Unseen Academicals

By: Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Stephen Briggs

Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

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 glowing 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 forever. Because the thing about footballï¿¿ï¿¿ï¿¿the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football.

Here we go! Here we go! Here we go!

©2009 Terry and Lyn Pratchett (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"At its heart, this is an intelligent, cheeky love letter to football, its fans and the unifying power of sports." ( Publishers Weekly)
"In short, this is as busy and as daft as any other Discworld yarn, which means it is the quintessence of daft. Nobody writes fantasy funnier than Pratchett." ( Booklist)

We have seen these academicals

Terry Pratchett has done it again and again...from tourists to death, they are always fun. While the book talks about 'football' or here in the USA 'soccer', and the Unseen University. But he could have been speaking of almost any college or university and football in the US and their crowds of fans. Once again there is the satirical poke at the world around us.

Pratchett at his finest

The story builds with several separate strands weaving themselves together in Pratchett’s masterful style with a finale as exciting as any football match. The crowd goes wild.

STP does it again! And it hardly Chafes!

at his best, Sir Terry Pratchett tackles, love, prejudice, football and pies. it is worthy.

The Names Alone

In Pratchett’s works, the names of the characters alone imbue them with life and serve as the first hint of the relentlessly ironic humor that is the hallmark of Pratchett’s writing. This performance of Unseen Academicals accentuates the quirks of each colorful inhabitant by creating a unique voice for each. This is worth your time—it actually made me laugh out loud at points, Highly recommend!!

Sir Terry never lets me down

Excellent and enjoyable! I’ve read them all and am now listening to them all.TP is amazing.

Love Stephen Briggs!

One of my favorite stories to re-listen to. Stephen Briggs does a fantastic narration!

charming

One of my favorites for the opening chapters. "Hoh, the megapo"'. MicoMail and the beauty market. The romance between the supermodel and the sports star is certainly universal and timeless.

Pratchett and Briggs make life worth living.

When I'm struggling to find good in the world, I take a trip to Ankh Morpork, where It Takes All Kinds, and my faith in humanity is somehow restored. It must be magic.

One of his best!!

I'm a long time Disc World and Terry Pratchett fan but this book exceeded my hopes. It was everything I expect from him and more. Splendid and sparkling!

A visit to DiscWorld's Unseen University

I love Terry Pratchett's writing. At first this story was not a favorite of mine but after a 2nd listen I enjoyed it more. It is probably because I like the stories about the Night Watch in DiscWorld best but this one has a good part for the Patrician and the magicians draw you in so all in all--if you like Pratchett--purchase it. Stephen Briggs does an excellent job of narration which is essential in an audible book.