I read Unseen Academicals

Unseen Academicals, a book in the Discworld series by GNU Terry Pratchett, is about the wizards of Unseen University playing football, which the front of the cover helpfully suggests. The back of the cover on the other hand informs us that ‘The thing about football — the important thing about football — is that it is not just about football’. And sure enough, while Unseen Academicals is about football, it’s not just about football. It is also about, perhaps unsurprisingly to seasoned Pratchett readers, learning to accept and be proud who you are despite what preconceived notions and stereotypes exists around you. I wouldn’t be surprised if lots of queer people saw themselves in this book.

The story revolves around the founding of Unseen Academicals, the football team of the wonderfully malfunctioning Unseen University, comprised mostly of the childish wizards of the university. There is the Archchancellor that very much likes the idea of being at the university’s leader, but he is … less fond of all the responsibilities it entails. The Head of Post-mortem communications works in a field that is much more modern and fashionable than whatever previous department that left behind signs that starts with “Necr…”. He is also, by college statute, required to be adequately disloyal and break the rules (in moderation). Then, there is Ponder Stibbons. Ponder Stibbons is not referred to by any title simply because he has too many of them. He is that person that ends up with all the roles that nobody else wants to have because they require too much work. This has granted him marvelous powers such as being able to hold a committee all by himself.

As you can see Unseen Academicals is about many things, but the thing that unifies the book is Terry Pratchett’s wonderful prose. It doesn’t matter if he writes about football, dwarf fashion or wizards. It’s always fun to read, purely because of the way he makes almost every sentence amusing. They’re not always jokes, but the sentences are nevertheless amusing.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It’s written so that you can read it without having read any other novel in the Discworld series but it probably helps if you have encountered some figures before, like the wizards or the dwarfs. I knew a little bit about the wizards from Equal Rites and nothing about the dwarfs but I could still enjoy it thoroughly. There are of course many orders to read the Discworld series in, you can find some of them here.