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Unseen Academicals (Discworld #37)

by Terry Pratchett

3.89 · rating details · 7,418 ratings · 824 reviews

The 37th Discworld novel is set against a backdrop of the culture of football.

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 gloing when you drop them. And now, the wizards of Unseen University must win a football match, without using magi...more

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published October 13th 2009 by Doubleday (first published 2009)

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Jan 11, 2010

Kat rated it

Shelves: fiction-sf-and-fantasy, fiction-humour

When I was a teenager, a friend and I wrote a behemoth of a three-page letter on A4 paper to Terry Pratchett. We were amazed and grateful when a reply arrived from him a few months later, apologising for the delay and attempting to answer some of our many questions. One of the questions we asked was, "What football team do you support?" He replied something to the effect of not watching football because he thought it was weird.

Warm, fuzzy memories aside, I wanted to love th...more

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Oct 21, 2010

Dan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: pratchett

Football (soccer to Americans like myself) is all the rage in Ankh-Morpork and Vetinari, the Patrician, has given Unseen University the duty of refining it from a street game to an organized event. Only some people don't want it organized. Can the Unseen Academicals, with Trevor Likely and the mysterious Mister Nutt, overcome football's rowdiest hooligans?

The thing about Terry Pratchett is that while his stories take place in a fantasy world, they are about real world events and co...more

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Jan 01, 2011

± Colleen of the Crawling Chaos ± rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: humor, fantasy

3.5

The wizards have never been my favorite, and we keep getting a dose of new characters, and football is hardly my favorite topic, but, for all of that, it was still an enjoyable story. It'll most likely never be one of my faves, but it was good.

I liked Nutt and Glenda, and wouldn't mind seeing them again, but I particularly liked the addition of Mr. Hix to the UU staff - the man with the skull ring who has license to be just a little bit evil, and to say the things everyon...more

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Nov 19, 2009

Elizabeth rated it

· review of another edition

The challenge with trying to review a book by the inimitable Terry Pratchett is finding something to say that hasn’t already been said. The man’s unquestionable skill as a writer and the extensive body of his work makes it all but impossible to say anything about a new addition that hasn’t already been said—often.

I had the pleasure of receiving an advance copy of the newest Pratchett, Unseen Academicals, from the publisher, Harper. And trust me, it was very much a pleasure because on...more

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Nov 30, 2011

Emma Thompson rated it

· review of another edition

Like most of Pratchett's books, I enjoyed this a lot. It's fun, it's pretty easy to read, it has emotional punch. It's got wizards, Death gets a cameo and it's actually got very little football, which I have to admit is a selling point as far as I go. In unseen academicals the wizards find that to keep a bequest which pays for most of their lunch they must play a game of football. Of course this doesn't go easily.

i have to admit that a big chunk of what made this book so much fun for...moreLike most of Pratchett's books, I enjoyed this a lot. It's fun, it's pretty easy to read, it has emotional punch. It's got wizards, Death gets a cameo and it's actually got very little football, which I have to admit is a selling point as far as I go. In unseen academicals the wizards find that to keep a bequest which pays for most of their lunch they must play a game of football. Of course this doesn't go easily.

i have to admit that a big chunk of what made this book so much fun for me was Glenda. Glenda is one of our main characters, a cook in the night kitchen at the university who gets pulled into the football thing. Glenda is one of those people who ends up being a big sister to everyone around her, and I'm like that so I loved her just a tiny bit more than normal. This book is longer that most of the discworld books but it contains a lot more. We get a lot of great characters who all go through a lot of changes over the book along with the usual Discworld fare like the Librarian being awsome.

I did enjoy this book greatly and spent a lot of time trying to decide if I should rate a 4 or 4.5 (becasue that's what I do at work). In the end, it did come down very much to how much I love Glenda and Nutt. They're the selling story of the book for me. Of course, the entire thing is witty and fun and well plotted, but their particular story was the part that made me devour this book. Nutt is one of the main characters, a Goblin (or is he?) who works at the unseen university's candle vats. He's funny looking and scared and just trying his best to do a good job and have value. Of course, Glenda takes to him because she feels sorry for him, and I couldn't help but hope for them as a romantic couple. Stuff happens and, as you may guess, they did! It was cute, it was fluffy, it was like eating sugar pie. Glenda isn't good looking but she's generous and determined and has a head full of romantic idea but it also an idealist and she's utterly wonderful. A few points annoyed me, like how Glenda and Nutt (the two unatractive characters) and up together and Juliet and Trev (the attractive ones) also end up together, and the continual reminders that Glenda isn't attractive. But then, on the other side, Glenda never lets not being attractive hold her back, Nutt is intelligent and charming so by all accounts a good catch and they all go of to excitement and adventure in the end so none of the things that bother me bother me enough to stop me enjoying the book.

So, yeah, read it! (less)

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Aug 10, 2011

Smita Jha added it · review of another edition

I'm never going to give a Pterry book less than a five. This one was a little confuzzled, but always in a good way.

I don't mind being taken via the scenic route on a tour of the Unseen University, Ankh Morpork and little glimpses of Uberwald and Sto Lat. Pterry always gets to the heart of the matter by going straight for the jugular while also attending to several minor veins and arteries. And inspite of my previous sentence this book is actually not really about vampires except in a very min...more

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Dec 16, 2011

Amy rated it

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My review for Library Journal:

The 37th novel (after Making Money) in Pratchett’s wildly popular "Discworld" series is set in the bustling metropolis of Ankh-Morpork and boasts the return of the wizards of Unseen University. Lord Vetinari, Ankh-Morpork’s patrician, is responsible, as usual, for setting into motion the novel’s two main story lines: the assimilation of a member of an ancient, and heretofore shunned race, into the city, and the regulation of "foot-the-ball,"

...more

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Nov 16, 2011

Larry Wentzel rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. An extremely ambitious book that has all of Terry Pratchett's wit and satire, and then creates a full, multi-person perspective of life in the city as several new ideas hit the streets.

In past novels, Pratchett introduced a single new idea into his Discworld and watching the ripples as they affect various people in particular, and the world in general. One of the best was Feet of Clay, where Pratchett takes the idea of golems as a workforce and uses them to examine the idea of equalit...moreAn extremely ambitious book that has all of Terry Pratchett's wit and satire, and then creates a full, multi-person perspective of life in the city as several new ideas hit the streets.

In past novels, Pratchett introduced a single new idea into his Discworld and watching the ripples as they affect various people in particular, and the world in general. One of the best was Feet of Clay, where Pratchett takes the idea of golems as a workforce and uses them to examine the idea of equality: seeing them not as tools that simply produce output but as entities with rights, ideas and needs of their own.

In Going Postal, Pratchett had a main idea with attendant themes taking place: a charlatan tasked with making the postal system useful in a society where long-distance messaging had become commonplace, then unreliable and commonplace, stumbles across murder, a woman defending the rights of golems who would make excellent delivery men, and how men of wealth solve business collapses discretely.

With Unseen Academicals, it's gone a bit further. Pratchett explores how modern football/soccer might have arisen out of neighborhood ball-brawls that people were fiercely divided and passionate about, but the side stories are more concurrent than attendant to the main theme. A cook becomes a fashion model; an orc discovers who he really is and falls in love; the idea that the success of a new venture depends on how well the idea is received and supported by those who care; a Romeo and Juliet in the gutter scenario. It's all very well done.

The only thing I found odd (hence the 4/5 star ratings) was that scenes that Pratchett would previously have lingered over, exploring the changing thoughts and reactions of those involved, are assumed or breezed over. Granted it would have made for an extremely long novel if Pratchett had done the usual thing; the book is, as it stands, one of the longer Discworld novels that he's written. Still, I missed some of the former detail and examination. Not so much that I thought the novel suffered or I didn't enjoy it thoroughly. I just wanted a bit more.(less)

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Nov 15, 2011

Robyn rated it

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Shelves: reviewed

There was a lot to like, and some to not like so much in this installment of the Discworld series.

First, the 'not so much' bits. The pace of this novel was a bit wonky, I felt like it moved in fits and starts, with many little sort of mini climaxes within the course of the story. This was likely a function of the second objection I have, and that there was simply too much going on: We have a love story, a story of a new sport being introduced to Ankh-Morpork, the origins of a new rac...more

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Oct 20, 2011

Andrew rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Each Discworld novel tends to feature a particular group of characters, this one being the wizards at Unseen University. I have always felt that Pratchett has never really developed the characters of the wizards, and this book is no exception. They are really a joke looking for a plot, albeit a funny joke. Pratchett seems to have realised this and in this book they rapidly become background scenery for the main characters, who are involved in separate unlinked plots that are about Discworld’s fo...moreEach Discworld novel tends to feature a particular group of characters, this one being the wizards at Unseen University. I have always felt that Pratchett has never really developed the characters of the wizards, and this book is no exception. They are really a joke looking for a plot, albeit a funny joke. Pratchett seems to have realised this and in this book they rapidly become background scenery for the main characters, who are involved in separate unlinked plots that are about Discworld’s football and the fashion industry. The latter feels a bit rushed and tacked on, almost as though Pratchett had run out of ideas for his football plot and needed some filler to make a novel. As for the football, it is an interesting story about the social and tribal nature of football supporters with some social commentary about the class divide, but it is slightly jarring that something supposedly as deep-rooted into Discworld’s society and psyche as football has never been mentioned before in any of previous 30-odd novels. I like my fictional universes to have an internal consistancy, even if they are magical realms!

The central character is pretty much a reprise of many Pratchett female characters; she is practical, pragmatic, strong-minded, talented and cruely overlooked by society. He tends to write a lot of books with characters like this which is probably why he has a large female following. The Patrician (the tyrannical dictator of the main city Ankh-Morpork) features quite a lot in this novel too, although the author has made him a slightly warmer personality this time round which might not appeal to some long-term readers. Some of the funniest sequences are where the Patrician and wizards try to force the oiks to accept some actual rules when they play.

So, no where near as good as his previous few novels, but remember this is Pratchett, so it is still much more funny and entertaining than most other authors in this genre can produce. Probably for fans only.(less)

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Oct 04, 2011

John Kirk rated it

· review of another edition

When this book was first published, I decided to wait for the paperback, mainly because I have zero interest in football. The paperback came out ahead of schedule, presumably to tie in with the World Cup, so I bought it half-price at the supermarket.

Some people said that it's not really about football, which is true. Unfortunately, it's still not very good. There's a mishmash of different ideas, none of which are really developed properly. In some ways, this is the reverse of Lords and Ladies ...moreWhen this book was first published, I decided to wait for the paperback, mainly because I have zero interest in football. The paperback came out ahead of schedule, presumably to tie in with the World Cup, so I bought it half-price at the supermarket.

Some people said that it's not really about football, which is true. Unfortunately, it's still not very good. There's a mishmash of different ideas, none of which are really developed properly. In some ways, this is the reverse of Lords and Ladies, but that novel was far more effective.

Pratchett's novels have often relied on references to other media, which is fine. However, making a reference isn't intrinsically funny: you have to do something with it. (This is where Epic Movie etc. go wrong.) For instance, it was funny when Pyramids had a character called Ibid because of the way that authors are cited in bibliographies. By contrast, Unseen Academicals has a young male character called Dave Likely. As far as I can tell, the sole purpose is to make the reader think "Ah yes, that makes him The Likely Lad, which is a bit like the old TV program called The Likely Lads." That's not enough.

There are also continuity problems with previous novels. In fairness, this isn't the first time it's happened, e.g. at the start of Guards! Guards! Carrot was quite keen on Mindy (a female dwarf), but in Feet of Clay he's uncomfortable with the the concept of separate genders. However, it bothered me more here. At the end of Jingo, Carrot starts a football match between two armies, and it's clearly recognisable as the game we play on "Roundworld". In Unseen Academicals, they have to rewrite lots of the rules, e.g. getting rid of the ball that's basically a big block of wood. It's possible that I'm being a bit harsher this time because I'm not a football fan. However, another example involves rivalry between different universities. As soon as it was brought up, I thought about the university from The Last Continent, and Vetinari also refers to that to counter Ridcully's argument. It seems a bit odd to bring in a plot point that contradicts existing stories, and then point out that contradiction. This makes me suspect that Pratchett had forgotten about the previous story, and when someone reminded him it was too late to rewrite the novel so he just added the scene with Vetinari.

In one of the earlier novels, a character said "The leopard doesn't change his shorts". I assumed that was a deliberate mangling of an existing phrase, i.e. "The leopard doesn't change his spots" (meaning that people don't change their nature). I thought it was quite funny, and it's been repeated in several of the other novels since then. In this book, one of the characters ponders why everyone refers to shorts, but doesn't mention spots at all; that implies that she isn't aware of the original phrase. Again, this is an odd thing to put into the book, and I have to wonder whether Pratchett himself has forgotten why he started using that turn of phrase.

I'm reluctant to suggest this, but there is one obvious explanation: Pratchett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a few years ago. I'm not qualified to offer any kind of medical diagnosis here, and it could simply be that he's written so many books that it's hard to keep track of them all now. I've read worse books by other authors, which I'd still rate as "ok". In this case, though, I'd expected better from Pratchett based on his past work. That may be unfair, and hopefully his next book will be better.(less)

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Sep 04, 2011

Dan rated it

· review of another edition

Terry Pratchett kämpft bereits seit einigen Jahren mit einer seltenen Form von Alzheimer, die ihn Stand heute dazu zwingt seine neuen Bücher einem Assistenten zu diktieren. Seit Pratchett dies publik machte, schauen Fans von Pratchetts Scheibenwelt-Zyklus teils besorgt (Wieviele Bücher kann er noch schreiben, und wie gut können sie sein?) und teils interessiert (Eventuell wandelt sich sein Werk zu etwas spannenden, neuen) in die Zukunft.
Unseen Academicals erschien 2009, demnach bereits von...more

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Aug 08, 2011

procrastin8or rated it

Unseen Academicals is an attempt to bring sporting melodrama a la 'Dodgeball' into Discworld.

The wizards of Unseen University are running out of money and may have to reduce the size of their cheeseboards, the fillings in their pies, their wine. But there is a way out of this, all they need do is play a game of football to acquire a financial legacy. There is only one problem though, football is not the athletic game of two teams of eleven primadonnas with skilfull mastery of a leather ball. It ...more

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Aug 06, 2011

Sam Quixote rated it

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This is my first Discworld novel in 4 years, the last one I read being the largely mediocre "Thud!" and a below average outing for the City Watch. I tried "Making Money" a couple of years ago but it was the first Discworld I couldn't finish it was so poor. That was really it for me, I thought I'd not be returning to Pratchett again. I felt sorry for Terry hearing of his illness but his continued forays into the dubious realm of "Young Adult" fiction often yielded po...moreThis is my first Discworld novel in 4 years, the last one I read being the largely mediocre "Thud!" and a below average outing for the City Watch. I tried "Making Money" a couple of years ago but it was the first Discworld I couldn't finish it was so poor. That was really it for me, I thought I'd not be returning to Pratchett again. I felt sorry for Terry hearing of his illness but his continued forays into the dubious realm of "Young Adult" fiction often yielded poor books for a bloke in his 20s. The bafflingly crap "Amazing Maurice" and the increasingly tedious Tiffany Aching series "Ach it's sh*t!" seemed to be where Terry was happy to stay especially as his last book was (according to a friend who is similarly disenfranchised) a poor attempt at Castaway crossed with RL Stevenson, "Nation". I think it was seeing the Librarian on the front wearing a bandana kamikaze style that brought me back. Has Terry gone back and done justice to the series that made him? Thankfully the answer is a deafening cheer from the crowd. He has.

The wizards' food budget is threatened if they don't observe a centuries old tradition and take part in a foot-the-ball game, and off they go. It's as simple as that, plot wise. The familiar faces are all there, Rincewind and Luggage, Death, Ridcully and Ponder Stibbons, the Librarian, CMOT Dibbler, Commander Vimes, the Patrician and Wuffles, and the glorious setting that has become a character unto itself, the city of Ankh-Morpork.

Though there isn't much in the way of plot, the interactions between the characters more than makes up for it. The conversations between Vetinari and Ridcully were the highlights of the book for me - two superbly realised characters verbally sparring is a rare thing in fiction today and Terry writes their scenes masterfully. If I hadn't been told that Terry had Alzeimher's or that this was the first Pratchett novel he had to dictate I wouldn't have known the difference.

It should be said though that the bulk of the story follows several new characters: Glenda the head of the Night Kitchen at UU, her ditzy friend Juliet, the head of the Candle Vats and talented foot-the-ball-er Trev Likely, and the mysterious goblin Nutt with a past. Glenda is your typical strong headed, independent woman character that Terry is so adept at creating while Nutt, basically the hero, is your "perceived as bad because of his appearance but salt of the earth" character that Terry's also done many times previous. Trev and Juliet are a sort of Posh'n'Becks parody.

Despite the book not being a revolutionary new change to Discworld, it is the type of Discworld book that I loved reading back when i was 12. Discworld has never been about plot anyway, its about the characters and the places and Terry provides a masterclass in writing both in this book. It's also a tribute to his writing ability that you don't care that Death and Vimes appear for less than a page each, or that Rincewind and Luggage are bit part players while Vetinari seems worlds apart from the character he was when we first met him, you like getting to know the new characters just as much.

If, like me, you just enjoy spending time in Ankh-Morpork with its eccentric citizens and brilliantly named streets, as familiar and enjoyable as seeing an old friend, you'll love this book. (less)

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Jul 30, 2011

Luke added it

As a mad fan of Discworld and of Terry Pratchett in general, I was waiting eagerly for this book. It's the first written since Terrry Pratchett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, if nothing else you've really gotta admire the fact he intends to keep writing.

Unseen Academicals deals with the game of football or soccor (depending where you're from) Ponder Stibbons, now a Professor of Unseen University and Master of the Traditions has discovered an ancient clause in the University by laws. If ...more

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Jun 12, 2011

Terri rated it

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This book didn't captivate me the way most Pratchett books, but that isn't to say it's bad - a 3-star book by Terry Pratchett is still better than 85% of what's on the fiction shelves. And when one considers what he had to go through to produce this book, then this book can be considered a triumph and a great achievement. And I think we all have favorites and not-so-favorites in the spectrum of Pratchett's work--for me Going Postal and all the City Watch stories are favorites, while Mort, Eric, ...more

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Mar 16, 2011

Jacob rated it

· review of another edition

(Repost from http://drying-ink.blogspot.com/2009/11/r... )
Unseen Academicals, the latest novel set in Terry Pratchett's successful Discworld, is based around football. Yes, I'm reviewing a book that features football. But here, it's used as a device to present the rest of Pratchett's cask of concepts: for one, his crab-pot theory, about self-imposed ghettoes (as you can read about in the NewScientist interview). There's no need to mention Pratchett's writing, featuring the usual hilarity-in...more(Repost from http://drying-ink.blogspot.com/2009/11/r... )
Unseen Academicals, the latest novel set in Terry Pratchett's successful Discworld, is based around football. Yes, I'm reviewing a book that features football. But here, it's used as a device to present the rest of Pratchett's cask of concepts: for one, his crab-pot theory, about self-imposed ghettoes (as you can read about in the NewScientist interview). There's no need to mention Pratchett's writing, featuring the usual hilarity-inspiring cast of UU, intermixed overt and subtle humour, and a style that literally compels you to read on. So, let's skip straight to Pratchett's plotting:

There's been a disaster in Unseen University. Well, two. Newly-appointed Master of Traditions Ponder Stibbons has uncovered that one of the University's oldest grants isn't quite as kind as they'd imagined (or simply not thought about): in fact, it requires that they partake in the city's football. Every year. But this wouldn't be a problem, if only the grant didn't support most of the cheeseboard - and a few other meals to boot. And Unseen University won't give up their food without a fight, even when it involves exercise. And then there's the other problem. The Dean, one of the largest (literally) presences in the staffroom, has become an Archancellor in himself - at another university. Even if it doesn't have banquets. Or much of a budget. But while Unseen University prepares for their turn to fight, the Patrician is playing a new game with equality - and Uberwald. The anonymously anonymous Mr. Nutt has been sent to Ankh-Morpork, the largest city on the Discworld, and he, too, has been enlisted by the University.

It's a fantastic satire with a message: for fashion, on equality, whatever Pratchett sets his pen to, it's literary gold. I don't need to talk about the prose, so instead let it suffice to say: it's brilliant. As for our cast, it's eclectic as always, although I'd have expected a little more of Rincewind. However, Dr. Hix thoroughly makes up for this, elucidating on his character from previous novels and making the "skull-ring" an in-joke. We've got appearances from a good deal of Ankh-Morpork's previous characters as well, among them William De Worde - all in all, it's a brilliant and insightful rentry to the Discworld, and well, well worth reading.

9/10 (less)

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Feb 08, 2011

Aoife rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, terry-pratchett, fantasy

I think this was the first time I had to fight my way through a whole Pratchett-novel. Yes, some of his books had a few pages or chapters there were a bit dull but in this book there were only very few scenes I enjoyed
That's probably also because it's a book about football...and while I love watching football I never felt the need to read about it. But it was more than that: I simply couldn't bring myself to care very much about the characters, especially Nutt. Yes I was curious what his se...more

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Jan 26, 2011

Gabe Dybing rated it

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I'm becoming a Pratchett reader. I'm not usually a fan of humorous fantasy. I read _Soul Music_ and _Making Money_ (of which I preferred the latter) last year, under the insistence of a friend, without comment. This time I drove myself to Pratchett by trying to read _Gardens of the Moon_, a highly recommended fantasy that evidently creates "lovers" and "haters." Evidently I'm of the "hater" variety. The reviews suggest that the book has a "plot." The novel...more

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Jan 06, 2011

Travis rated it

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Shelves: 2009

Ponder Stibbons discovers that the university will lose a large bequest if they don't have a football team. The wizards are unsurprisingly reluctant, but when he tells them it will affect the food budget, they decide football can't be that bad.[return][return]In addition to the wizards we all know and love, this introduces several new characters who work at the university, with three of them (Glenda, Trev, and Nutt) being the main POV characters. There are also several other new minor characters...more

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Dec 18, 2010

Helena Jole rated it

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I'd give this three and a half stars, but I'll round up.

It's not unlike other one-trick gimmicks Soul Music and Moving Pictures, but for some reason annoyed me much less. And I don't even like sports. The new characters are likeable, and the old ones are always fun to spend time with. Lots of Ponder Stibbons and Ridcully, lots of Vetinari. I was quite pleased that Rincewind, though he does appear, plays hardly any role at all. (He's probably my least favorite character.) Death ...more

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Nov 16, 2010

Rob rated it

There's nothing sensible to say about this book that could ever really affect someone's potential readership. I've been reading Pratchett's books since I was 11; he'd have to write something pretty shocking to put me off and I can't pretend to make an objective assessment of any of his novels. Unseen Academicals, like most of his works, is a lovely warm bath of a book full of familiar faces, jokes and stylistic tics.

The plot, as if I cared, is something to do with the introduction of...more

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Nov 01, 2010

Grace rated it

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Shelves: fiction, for-fun, multi-reads

It is difficult for me to do a review on anything by Prachett because I love his sense of humour. His books relax and amuse me so very much.

Unseen Academicals is not any different in this respect. The story takes place around the wizard-professors of Unseen University and their general insanity. To describe the general insanity would be to give away the book, so I won't do that.

Prachett, as usual, creates fun, entertaining characters. Many of the characters are old men, whi...more

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Oct 23, 2010

Amy rated it

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Shelves: read-in-2010

This is a book about football, yes (or, rather, foot-the-ball) but it's a Discworld novel about football and so has it's own crafty spin on the boring game that so many think is beautiful. Just like you didn't need to be a movie buff to enjoy the tales of Holy Wood in , Pratchett's take on the silver screen or the postal service in Going Postal (or, indeed, many of the institutions, traditions and services that Pratchett lightly mocks) if you like Discworld but hate football, you will still enjo...more

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Oct 16, 2010

Velvetine rated it

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As a longtime Discworld reader I thought for a standalone book I would not recommend it for first-time readers of the Discworld series.
It is one of his best written works in the use of language and has a lot of heart where it addresses issues about racial stereotyping and the crab-bucket analogy but lacks the amount of spark and punch his best books have. Less than perfect Pratchett though is still very good, hence the 4 stars.

The Good: it ticked all the boxes with Pratchett h...more

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Aug 28, 2010

Marcus Gipps rated it

I didn't think that Nation was the best thing I'd ever read by Pratchett, but a new Discworld novel is always a good thing. I've noticed a slightly odd thing with the last few, however - I've not really enjoyed them hugely on the first read-through, but then have gone back to them a few months later and reassessed my opinions. In fact, Making Money and Going Postal have become two of my favourite entries in the series, and I really wasn't that impressed to begin with. Given that, I wasn't sure ...more

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Aug 02, 2010

Laurie rated it

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Ever since I heard about Sir Terry Pratchett’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, I’ve read each new book of his with trepidation, fearing I’d find signs of decline. So far, so good- he hasn’t lost his wit or way with words. But Unseen Academicals *is* different from most of the Discworld books.

It doesn’t run at the breakneck pace of most of the Discworld novels. The jokes don’t fly quite as thick and furious. But with this slower pace comes something else: the characters emerge. Normally, charac...more

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Jun 17, 2010

Hester rated it

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Shelves: terry-pratchett, novels, fantasy, comedy

My fiance gave me this book for Christmas. I repeatedly opened it, read the first couple pages, and then put it down. This was not because I didn't like it; it was because if I read it, then it would end. Unfortunately, this time I could not put it down and read until dawn. Oops.

"Unseen Academicals" is one of the funniest Pratchett books in years, but it still contains the social commentary we have come to expect. The book covers the lives of four workers at the Unseen...more

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May 30, 2010

Platoeatssouls rated it

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Recommended to Platoeatssouls by: Sean

Shelves: fantasy, humour

I've been a Pratchett fan for a long time. But in the time since I last read a Discworld novel, Terry was diagnosed with an early-onset Alzheimer's. That was a scant three years ago; he has written several novels since, one of which was Unseen Academicals, and no one is writing his eulogy yet (with the possible exception of those newspapers that write all famous peoples' eulogies ahead of time). That said, it was difficult to read this book without looking for slips - points one could look an...more

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May 01, 2010

Chris rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, humor, pratchett, sports

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 aft...more

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About Terry Pratchett

Sir Terry Pratchett sold his first story when he was thirteen, which earned him enough money to buy a second-hand typewriter. His first novel, a humorous fantasy entitled The Carpet People, appeared in 1971 from the publisher Colin Smythe. Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, including his first Discworld novel,...more

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Quotes from Unseen Academicals

“The female mind is certainly a devious one, my lord."
Vetinari looked at his secretary in surprise. "Well, of course it is. It has to deal with the male one.” — 57 people liked it

“Juliet's version of cleanliness was next to godliness, which was to say it was erratic, past all understanding and was seldom seen.” — 22 people liked it

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avg rating	preview: Unseen Academicals Goodreads rating: 3.89 (7418 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6341533-unseen-academicals?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320537229m/6341533.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6341533-unseen-academicals?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett[/url]

Unseen Academicals (Discworld #37)

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