Unseen Academicals (by Terry Pratchett)

(Amazon UK link)

Re-reading the late Sir Terry Pratchett’s lengthy Discworld series, there have been times when I wonder whether I should give up. It often takes me a while to get into them properly, and they’re not as enjoyable reading on my own as they were reading aloud to my teenage sons. But I’ve kept going, and, as I near the end, am glad that I did.

‘Unseen Academicals’ is 37th in the series.  I first read it in 2010, having borrowed it from one of my sons; I apparently liked it so much that we acquired our own copy, although I had not re-read it until just recently. I vaguely recalled that it was set mostly amongst the Discworld wizards and the Unseen University. I also remembered that it was about football. That’s not a subject which usually interests me in the slightest.

The book opens by introducing some of the staff who work at the Unseen University. There’s Glenda, an excellent cook and head of the ‘night kitchen’, for instance. There’s Juliet, a young, beautiful but not very bright young woman who works with Glenda. There’s Trevor, whose father died playing football, and who works with the candles. And there’s Mr Nutt.

I’d forgotten all about Mr Nutt, whose story runs through the book, giving a little mystery that isn’t solved until nearer the end. Mr Nutt has come from Uberwald and is considered to be a kind of goblin, but nobody really knows. He is a very private person, and extremely skilled at candle dribbling. He did not have a happy childhood, but he’s a polite, highly intelligent and well-read person. He sometimes gives offence accidentally - he’s like a Discworld version of a autistic person. 

Ponder Stibbons, who does most of the important jobs in the Unseen University, has discovered an old document stating that some ongoing finances will stop unless the wizards have a football team. Football has become a violent, unregulated sport in the streets. So a lot of the book involves the implementation of rules which (as far as I know) roughly resemble those of football as we understand it on Earth. 

It took me even longer than usual to get into this book despite some enjoyable asides and not-always-subtle references to literary or mythological figures, as happens so often in Pratchett’s writing. But gradually the story took hold of me; I was particularly keen to find out who exactly Mr Nutt is, and why he’s working so hard for so little pay in a job generally considered one of the lowest. 

One has to suspend reality on the Disc, of course; but there are some quite thought-provoking discussions about racism, and how different kinds of people (trolls, vampires, dwarfs, humans etc) can learn to get along with a few concessions. There’s also a foray into the fashion industry, and even a very low-key romantic thread. And there’s football, but somehow Pratchett managed to turn even that very dull subject into an enjoyable part of the plot.

Definitely recommended if you’re a fan of the series. Although it stands alone, it’s undoubtedly best to have read some of the earlier books, particularly those involving the wizards. Many names recur and it’s confusing enough for someone like me who is reasonably familiar with most of them. 

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