To keep an old bequest, the wizards of Unseen University must form a football team, while a gentle, mysterious kitchen worker named Mr. Nutt hides an extraordinary past
Wizards take up football
The wizards of Unseen University discover that a valuable old bequest, which pays for their beloved dinners, depends on the university fielding a football team. The trouble is that Ankh-Morpork's football is a chaotic street game with almost no rules. As the wizards reluctantly try to organise a match, the story follows four people who work in the university's hidden corridors: Trevor Likely, a talented player who has sworn never to kick a ball; Glenda, the brilliant night-kitchen cook; her friend Juliet, a dazzlingly pretty dreamer; and Mr. Nutt, a polite and learned creature of uncertain origins with a secret.
Who will enjoy it
Discworld fans, readers who enjoy gentle comedies about fitting in, and anyone who likes stories about sport, friendship and second chances.
What you will get
A warm Discworld comedy about the wizards forming a football team, and about a mysterious, kindly creature named Mr. Nutt who must discover his own worth.
Unseen Academicals Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Fantasy · Discworld · Football · Unseen University
Length
435 pages · ≈ 13 h
More about this book
Pratchett's take on football is affectionate and funny: the crowds, the tribal loyalties and the passion are all there, and watching the wizards discover tactics and rules is a delight. Archchancellor Ridcully and his colleagues are in fine comic form, and the Librarian has some memorable moments on the pitch. The behind-the-scenes life of the university, from the night kitchen to the candle vats, gives the book a cosy, lived-in atmosphere.
The heart of the book, though, is Mr. Nutt, a gentle, anxious creature who has been told all his life that his kind are worthless, and who is trying to prove himself by being endlessly useful. His friendship with the practical, big-hearted Glenda is one of Pratchett's most touching relationships, and the book's message about prejudice and self-worth is quietly powerful.
The pace is slow, and some readers find the football plot thin or the romance between Trevor and Juliet underdeveloped. A side plot about fashion feels less essential. For readers who enjoy Pratchett's later, warmer style, with comedy and kindness in equal measure, it is a charming and rewarding novel. About 435 pages in the Harper paperback.
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