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r4storytime's review against another edition
3.0
As with most of Pratchett's books, I found this one somewhat interesting, but not much of a page turner.
mastben11's review against another edition
3.0
Pratchett is always fantastic. As I get older and continue to read his books, I catch different humor (and more of it) although I'm sure there's lots I miss still. This wasn't my favorite of his works, but it kept me reading and kept me laughing.
emmalthompson85's review against another edition
5.0
Like most of Pratchett's books, I enjoyed this a lot. It's fun, it's pretty easy to read, it has emotional punch. It's got wizards, Death gets a cameo and it's actually got very little football, which I have to admit is a selling point as far as I go. In unseen academicals the wizards find that to keep a bequest which pays for most of their lunch they must play a game of football. Of course this doesn't go easily.
i have to admit that a big chunk of what made this book so much fun for me was Glenda. Glenda is one of our main characters, a cook in the night kitchen at the university who gets pulled into the football thing. Glenda is one of those people who ends up being a big sister to everyone around her, and I'm like that so I loved her just a tiny bit more than normal. This book is longer that most of the discworld books but it contains a lot more. We get a lot of great characters who all go through a lot of changes over the book along with the usual Discworld fare like the Librarian being awsome.
I did enjoy this book greatly and spent a lot of time trying to decide if I should rate a 4 or 4.5 (becasue that's what I do at work). In the end, it did come down very much to how much I love Glenda and Nutt. They're the selling story of the book for me. Of course, the entire thing is witty and fun and well plotted, but their particular story was the part that made me devour this book. Nutt is one of the main characters, a Goblin (or is he?) who works at the unseen university's candle vats. He's funny looking and scared and just trying his best to do a good job and have value. Of course, Glenda takes to him because she feels sorry for him, and I couldn't help but hope for them as a romantic couple. Stuff happens and, as you may guess, they did! It was cute, it was fluffy, it was like eating sugar pie. Glenda isn't good looking but she's generous and determined and has a head full of romantic idea but it also an idealist and she's utterly wonderful. A few points annoyed me, like how Glenda and Nutt (the two unatractive characters) and up together and Juliet and Trev (the attractive ones) also end up together, and the continual reminders that Glenda isn't attractive. But then, on the other side, Glenda never lets not being attractive hold her back, Nutt is intelligent and charming so by all accounts a good catch and they all go of to excitement and adventure in the end so none of the things that bother me bother me enough to stop me enjoying the book.
So, yeah, read it!
i have to admit that a big chunk of what made this book so much fun for me was Glenda. Glenda is one of our main characters, a cook in the night kitchen at the university who gets pulled into the football thing. Glenda is one of those people who ends up being a big sister to everyone around her, and I'm like that so I loved her just a tiny bit more than normal. This book is longer that most of the discworld books but it contains a lot more. We get a lot of great characters who all go through a lot of changes over the book along with the usual Discworld fare like the Librarian being awsome.
I did enjoy this book greatly and spent a lot of time trying to decide if I should rate a 4 or 4.5 (becasue that's what I do at work). In the end, it did come down very much to how much I love Glenda and Nutt. They're the selling story of the book for me. Of course, the entire thing is witty and fun and well plotted, but their particular story was the part that made me devour this book. Nutt is one of the main characters, a Goblin (or is he?) who works at the unseen university's candle vats. He's funny looking and scared and just trying his best to do a good job and have value. Of course, Glenda takes to him because she feels sorry for him, and I couldn't help but hope for them as a romantic couple. Stuff happens and, as you may guess, they did! It was cute, it was fluffy, it was like eating sugar pie. Glenda isn't good looking but she's generous and determined and has a head full of romantic idea but it also an idealist and she's utterly wonderful. A few points annoyed me, like how Glenda and Nutt (the two unatractive characters) and up together and Juliet and Trev (the attractive ones) also end up together, and the continual reminders that Glenda isn't attractive. But then, on the other side, Glenda never lets not being attractive hold her back, Nutt is intelligent and charming so by all accounts a good catch and they all go of to excitement and adventure in the end so none of the things that bother me bother me enough to stop me enjoying the book.
So, yeah, read it!
selise's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
elarsonwhittaker's review against another edition
3.0
definitely a book geared for a younger audience, lots of “you’re important because you’re unique” stuff. the wizards are always great and it kind of made me care about soccer for a second?
kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
Less of a fully fledged review, more of a musing on the latest Discworld Novel from Terry Pratchett UNSEEN ACADEMICALS.
The quote on the back sort of says it all "The thing about football - the IMPORTANT thing about football - is that it is not just about football". Now I will admit I'm not a football (in any incarnation) fan. Can't stand the hype. Can't stand the carry-on. Can't stand the games themselves. So I was a little intrigued by this book - how would a Terry Pratchett treatment of the dreaded awfulness work? I was certainly intrigued enough to put aside my up until now tendency to purchase immediately and horde for the future any Discworld novels (what can I say - I'm a bit weird - I'm doing it with a few of my all time favourite authors).
Needless to say, football does get a lot of the Pratchett / Discworld treatment and there are some wonderful digs, jabs and observations about football, football fans and the way that this sort of game is regarded. There are some great characterisations, and some cameo performances by many of the Wizards of the Unseen University and thankfully some fantastic politics in their ranks.
Perhaps there is a little less focus, sharpness, snappiness in the story telling. Maybe this is because of the known health problems of Mr Pratchett, maybe it's just that every now and then a book gets a little more reflective, a little less paced and fast and furious. Who knows, and frankly, who cares. UNSEEN ACADEMICALS is another entrant in the Discworld series, and even if it's not the best ever book in a series of best ever books - it's a Discworld novel.
Did it make me laugh enough to wake up the long suffering husband (who keeps saying that a Discworld book on the nightstand should immediately instigate a move to the spare bed)? It did indeed. Did it make me care about football? Miracles don't happen in these parts. But I do think the next time somebody asks me who I barrack for, I'll be nominating the Unseen University.
The quote on the back sort of says it all "The thing about football - the IMPORTANT thing about football - is that it is not just about football". Now I will admit I'm not a football (in any incarnation) fan. Can't stand the hype. Can't stand the carry-on. Can't stand the games themselves. So I was a little intrigued by this book - how would a Terry Pratchett treatment of the dreaded awfulness work? I was certainly intrigued enough to put aside my up until now tendency to purchase immediately and horde for the future any Discworld novels (what can I say - I'm a bit weird - I'm doing it with a few of my all time favourite authors).
Needless to say, football does get a lot of the Pratchett / Discworld treatment and there are some wonderful digs, jabs and observations about football, football fans and the way that this sort of game is regarded. There are some great characterisations, and some cameo performances by many of the Wizards of the Unseen University and thankfully some fantastic politics in their ranks.
Perhaps there is a little less focus, sharpness, snappiness in the story telling. Maybe this is because of the known health problems of Mr Pratchett, maybe it's just that every now and then a book gets a little more reflective, a little less paced and fast and furious. Who knows, and frankly, who cares. UNSEEN ACADEMICALS is another entrant in the Discworld series, and even if it's not the best ever book in a series of best ever books - it's a Discworld novel.
Did it make me laugh enough to wake up the long suffering husband (who keeps saying that a Discworld book on the nightstand should immediately instigate a move to the spare bed)? It did indeed. Did it make me care about football? Miracles don't happen in these parts. But I do think the next time somebody asks me who I barrack for, I'll be nominating the Unseen University.
kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
5.0
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/blogs/listening-unseen-academicals-terry-pratchett
scheu's review against another edition
3.0
Three-and-a-half stars, really, but apart from being another enjoyable Discworld novel, it's not particularly special. Maybe there weren't enough footnotes.
mikimeiko's review against another edition
3.0
Uhm, I don't know. It's not a bad book, and I really liked all the Nutt part, and also Glenda and the crab bucket. But still, it wasn't one of those books that you just can't stop reading. I don't know if it's my really strong dislike of football, or something else, but this is not one of my favourite Discworld novels.
mikimeiko's review
4.0
I don't like football. I think this is not a mistery for anyone who knows me. But!, when is Pratchett we're talking about, then everything is <3
Characters are good as usual, even if at certain times they seem a bit stereotypical, and there's much more romance than in the usual discworld book, but it still works, and the books manages to make you think and laugh as good humor should.
Characters are good as usual, even if at certain times they seem a bit stereotypical, and there's much more romance than in the usual discworld book, but it still works, and the books manages to make you think and laugh as good humor should.