Unseen Academicals

"Nobody writes fantasy funnier than Pratchett.” —Booklist

Discworld lives on in Unseen Academicals, the 37th novel in Sir Terry Pratchett's beloved fantasy series. Discword has succumbed to a powerful magic that could tear it apart. Soon colleague is pitted against colleague, brother against brother, sons against fathers as all become infected with a frightening condition know as football fever (well, we Yanks call it soccer madness).

The wizards at Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University are renowned for many things—wisdom, magic, and their love of teatime—but athletics is most assuredly not on the list. So when Lord Vetinari, the city's benevolent tyrant, strongly suggests to Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully that the university revive an erstwhile tradition and once again put forth 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. To begin with, they have to figure out what it is that makes this sport of foot-the-ball so popular with Ankh-Morporkians of all ages and social strata. Then they have to learn how to play it. Oh, and on top of that, they must win a football match without using magic.

And the thing about football—the most important thing about football— is that it is never just about football.

Filled with his usual sharp wit, sagacious observations, and keen social commentary, Unseen Academicals demonstrates the satirical genius of Terry Pratchett.

The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Unseen Academicals is the seventh book in the Wizards series.