Unseen Academicals
A Discworld Novel
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4.5 • 158 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
“Football, food, fashion and wizards collide in Pratchett’s affectionate satire on the foibles of sports and sports fans. . . . The prose crackles with wit and charm, and the sendups of league football, academic posturing, Romeo and Juliet and cheesy sports dramas are razor sharp and hilarious but never cruel. At its heart, this is an intelligent, cheeky love letter to football, its fans and the unifying power of sports.” —Publishers Weekly
Football (aka soccer) comes to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork, upending the wizards of Unseen University—and dividing Discworld—in this wonderfully funny novel in Sir Terry Pratchett’s internationally bestselling series.
The wizards at Ankh-Morpork’s Unseen University are renowned for many things—wisdom, magic, teatime—but athletics, not so much. When Lord Vetinari, the city’s benevolent tyrant, strongly suggests to Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully that the university revive its sports program and field a football team composed of faculty, students, and staff—or lose the funding that pays for their nine daily meals—the wizards of UU find themselves in a quandary. First, they have to understand what makes foot-the-ball so popular with Ankh-Morporkians. Then they have to learn how to play it—and win—without using magic.
Of course, the thing about football is that it is never just about football.
The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Unseen Academicals is the seventh and final book in the Wizards collection (and 37th Discworld book). The other books in the Wizards collection include:
The Color of MagicThe Light FantasticSourceryEricInteresting TimesThe Last Continent
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Football, food, fashion and wizards collide in Pratchett's 37th Discworld novel (after 2007's Making Money), an affectionate satire on the foibles of sports and sports fans. The always out-of-touch wizards at Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University stand to lose a very big bequest unless they enter a team in a violent but popular street sport competition. As the wizards struggle to learn the game, aided by the university's hired help, Ankh-Morpork's ruler schemes to use the competition for his own purposes. Though the book suffers from a few awkward moments (Pratchett's attempts to discuss racism through the strained relationships of dwarves, humans and goblins fall particularly flat), the prose crackles with wit and charm, and the sendups of league football, academic posturing, Romeo and Juliet and cheesy sports dramas are razor sharp and hilarious but never cruel. At its heart, this is an intelligent, cheeky love letter to football, its fans and the unifying power of sports.
Customer Reviews
Not at all
Sir Pterry does break out of his comfort zone and tackels a few new characters, rather than just going with the beloved members of the Watch, or the Lancre witches, but that does not mean it's a bad book. It's a good book, but it does not travel the same comfortable path that some of his others have done. I bought it, I liked it. Perhaps less well than Guards! Guards!, but it's still pretty good.
Sadly lacking
As a long time fan of Sir Pratchett I can only say that this book should not have been released. While it did have much of his trademark brilliance, it was scattered and confused. At best it comes off as an uninspired imitation of his earlier work.
Prachett Does It Again
Most of your favorite characters are back, and on the field! Leopards can change their shorts, and challenge stereotypes too.