Unseen Academicals
Author: Terry Pratchett
Publisher: Harper
ISBN-10: 0061161721
ISBN-13: 978-0061161728
Ever since Terry Pratchett first burst on the scene in the early 1970s, he’s rarely disappointed. The Discworld series is still considered one of the best in the fantasy genre and his satirical novels Good Omens is still highly regarded. Disappointment, simply, is not in his nature. Unseen Academicals is no different.
Situated in a university setting which is sort of a cross between Cambridge and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the novel follows a group of academics and would-be jocks as they try to do something previously thought impossible: found a football team. Lord Ventari is the big honcho at the school. What he says usually goes, and since the ex-jock is having a bit of a mid-life crisis, his ‘suggestion’ to start the team is less of a suggestion than an order. The task of finding a fit player falls to Mr. Nutt, a man of mysterious origins and literate to boot. The task seems Sisyphean, until his eyes fall on his employee Trev, a young fellow with a suspiciously Cockney accent who is not too bright.
In a twist Broadway fans will easily recognize, Nutt sets about educating his protégé, teaching him the ways of elocution and genteel manners. Naturally, the plan goes awry. But not before they fall victim to the charms of two lovely women, Glenda and Juliet. The rest, as they say, is Unseen history.
As an aside, Pratchett’s humorous footnotes call to mind the late David Foster Wallace. While it’s difficult to say whether the Nation author was influenced by Infinite Jest, they add an additional quality to the book that is itself charming and funny. On the downside, there is a small amount of confusion around the term football. Does Pratchett mean soccer or American football? Is Trev meant to be a ‘kicker’ in the European sense or is he more of a quarterback?
Overall, though, with its consistent and farcical tone, the novel is one of the better we’ve covered so far.
John Winn – Staff Writer
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