Terry Pratchett’s Unseen Academicals
The latest novel by Great Britain’s best-selling author Terry Pratchett is a parody on European football (soccer) and all the cultural phenomena that go along with it, such as cheerleading and football hooliganism. The book, Unseen Academicals may therefore be a bit more exciting to Europeans than to Americans.
But this novel is really about a much wider array of human follies and foibles than just football; most of which are universal, American as much as European. Other themes in the book include goblins and orcs, pies of every conceivable (and inconceivable) variety; as well as fashion supermodels and their excessive adulation by the public.
In characteristic Terry Pratchett fashion, the Discworld is like a funhouse mirror image of our own world; exactly the same, only more so. Instead of human cheerleaders, there are naiads dancing on the sidelines of the football field, and cart-tail vendors take the place of tail-gate markets.
The book has many heroes, in particular a goblin-turned-orc by the name of Mr. Nutt. Because he’s pills online one of only a handful of surviving orcs on the Discworld, two of the world’s most powerful leaders take him under their wings to help him save himself as well as his dying race.
It should be said that it’s not the first time these two enlightened leaders have done this. In the past, they have assisted in the social integration of rock trolls, golems, werewolves and vampires. Insistent rumors have it that Lady Margolotta herself is one of the latter.
In his process of accumulating ‘worth’ in human society, the orc Mr. Nutt gathers a huge following of staunchly devoted friends and admirers. His co-worker Trev Likely will go to any length to defend his orc friend, and an unlikely romance begins budding between Nutt and the h prescription drugs without prescription ead of the night kitchen at Unseen University, Miss Glenda Sugarbean, supreme creator of pies.
Mr. Nutt so impresses his superiors at Unseen University with his strategic thinking and vast knowledge that they decide to place him in charge of the school’s new football team as its head coach. After that, there is no stopping the events that follow.
You don’t need to be a soccer fan to enjoy Unseen Academicals. It is also a parody on clothing fashion, food (in particular pies), and the general vagaries of human nature. So if you are into wearing clothes, eating food, or being human, then this book will provide you plenty of opportunities for laughter.
Britt Hellman resides in Western North Carolina with her spouse and three sons. She’s a professional copywriter and does book reviews as a hobby. Visit the website The Light Fantastic, where you can order Unseen Academicals or any of the other 36 novels in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.
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