The Unseen Academicals - Terry Pratchett

The Disc, for those who don't know, continues to float in space, supported by the elephants who ride the back of the great swimming turtle A'tuin. The Hub about which the planet spins is a centre of great magic, and best avoided if you want to live a happy and contented life. At the outer perimeter is the great circle sea which unendingly streams over the rim into the void, which is best avoided if you want to continue to live at all. Most Discians don't think about these things. They have more local matters to worry about. Smeems, for instance, is the Candle Nave at the Unseen University. He ... more

All is not well in the Unseen University. The Dean has left to take up a post in another city much to the disgust of Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully and Ponder Stibbons, the new Traditions Master, has found that the University has to play a football match to keep a certain bequest. One that pays for a large part of grocery bill of the Unseen University. It's either play the game or do without a great many meals. It’s not necessary that they win the game but that they play. Ankh-Morpork football has its own teams, fans and even foods. Football fans may not always get along and that is becoming ... more

This is another Discworld book - the series in which Terry Pratchett parodies just about every aspect of life here on earth. This time its the turn of football and fashion. I think this is actually one of his most accessible books. You don't really need to have read previous books to get this, and there is very little actual fantasy; some of his other books make a bit too much use of magic to get to jump around the plot and it all becomes too improbable, though still enjoyable. This book has a more straightforward narrative and relies very little on magic. This should help all those who say ... more