactly what they want, and he gives it to them perfectly. It's a beautiful symbiotic relationship each feeding off the other. Fans will be pleased to know that there's so much to like and find hidden in the jokes laden throughout the novel, jokes that Pratchett has mastered over the years.

UNSEEN ACADEMICALS is not just a moderately successful installment; it edges slightly above that, though it does fall below some of his more magical endeavors. But the beauty of Discworld is that it is a home away from home. It is a medieval adventure realm and a treasure trove of old friends who pop in and out to remind you just how much you enjoy opening the cover of every new Pratchett book and, with a knowing smile, escaping into a world of absurdity.

--- Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard

Pratchett's latest offering of the Discworld saga delves into sports and some of the forgotten critters that populate the Disc's mythology. As usual, there's some scathing social commentary, plus a few chuckles along the path to the climax. There were also a fair amount of cameos from some of the peripheral characters, which is always nice.

In all, a fun book, though not up to par with some of his other offerings. Still worth reading for fans.

I have read every Discworld book at least twice, own most of them, and consider Terry Pratchett a genius. This book, however, was almost painful to read, not because it was bad (it wasn't), but because it made me feel so sad. I love Mr. Nutt, one of Pratchett's best new characters in a while, but found his circumstances so terribly tragic, and his constant search for approval from others depressing. Despite Pratchett's wonderful sense of humor, to me this book just said "good-bye" throughout the whole read. And I do agree with those reviewers who commented on the uncharacteristic behavior of several characters such as Vetinari. It was distracting, and I kept waiting for the punchline. I truly hope this isn't the final installment of Discworld, and I greatly appreciate Mr. Pratchett's struggles to keep going through his illness.

Lord Vetinari decides it is time to treat football (soccer to Americans) like crime; if you are going to have it, it should be organized. Ponder Stibbons learns the power of managing the agenda and mastering tradition. Ankh-Morpork finds the Disc's first super-model, and tries to figure out exactly why this should matter to anyone. The power of pie is explored. More insinuations, inuendo, and hints as to the relationship between Lord Vetinari and a mature lady from Überwald. And Mr. Nutt is introduced and acquires worth. Along with the usual cultural literacy exam.

Again, Terry Pratchett has outdone himself. "Unseen Academicals" is a brilliant and complex story with many threads beautifully woven together. The lives of the most powerful people in Ankh-Morpork intersect with the lives of the most humble on the Disc.

Cooks, candlemakers, and the fans and players of foot-the-ball of the neighborhoods of Ankh-Morpork find their lives turned upside down when the Wizards of U.U. find they must play soccer, or limit themselves to only three meals a day. And behind this, a humble and hard working... man, Nutt is trying to gain worth, earn respect, and make friends, none of which come naturally to him. Old characters return, one having substituted 'x' for 'cks', new characters abound. References to Shakespeare and pop culture (for lack of a better word) collide.

I loved it. I read it in a day, and am re-reading it to pick up on the magnificent detail and hints that will only make sense as the story draws to a close. My biggest regret is that "Unseen Academicals" arrived to quickly ending the anticipation, and it will be too long before the next Pratchett book.

E. M. Van Court

I can't read Terry Pratchett in public. Don't get me wrong: I'm not embarrassed to be seen reading "non-literary" genre works. No. It's just that I keep giggling like a schoolgirl with a dirty joke book. I feel compelled to buttonhole nearby strangers to share the choicest passages.

It's cosmically, unfairly ironic that the wittiest satirist of our generation should have been struck with early-onset Alzheimer's. But the injustice has at least been tempered with some small mercy: due to his rare type of Alzheimers, though he is unable any longer to type his own words, Mr. Pratchett is still able to conjure them up from the well of his inexhaustible genius.

I don't need to say that this is hilarious, brilliant, incisive. All I need to say is: This is one of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. 'Nuff said.

I am a huge fan of Terry Pratchett and hope he will keep writing forever. However, most of this book doesn't read like it was written by him at all. While there are still some delicious parts that are all Pratchett, huge parts of the book sound like they were written by somebody else. The voice, pace, vocabulary, style, everything is very different than any of the other Pratchett books, even the earlier ones. And while the Pratchett pearls are as shinny as ever, they are few and far between. The other voice, telling most of the story, is unpolished, unsophisticated and holds very little attraction or interest (yawn). The book, to a great degree, resembles Trevor Likely's performance in the final match - kicking the ball all over the place but mostly missing the goal.

Not Pratchett at his best. Pratchett at his "good," but not at his best. I enjoyed it, but not as much as his other work. Four stars because of this excellent track record.

I do so hope the next Moist book, and Tiffany Aching, are back to par.

Romance - the sensible kind. Becoming. Giving people a chance. Otherness. Soccer. Funny. What's not to love? The best of the non-Weatherwax, non-Vimes Discworld books. Maybe even better than those. Unlikely, but possible. All I know for sure is that I have finished it and started over again several times just because I don't want it to be over. Read it, you'll like it.

I was extremely aghast when reading this book. I've been an avid reader of every Terry Pratchett book I could get my grubby little hands on. Sure, there were some duds, but they, at least, had Pratchett's charm to save them from dismal failure. Unseen Academicals didn't even have that one thing to save it. It is probably the worst book I've seen come out of Pratchett. Disjointed and banal, there was so much that could have been done but it seemed like at several points Pratchett seemed to forget what book he was writing. According to the bio on John Kidby's website, since Pratchett suffers from early onset Alzheimer's Syndrome, he now dictates to an assistant or uses speech recognition software. I wonder if this is one of the reasons the "voice" of his previous works has started to wain.

In his latest book, Sir Terry Pratchett (knighted in 2009) takes a cynical look at the world of football, how the game is played, its rules and its organization, from a Discworld point of view. No knowledge of real football is required to understand this story. Pratchett's style is typically sarcastic, but once again he develops extremely compelling characters, who will hopefully reappear in future books. Although this is not Pratchett's best work, it was still a very pleasant read and well worth the time. We can only hope that Pratchett will continue to write Discworld novels for a long time.

Not Pratchett at his best. Pratchett at his "good," but not at his best. I enjoyed it, but not as much as his other work. Four stars because of this excellent track record.

I do so hope the next Moist book, and Tiffany Aching, are back to par.

Romance - the sensible kind. Becoming. Giving people a chance. Otherness. Soccer. Funny. What's not to love? The best of the non-Weatherwax, non-Vimes Discworld books. Maybe even better than those. Unlikely, but possible. All I know for sure is that I have finished it and started over again several times just because I don't want it to be over. Read it, you'll like it.

I was extremely aghast when reading this book. I've been an avid reader of every Terry Pratchett book I could get my grubby little hands on. Sure, there were some duds, but they, at least, had Pratchett's charm to save them from dismal failure. Unseen Academicals didn't even have that one thing to save it. It is probably the worst book I've seen come out of Pratchett. Disjointed and banal, there was so much that could have been done but it seemed like at several points Pratchett seemed to forget what book he was writing. According to the bio on John Kidby's website, since Pratchett suffers from early onset Alzheimer's Syndrome, he now dictates to an assistant or uses speech recognition software. I wonder if this is one of the reasons the "voice" of his previous works has started to wain.

Another solid Discworld entry - this one covers football (soccer), fans, pies, Orcs, and wizards. It's typical in that it is full of satiric humor, interesting characters and sly old Lord Vetinari. I enjoyed it, 'nuff said

I've read all of TP's books, many more than once. His writing has never been more pointed, more polished, more resonant, more mature or more profound than in Unseen Academicals. It's a comedic symphony - packed with more ideas and cleverness and intelligence than any of his books to date.
I will always love Granny Weatherwax and Samuel Vimes. I hope they and Vetinari can come together in a novel. (I'd love to see Granny and Vetinari at cross-purposes! The immovable object meets the irresistible manipulator.)
Thank you, Mr. Pratchett, for this fully adult, complex and beautiful book.

I usually love Pratchett, but the writing seemed really awkward in this novel. The plot seemed tedious, and I wasn't really invested in any of the characters. I can't even remember their names. I feel like it needed another round of edits.

I'm not certain I liked it as well as the Lipwig books, but I have not yet made up my mind. It certainly has a different flavor than the other recent Discworld books, but the regulars of Unseen U are, as ever, true to form. Large, well-rounded forms, excepting Ponder Stibbons, of course. I wish all the best for Mr. Pratchett and hope there are many Discworld novels yet to come.

I've been a fan of Sir Terry for a lot of years. His writing style is so unique and the characters draw you in whether or not you want it to happen.

Here those same characters seem to be almost parodies of themselves. The new characters just don't have the same attractiveness as the other new ones (Moist and Adora Bella) and honestly I can't see them going anywhere in future books.

The overall storyline didn't grab me either. It seemed an odd subject for an entire novel and I freely admit to being an American so perhaps I'm missing a lot of the nuances that go with football. To base an entire book on the sport and the re-evolution of the game didn't provide an adequate framework for everything else that was going on around it.

This one joins Monstrous Regiment as one of his books that I won't be adding to my library. I'm all for expanding the Discworld with new characters but only if they continue to actually expand the world. These, not so much.

It's an interesting read and has most of the hallmarks of a Discworld book so read it for yourself and decide for yourself.

All the other reviewers have already said what this book is about. All I can add is that this reminded me of the very first books of Mr. Pratchett that made me laugh out loud in sheer delight. Nuanced puns jostled with coarse characters and the simply amazing wizards. Sir Pratchett, you are simply brilliant. After staying up all night reading the book, I confess, I am now eager to hear Mr. Briggs read the book out loud.

I have been reading the Discworld novels since the series debuted many, many years ago.
Over the course of the series there have been highs and lows and unfortunately this is another in a series of lows. So low I may not bother with the series anymore as it seems to have run it's course.
When I read that Pratchett would be returning to the Unseen University and it's resident cast of hilarious (at least in the early titles) characters I was enthused.
Despite the Luggage and DEATH making cameos the potential is missed.
The book concentrates far too much on even more new characters who are not all that interesting, let alone funny.
The whole scenario of the Wizards having to learn and even play soccer had potential, yet it is never reached.
Instead we are left with a long intricate story involving Mr. Nutt, an Orc, and his friends. The whole situation of Nutt being an Orc is never clarified and that is as aggravating as the missed opportunities of the wizards as athletes.
I would have been better served going back and reading select titles in the series, starting with the Colour Magic than suffer through this mishmash with no conclusion.

Its fine for a Pratchett fix, but it's not one of his suspenseful novels winking at more serious topics that leave you with your sides sore from laughing. Then again, being that it relates to sports it's amazing I didn't throw it across the room.

I was so disappointed when I read it that it's made me very cautious about reading any of his upcoming books. This book was definitely not written by Mr Pratchett... I don't know how anyone could miss the fact that the voice was all wrong. So sad.

Let me preface this by saying that I love Pratchett. I have read all of his books, many of them multiple times. This read like it was written either by someone else entirely or was essentially just an outline of a book that had lots of work left to do but was rushed out to get the Christmas sales. I will continue to read everything he writes but was floored by how unlike his normal work (and frankly how unclever) this one was. First time he has ever disappointed me.

Pratchett's books range from really good to really amazing. There is no below-average to his bell curve. Until now. I feel disloyal admitting it, but I read the first third, skimmed the middle third, then took it back to the library with the last third unread. It just isn't a Diskworld novel. The magic is gone. Alzheimer's sucks.