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Title details for Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett - Available

Unseen Academicals

#37 in series

by Terry Pratchett
Stephen Briggs
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

Brought to you by Penguin.
'This isn't just football, it's Discworld football. Or, to borrow another phrase, it's about life, the Universe and everything' The Times
The Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .
Football has come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork. And now, the wizards of Unseen University must win a football match, without using magic, so they're in the mood for trying everything else.
This is not going to be a gentleman's game.
The prospect of the Big Match draws in a street urchin with a wonderful talent for kicking a tin can, a maker of jolly good pies, a dim but beautiful young woman, who might just turn out to be the greatest fashion model there has ever been, and the mysterious Mr Nutt (and no one knows anything much about Mr Nutt, not even Mr Nutt) but there is something powerful, and dark, locked away inside him.
As the match approaches, secrets are forced into the light and four lives will be entangled and changed for ever. Here we go, here we go, here we go!
________________________
The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Unseen Academicals is the seventh book in the Wizards series.
© Terry Pratchett 2009 (P) Penguin Audio 2009

  • Creators

  • Series

    Discworld

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 17, 2009

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781407057149
      • File size: 354587 KB
      • Duration: 12:18:43

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 25, 2010
      In the magical universe of Discworld, the dithering and very dotty wizards at Unseen University struggle to master the arcane rules of football as they enter a violent street sport competition. The challenges include getting the sedentary and distracted professors to play with some enthusiasm (and without magic), defending themselves against their opponents’ unsportsmanlike behavior, and naturally, to win. It’s not easy to track the multitude of characters, but Stephen Briggs gives each of them a distinctive voice. Briggs has been adapting Pratchett’s novels to the stage since 1991, and the recurring characters are his to command. His performance brings out the best of the satirical humor and Pratchett’s really good bad puns. Fans of Discworld will not be disappointed. A Harper hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 31).

    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 31, 2009
      Football, food, fashion and wizards collide in Pratchett’s 37th Discworld novel (after 2007’s Making Money
      ), an affectionate satire on the foibles of sports and sports fans. The always out-of-touch wizards at Ankh-Morpork’s Unseen University stand to lose a very big bequest unless they enter a team in a violent but popular street sport competition. As the wizards struggle to learn the game, aided by the university’s hired help, Ankh-Morpork’s ruler schemes to use the competition for his own purposes. Though the book suffers from a few awkward moments (Pratchett’s attempts to discuss racism through the strained relationships of dwarves, humans and goblins fall particularly flat), the prose crackles with wit and charm, and the sendups of league football, academic posturing, Romeo and Juliet
      and cheesy sports dramas are razor sharp and hilarious but never cruel. At its heart, this is an intelligent, cheeky love letter to football, its fans and the unifying power of sports.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Would a cook at wizard-filled Unseen University fall in love with a soccer coach even if he ate all her pies? Would a shy kitchen maid wear a fake beard to make it big as a fashion model? Of course they would, and nobody is more delighted to read Terry Pratchett's 37th novel (or so) than longtime Discworld aficionado and narrator Stephen Briggs. He has a perfect accent and character voice for every vampire, dwarf, wizard, and human in this insightful spoof on college athletics, sports fans, and the fashion industry. Like Pratchett, Briggs loves the comic rhythm, sound, and very taste of words--just for their own sake. So order up a tuna-spaghetti-jam sandwich (with sprinkles) and be prepared for a wonderful time. B.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      This rambunctious ensemble production is an adaptation of Terry Pratchett's 37th Discworld novel. An oddly polite stranger, portrayed by Keith Wickham, arrives in the grimy capital city of Ankh-Morpork. He's just in time to help rewrite the rules of soccer, introduce a gorgeous young woman to the world of dwarfian fashion modeling, eat a few pies, and, of course, skewer the fine traditions of stuffy, old universities. The versatile David Jason leads a stellar cast of top-notch British comic actors as vampires plot, trolls stand their ground, and romance blossoms. The music and sound effects are imaginative and spot-on. There's plenty of cheering throughout and plenty to cheer about in this fast-paced satirical production. B.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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