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Title details for Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett - Wait list

Unseen Academicals

#37 in series

by Terry Pratchett
Colin Morgan
Audiobook
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"Football, food, fashion and wizards collide in Pratchett's affectionate satire on the foibles of sports and sports fans. . . .The prose crackles with wit and charm. . . . At its heart, this is an intelligent, cheeky love letter to football, its fans and the unifying power of sports." —Publishers Weekly

Football (aka soccer) comes to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork, upending the wizards of Unseen University—and dividing Discworld—in this wonderfully funny novel in Sir Terry Pratchett's internationally bestselling Discworld series (and the 7th book in the Wizards collection). This fantastic new recording is read by Colin Morgan (Merlin; Belfast), with Golden Globe award-winning actor Bill Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) reading the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz (Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace) starring as the voice of Death.

The wizards at Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University are renowned for many things—wisdom, magic, teatime—but athletics, not so much. When Lord Vetinari, the city's benevolent tyrant, strongly suggests to Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully that the university revive its sports program and field a football team composed of faculty, students, and staff—or lose the funding that pays for their nine daily meals—the wizards of UU find themselves in a quandary. First, they have to understand what makes foot-the-ball so popular with Ankh-Morporkians. Then they have to learn how to play it—and win—without using magic.

Of course, the thing about football is that it is never just about football.

The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Unseen Academicals is the seventh and final book in the Wizards collection (and 37th Discworld book). The other books in the Wizards collection include:

  • The Color of Magic
  • The Light Fantastic
  • Sourcery
  • Eric
  • Interesting Times
  • The Last Continent

    • Creators

    • Series

      Discworld

    • Publisher

    • Release date

      September 5, 2023

    • Formats

      • OverDrive Listen audiobook

        • ISBN: 9780063372221
        • File size: 436939 KB
        • Duration: 15:10:17

    • Languages

      • English

    • Reviews

      • 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
      • 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.

      • 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).

    Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

    subjects

    Languages

    • English

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