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)

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.

Top of the line

I know a lot of purists disdain the later Discworld novels, but I love how Pratchett keeps incorporating new races into the Ankh-Morpork metropolis. Reading (and listening) to these later novels help me to remember how to be a human being.

Another good book from Pratchett

I've loved nearly all of Terry Pratchett's work, and this one is no exception. While his stories and characters have matured over the course of his career, it is nice to see him return to the wizards on Unseen University.
I'm not much a sports fan, so the football theme is not really my cup of tea, but this book did manage to make it fun and interesting to me. Seeing the character growth of Ponder Stibbins was a particular joy.
On the other hand, unlike several of the more recent Discworld books, this one does not really move the world plot forward at all. With Pratchett's career's end on the horizon, I hope to see at least some glimpse of the coming future of the Disc. In this sense, the book did not deliver.

Typical Pratchett...

...in that, he never takes a book off. Every once in a while, I see a title from him and it gives me pause "Football... or, in American culture, soccer...?" But, its Pratchett telling the story, and I read on. I was not disappointed in the least. UA is funny, entertaining and has the hallmark real-world undercurrent, this time its social justice, which always give his stories weight and substance. Since Terry has no peers, and thus it is impossible to compare his work against anything other than his previous work, I would give this book an 8 out of 10 on the Pratchett scale. Read it. In fact, read them all.

Another gem!

Terry Pratchett, as always, brings us a story full of grace, intelligence, kindness and whimsy. And perfectly narrated.

One of my top favorites

This is one of my top favorite Pratchett novels. It is up there with Going Postal. The performance is excellent.

Punch-in-the-arm fun

While not as laugh out loud funny as Thud or Going Postal, this latest Discworld romp skewers the worlds of academic tenure, sports, and high fashion, and has its fair share of chuckles. The dry, witty voice of narrator Briggs is uniquely suited to the material. Two thumbs and two big toes, straight up.

Don't let the cover fool you

It's not really about football, it's more about people and politics - and Vetinari. The wizards are main characters but there is also an exciting addition to the list of species/creatures individuals in AnkMorpork. As always, discworld is interesting, introspective and witty. Terry Pratchett is a literary genius and while this may not be his best (that would be saying a lot) it is definitely worth adding to your library.

Not top tier

If you plan to listen to 20 Terry Pratchett audiobooks in your lifetime, probably leave this one off your list.
It may be better in print. Briggs’ choice of voice for the Orc and several characters were for clarity/distinctiveness and don’t fit well.
(If for some reason you haven’t heard Wee Free Men, go there first. Briggs really shines with those guys)

Hilariously accurate portrayal of faculty

As a faculty member, I had to laugh at the hilariously accurate portrayal of the ridiculousness of faculty. the ready is well done. the writing is brilliant as always. so many quotes to quote.