It took me a while but I finally finished Unseen Academicals. The reason for the lengthy reading session had nothing to do with the story itself. Rather, it was because of my busy end-of-year schedule. Yes, I did feel a need for clarification there; after all, folks must be wondering if this book was as good as say, Nightwatch. Well here is my review of Terry Pratchett's latest Discworld novel.

Unseen Academicals is about football. Well, to a large extent it revolves around that mad mad sport. That is the main plot of the novel where the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork gently prod respected folks (that means you, Unseen University) towards this sport. The idea here is that football was a haphazard and bloody game of the masses and somehow, he got it into his head that it must be regulated. Or at least, properly channeled.

To say that the wizards were antsy about it would be an understatement. What, run about in a field doing something akin to exercise? Wasn't it uncomfortably similar to a battlefield? Well, these guys don't get a choice. At a fancy little meeting things get a bit out of hand and the University agrees to join in a match. You'll see why.

Which brings up the other plotlines. Football maybe the main plot but there are equally important subplots. There's bit about Julie, the future supermodel who is currently a cook at the university. Then there's Glenda, the night cook of the same institution. These two are important and contribute significantly to the overall storyline as does Trevor Likely.

However, the bit that I'll talk about is Mister Nutt. He trains the football team, taking them to dance classes and teaching them sports tactics. But, being a strange little twitchy goblin from Überwald, he has many dark secrets. And everyone higher up who knows about him acts strangely around him. By this I mean they shuffle sideways and keep a respectable distance from him during one-on-one conversations. Or at least that appears as the thought foremost in their mind. Nutt also works in the university, serving as a simple candle lighter (or had a job description along those lines). Funnily enough, he is as multi-talented as Nancy Drew so you start wondering if he is actually one of those princely figures sent into hiding. Truth is a bit grittier than that though. Well, what's with Mr Nutt? What are his origins? And why is everyone scared of him? This subplot was equally gripping, if not more so, than the main plot, at least that was the case for me.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It definitely made it to my top ten Pratchett list. In fact, Nutt is one of my favorite Discworld characters. Pratchett has a flair for creating memorable characters and I think he really worked his magic with this one. Nutt is flawed and has his own share of vices but what you end up focusing on are his virtues. He helps people whenever he can. He has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. And the man knows a few awesome alchemy tricks. You can't help but love the little guy!