Unseen Academicals audiobook

Unseen Academicals (Discworld, #37; Rincewind #8), Terry PratchettUnseen Academicals is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. The novel satirises football, and features Mustrum Ridcully setting up an Unseen University football team, with the Librarian in goal.Unseen Academicals tells the story of the faculty of Unseen University being forced to choose between (only) three meals a day and playing a game of football, as tradition mandates the game in exchange for their large financial endowment by a wealthy family. The wizards soon learn that the local version of football (similar to the actual game of mob football) is very violent and deaths are common. Thus, in collaboration with the city's tyrant Lord Vetinari, they set out to make new 'official' football rules, which includes forbidding the use of hands and mandating the use of official footballs as opposed to the makeshift balls the street games use. Parallel to this, the book tells the story of four young people. A candle dribbler named Mr. Nutt discovers that he is not what he thinks he is and must overcome the fear of his race, both by humans and by himself. He is also chosen to train the university's team for the big match. Trev Likely, who is Mr. Nutt's coworker and best friend, is the son of Ankh-Morpork's most famous deceased footballer, but has promised his (late) dear old mum that he won't play, but ultimately saves the game. Glenda is a friend of Mr. Nutt and Trev, runs the Unseen University Night Kitchen, and bakes the Disc's best pies. Juliet works for Glenda, has a crush on Trev, is simple and beautiful, and becomes a famous fashion model. The four of them end up advising the wizards on their football endeavour, which culminates in an intense game between the Wizards and the former street footballers.تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز سی و یکم ماه ژانویه سال 2021میلادیعنوان: دیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه) کتاب سی و هفتم: دانشگاهی های نادیدنی؛ نویسنده تری پرچت؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیایی - سده 20مدیسک ورلد (جهان صفحه)، یک سری از کتابهای فانتزی هستند، که روانشاد «تری پرچت»، نویسنده ی «انگلیسی»، نگاشته ‌اند؛ داستان‌های این سری در جهانی با نام «دیسک‌ ورلد (جهان صفحه)» می‌گذرند؛ که صفحه‌ ای تخت است، و بر شانه‌ های چهار فیل، با هیکلهای بزرگ، قرار دارد؛ این فیل‌ها نیز، به نوبه ی خود، بر روی پشت یک لاک‌پشت غول‌آسا، با نام «آتوئین بزرگ» قرار دارند؛ در این سری از کتابها، بارها از سوژه های کتاب‌های نویسندگانی همچون «جی.آر.آر تالکین»، «رابرت هاوارد»، «اچ پی لاوکرافت» و «ویلیام شکسپیر» به گونه ای خنده دار، استفاده شده ‌است؛از سری «دیسک ‌ورلد» بیشتر از هشتاد میلیون نسخه، در سی و هفت زبان، به فروش رفته‌ است؛ این سری در برگیرنده ی بیش از چهل رمان (تاکنون چهل و یک رمان)، یازده داستان کوتاه، چهار کتاب علمی، و چندین کتاب مرجع، و مکمل است؛ از این سری، چندین رمان تصویری، بازی کامپیوتری، نمایش تئاتر، سریالهای تلویزیونی اقتباس شده ‌است؛ روزنامه ی «ساندی تایمز» چاپ «انگلستان» از این سری به عنوان یکی از پرفروش‌ترین سری کتاب‌ها نام برده، و «تری پرچت» را، به عنوان پرفروش‌ترین نویسنده ی «انگلستان»، در دهه ی نود میلادی دانسته است؛رمان‌های «دیسک‌ورلد» جوایز بسیاری از جمله جایزه «پرومتئوس»، و مدال ادبی «کارنگی» را، از آن خود کرده ‌اند؛ در نظرسنجی «بیگ رید»، که «بی‌بی‌سی» در سال 2003میلادی، در «انگلستان» انجام داد، چهار رمان سری «دیسک‌ورلد»؛ در فهرست یکصد کتاب برتر قرار گرفتند؛ همچنین مردمان «انگلیس»، در این نظرسنجی، چهارده رمان «دیسک‌ورلد» را، در شمار دویست کتاب برتر، دانستند؛ تا کنون، از این سری، چهل و یک رمان، به چاپ رسیده است؛ «تری پرچت» که پیش از درگذشتش؛ در ابتدای سال 2015میلادی، از بیماری «آلزایمر» رنج می‌بردند، اعلام کردند که خوشحال می‌شوند که دخترشان، «ریانا پرچت»، به جای ایشان، به ادامه ی این سری بپردازند؛ تا جلد بیست و ششم رمان این سری، رمان «دزد زمان (2001میلادی)» به دست «جاش کربی»، به تصویر کشیده شده ‌اند، اما نسخه ‌های «آمریکایی»، که انتشارات «هارپرکالینز» آن‌ها را، منتشر کرده، دارای تصاویر روی جلد متفاوتی هستند؛ پس از درگذشت «جاش کربی»، در سال 2001میلادی، نقاشی‌های روی جلد کتاب‌های بعدی این سری، بدست «پائول کربی» کشیده‌ شدندکتابهای اول و دوم: «رنگ جادو»؛ کتاب سوم: «زنان جادوگر»؛ کتاب چهارم: «مرگ»؛ کتاب پنجم: «سورسری (برگردان فارسی جادوی مرجع)»؛ کتاب ششم: «خواهران ویرد»؛ کتاب هفتم: «هرم ها»؛ کتاب هشتم: «نگهبانان! نگهبانان»؛ کتاب نهم: «اریک»؛ کتاب دهم: «تصاویر متحرک»؛ کتاب یازدهم: «مرد دروگر»؛ کتاب دوازدهم: «جادوگران خارج»؛ کتاب سیزدهم: «ایزدان خرد (خدایان کوچک)»؛ کتاب چهاردهم: «لردها و بانوان»؛ کتاب پانزدهم: «مردان مسلح»؛ کتاب شانزدهم: «موسیقی روح»؛ کتاب هفدهم: «اوقات جالب»؛ کتاب هجدهم: «ماسکراد»؛ کتاب نوزدهم: «پاهای خشت (فیت آو کلی)»؛ کتاب بیستم: «هاگفادر»؛ کتاب بیست و یکم: «جینگو»؛ کتاب بیست و دوم: «آخرین قاره»؛ کتاب بیست و سوم: «کارپه جوگلوم»؛ کتاب بیست و چهارم: «فیل پنجم»؛ کتاب بیست و پنجم: «حقیقت»؛ کتاب بیست و ششم: «دزد زمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هفتم: «آخرین قهرمان»؛ کتاب بیست و هشتم: «ماوریس شگفت‌انگیز و موش‌های آموزش‌دیده‌اش»؛ کتاب بیست و نهم: «ساعت شب»؛ کتاب سی ام: «مردان آزاد وی»؛ کتاب سی و یکم: «هنگ بزرگ»؛ کتاب سی و دوم: «کلاهی پُر از آسمان»؛ کتاب سی و سوم: «گوینگ پوستال»؛ کتاب سی و چهارم: «تود!»؛ کتاب سی و پنجم: «وینتراسمیت»؛ کتاب سی و ششم: «بدست آوردن پول»؛ کتاب سی و هفتم: «دانشگاهی‌های نادیدنی»؛ کتاب سی و هشتم: «نیمه‌شب بایست بپوشم»؛ کتاب سی و نهم: «اسنوف»؛ کتاب چهلم: «بالا آمدن مه»؛ کتاب چهل و یکم: «تاج چوپان»؛کتاب سی و هفتم را ایشان با فوتبال آغاز کرده اند نقطه ی اوج کتاب مسابقه ای بین دانشگاهیان و بازیکنان حرفه ای استتاریخ بهنگام رسانی 18/01/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

Re-read 6/20/20:Still as good as usual. :) Still not a big sports fan but I can see the intellectual side of it. :)Original Review:I've never been a sports fan, unless I were actually doing the sport in question, but I found a discworld adaptation of a sport completely apropo and more than a little snide. Fortunately for those of us who don't care too much about sports in general, the reoccurring characters more than make up for the intrusion. I will always enjoy these series of books because they're gentle and wise and so wise-cracking and quite un-genteel.I think, for lack of a large cast of favorite Orcish characters in my life, I feel I'll be doing an injustice in calling Nutt my favorite Orcish of them all. That being said, I find him to freaking fantastic and smart and courageous and hope he'll be around for at least a few more books.I suppose I got into the book a bit more because I knew it was a satire of sports, but more so because I really enjoyed the developing aspects of the modern city of Ankh-Morpork and how close it really seems to resemble London... Hmmm... :)

FOOTBALL’S COMING HOME, IT’S COMING HOME, IT’S COMING!Yes, I’ve read this before, out of sequence, back in 2018 when I was watching the Soccer World Championship. The version back then was a full-cast Audible exclusive. This is the original novel by Sir Terry.Over 80% of Unseen University’s food is paid for by the Weatherwax inheritance. Since having only three types of cheese to choose from would be torture, the wizards decide to abide by the rules stipulated in the will/inheritance and play a game of Foot-the-Ball, aka Mudball, in order to not lose all that wonderful food money in the future. Originally having been about technique, the modern name of the game already suggests what it has descended into. Add to that the fact that the wizards have never exactly been known for their fondness of physical activity and you know why Lord Vetinari has to pull some strings. We thus meet Glenda and Juliet, both working in UU’s kitchens, as well as a young man with a legendary but sadly dead father, and the mysterious Mister Nutt.Only Terry Pratchett could mange to combine a funny and satirical take on football (soccer) and its mad fanatics fans with a deep tale about belonging and having been tortured for what you are (yes, literally racism here) - not to mention the sidestep into the glamorous fashion world!But, as usual, he pulls it off masterfully, thus delighting the readers with a fantastic version of a very popular European sport that I, regrettably but understandably, don’t get to watch this summer because of a certain stupid virus-that-shall-not-be-named.Ankh-Morpork is such a weird place and I’m not a city gal, but I love this place and every quirky inhabitant of it (well, except for those I don’t ;P). There is nothing you cannot find in the city and I adore Sir Terry for his take on the world that peppers every tale with snarky remarks on this or that behaviorism of us silly humans. As usual, if you want a glimpse at the mastery I’m gushing about, take a look at the quotes I’ve highlighted because they explain / showcase it much better than I ever could.Another great addition to the series though not one of my absolute favorites as especially these last volumes pack(ed) quite a punch while this particular one is simply (though wonderful) silly fun.

While this story was never exactly anywhere close to one of my favorites in the Discworld books, I'd be remiss in saying it isn't excellent. I mean, it has everything. Star-crossed romance between orc and kitchen maid, underdog sports story, and a heartwarming tale of raising Ankh-Morpork out of the mud and into civilized behavior once and for all.A game of Foot the Ball can make all of that happen.Brilliant? Perhaps! It has all the elements that people love and this particular Audible production has a full cast of actors and actresses to bring a ton of life to it in an extra-special edition. I have a grand fondness for full-cast productions. :)So why didn't I give this a full five?Because I felt the excisions in the text. Sad, but true. It's short and abridged. That, and I never really get into sports tales. Alas. But that's just me! But despite all that, it *IS* an excellent production that is nonetheless entertaining as hell TO ME. :) Despite me. ;)

Last year, I finally started reading the Discworld novels. Thus, I've read this out of order since it's actually #37. However, there having been the World Cup, this was too good an opportunity to miss.For years, Ankh-Morpork had a game called Mudball. Originally called Foot-the-Ball and being more about technique, it has descended into a violent jumble thanks to the city's Hooligans. As fate (or Lord Vetinari) would have it, the son of a legendary Foot-the-Ball player has been incarcerated and the only way to remain free and unpunished is for him to coach the wizards' team. You see, Unseen University's wizards have to play a match against a team from the city in order to be allowed further funding from the Weatherwax inheritance (in case some are now confused, it's not Granny funding the game, one of the Archchancellors from the beginning of the series had the same surname). Without these funds, the university would likely have to close down so they have to win. Moreover, Trevor Likely (the afore-mentioned football legend's son) has to take a certain Mr. Nutt as an apprentice. Add to that a young women more beautiful than anything Trevor has ever seen and another woman who cooks unlike anything Mr. Nutt has ever tasted and the chaos is bound to erupt. Especially since Mr. Nutt harbours a dark secret and Lord Vetinari has good reason for his scheming (as usual).As the blurp says: football is never just about football. And Terry Pratchett's side-stabs at maniac fans with their violent outbursts as well as the quirky cast of characters makes this a delight even for people who are definitely not interested in sports.Moreover, this is not the usual audiobook version but a full-cast dramatization, which makes the bar fights and the football match itself as much a delight as the fashion show or the courting of the ladies. *wiggles eyebrows*Definitely a more than worthy addition to the series that made me burst out laughing quite a bit.

I always feel that subjects that I've got affections for that are parodied in the Discworld will always resonate more with me, again that was the case as Pratchett and the Wizards tackle the topic of football.The whole set up is wonderfully simple as the faculty of Unseen University discover they must play a traditional football to keep their funding in place.Like most sports comedies is the manner in which the group train and try to learn the rules that are most amusing.But of course this being a Pratchett novel, it's the subplots that help make this to be such a great read.The 'below stairs' characters of 'UU' helps make this one of the longest books in the series and covers class insecurities.The new characters introduced continues to make this series still fresh, especially as Mr. Nutt features so heavily.The combination of football and fantasy again highlights why this series is so great.

Excellent - one of the finest books written about the beautiful game, except when Terry Pratchett writes about football, it becomes the beautiful, funny, humorous, witty, and deeply meaningful game.

The challenge with trying to review a book by the inimitable Terry Pratchett is finding something to say that hasn’t already been said. The man’s unquestionable skill as a writer and the extensive body of his work makes it all but impossible to say anything about a new addition that hasn’t already been said—often.I had the pleasure of receiving an advance copy of the newest Pratchett, Unseen Academicals, from the publisher, Harper. And trust me, it was very much a pleasure because once again Mr. Pratchett has cast his sharp eye and even sharper critical skills on two cultural phenomena that cry out for both--organized sports and the groves of academe.Frequent visitors to Discworld are familiar with Unseen University, where the best of the world’s wizards, warlocks, sorcerers and magicians impart their wisdom whenever unable to avoid doing so and occupy the remainder of their time ensuring they do not suffer from malnutrition or lack of beverages suitable to accompany their comestibles.In the mean streets of Ankh-Morpork, meanwhile, the citizenry engages in what passes for regular games of foot-the-ball, a game of long standing which leaves few of its players in the same position. In fact, football, as played in Ankh-Morpork, is essentially a gang war with cheerleaders.It would seem these two societies would never have occasion to meet, but that’s not how Mr. Pratchett works. No, in Unseen Academicals, the faculty of UU are informed their steady supply of dining pleasure is based on an endowment that requires the university engage in a sports competition at least once every twenty years or lose their funding. And the twenty years since the last engagement are just about up.The quartet whom we follow through the madness that follows are an engaging and eclectic group: Trevor Lively, whose late father was the last man to score four times in a game--and was killed in the process; Nutt, an alleged goblin who works with Trevor in the cellars of UU as a candle-dripper; Glenda Silverbean, the supervisor of the UU Night Kitchen, and her beautiful if not terribly bright neighbor, Juliet Stollop.Many writers in the satirical vein would have left Juliet as she first appears, which is as someone for whom the term “dumb blonde” is high praise.“Juliet was still reading as they waited for the horse bus. Such sudden devotion to a printed page worried Glenda. The last thing she wanted was to see her friend getting ideas in her head. There was such a lot of room in there for them to bounce around and do damage.”Reading that might incline the reader to judge Glenda harshly, but that would be leaping to conclusions. Glenda is the kind of earth-mother character many either have in their family or wish they did--the steady-minded, practical, efficient woman who may not heap praise on your head but will always be there to bandage the hurts and fight for justice when the world turns against you. In her view, she’s not judgmental but clear-sighted, seeing both the virtues and flaws in those she loves.“She didn’t have a career; they were for people who couldn’t hold down jobs.”The pivotal character, however, is Nutt. He is a mystery, a creature clearly not human placed into service at the university by powerful people for reasons even he doesn’t seem to understand. It would seem that being a pivot is precisely why he’s there, not just to drive the story, with all its many threads, but to bring about the growth of those who come to care about him despite his differences.“He was good at liking people. When you clearly liked people, they were slightly more inclined to like you. Every little helped.”Nutt is the icon of the underlying lesson of Unseen Academicals. All of the varied threads and subthreads focus on the simple yet hard to implement idea that judging people on their surface appearance--whether it be Nutt or Juliet or even the seemingly “normal” Trev and Glenda, is shortsighted. In a world where people are deemed threatening solely on the basis of the color of their skin or their country of origin or their religious beliefs, this book warns that we risk depriving ourselves and our world of not just the wonderful uniqueness of the individual but also of any contributions they might make to society as a whole.However, another lesson lurks in the alleys of Ankh-Morpork and the labyrinthine halls of Unseen U. That lesson is that sometimes what we tell ourselves is practicality is, in fact, fear of stepping beyond our comfort zone to see just what we, and those we care about, are capable of. If we trust and believe in ourselves, if we step beyond our self-imposed limits, we may just discover there really are no limits to what we can achieve.

This is my first Discworld novel in 4 years, the last one I read being the largely mediocre "Thud!" and a below average outing for the City Watch. I tried "Making Money" a couple of years ago but it was the first Discworld I couldn't finish it was so poor. That was really it for me, I thought I'd not be returning to Pratchett again. I felt sorry for Terry hearing of his illness but his continued forays into the dubious realm of "Young Adult" fiction often yielded poor books for a bloke in his 20s. The bafflingly crap "Amazing Maurice" and the increasingly tedious Tiffany Aching series "Ach it's sh*t!" seemed to be where Terry was happy to stay especially as his last book was (according to a friend who is similarly disenfranchised) a poor attempt at Castaway crossed with RL Stevenson, "Nation". I think it was seeing the Librarian on the front wearing a bandana kamikaze style that brought me back. Has Terry gone back and done justice to the series that made him? Thankfully the answer is a deafening cheer from the crowd. He has. The wizards' food budget is threatened if they don't observe a centuries old tradition and take part in a foot-the-ball game, and off they go. It's as simple as that, plot wise. The familiar faces are all there, Rincewind and Luggage, Death, Ridcully and Ponder Stibbons, the Librarian, CMOT Dibbler, Commander Vimes, the Patrician and Wuffles, and the glorious setting that has become a character unto itself, the city of Ankh-Morpork. Though there isn't much in the way of plot, the interactions between the characters more than makes up for it. The conversations between Vetinari and Ridcully were the highlights of the book for me - two superbly realised characters verbally sparring is a rare thing in fiction today and Terry writes their scenes masterfully. If I hadn't been told that Terry had Alzeimher's or that this was the first Pratchett novel he had to dictate I wouldn't have known the difference. It should be said though that the bulk of the story follows several new characters: Glenda the head of the Night Kitchen at UU, her ditzy friend Juliet, the head of the Candle Vats and talented foot-the-ball-er Trev Likely, and the mysterious goblin Nutt with a past. Glenda is your typical strong headed, independent woman character that Terry is so adept at creating while Nutt, basically the hero, is your "perceived as bad because of his appearance but salt of the earth" character that Terry's also done many times previous. Trev and Juliet are a sort of Posh'n'Becks parody. Despite the book not being a revolutionary new change to Discworld, it is the type of Discworld book that I loved reading back when i was 12. Discworld has never been about plot anyway, its about the characters and the places and Terry provides a masterclass in writing both in this book. It's also a tribute to his writing ability that you don't care that Death and Vimes appear for less than a page each, or that Rincewind and Luggage are bit part players while Vetinari seems worlds apart from the character he was when we first met him, you like getting to know the new characters just as much. If, like me, you just enjoy spending time in Ankh-Morpork with its eccentric citizens and brilliantly named streets, as familiar and enjoyable as seeing an old friend, you'll love this book.

There isn't much to say about a Discworld novel at this point.You like the series or you don't, you shouldn't start with this one (although it isn't that bad of a starter, it doesn't give a lot of background on the characters--start elsewhere), and you just want to know if it's one of the (rare) standouts, either as extra genius (Night Watch) or a klunker (Monstrous Regiment).It's a solid Discworld book, and we seem to have precious few of those left, so cherish it. For recurring characters, it revolves around Vetinari and the yahoos at the Unseen University. Lots of Mustrum Ridcully, we see Vetinari actually drunk, Lady Margolota makes an appearance, and we have passing time with Angua, the Librarian (more than usual), and Rincewind. Yes, the Luggage does drop by.For new characters, we get the usual lovers who probably only appear in this book, we get a classic "what is he? he's new! he plays against type!" Pratchett character (the actual star of he book), and we meet a wonderful member of the University staff, the professor of "Post Mortem Communication," which, unlike necromancy, is legal. He wears black robes, has a widow's peak and goatee, and sports the official University skull ring, so he is required to be slightly, but acceptably, evil, break rules, and undermine the staff at predictable and mostly-harmless intervals. He apologizes a lot. I loved him.Oh, and a *lot* of Ponder Stibbins. Which is always good. We get to see Stibbins competitive and crafty side, as well as some actual vindictiveness. He is certainly on the second- or third-tier of the Discworld's "dangerous when aroused to anger" list, the first being Vetinari and Esme Weatherwax and the second being Death, Susan Sto Lat, and Sam Vimes. Third tier is not bad.The plot revolves around Vetinari, for some reason, interfering in the working-class sport of football (Ankh-Morpork football is like Soccer plus Rugby plus American Football, with some cage match and fan interference thrown in). The University is forced to choose between their food budget and fielding a staff/faculty team, which means, to Ridcully's delight, the professors have to actually go outside, wear trousers and exercise. Which apparently does not involve picnics and smoking their pipes. Stibbins is the team coach, which leads to the expected hilarity.Of course, the romantic subplot, the underlying observations on class, politics, and human nature, and quietly put message about human dignity and equality are all present. Pratchett is at his best when he lets those underly, but not consume, his stories and he's as good as usual here (i.e., this isn't Monstrous Regiment).And as expected, nothing that Vetinari does is what it seems. His motives and his plans (layered several on top of each other) are brilliant as always.Not a "top 3" Discworld book, but well in the space of the more recent books (and far better than the early ones).

Will never ever get over how good this is. Y'all can keep your throne games and ring lords, give me wizard football. Give it to me hard.