Posts Tagged ‘Humor’
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Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett
March 11, 2010
Best-selling author Terry Pratchett’s most recent (2009) novel Unseen Academicals is a satire on the phenomenon of European football (soccer), plus a number of other social activities that often go along with it. For that reason, the book may have a greater appeal to a UK audience than in America; especially since one of the main themes is football hooliganism, a distinct UK phenomenon.
But the book is really about much more than football (soccer). It’s about the many foibles and follies of human nature, which are Universal, European or American alike. It is also a novel about every conceivable variety of pie (and its connection to football); fashion super models (and their connections to football super stars); as well as about orcs and goblins (connection to football unknown).
In characteristic Terry Pratchett fashion, the Discworld is like a funhouse mirror image of our own world; exactly the same, only more so. Instead of human cheerleaders, there are naiads dancing on the sidelines of the football field, and cart-tail vendors take the place of tail-gate markets.
The book has many heroes, in particular a goblin-turned-orc by the name of Mr. Nutt. Because he’s one of only a handful of surviving orcs on the Discworld, two of the world’s most powerful leaders take him under their wings to help him save himself as well as his dying race.
It bears mentioning that the two leaders in question, Lord Vetinari and Lady Margolotta have been at this before. Their previous projects have included rock trolls, werewolves, golems, and vampires, all of which they assisted in becoming integrated and accepted members of human society.
Mr. Nutt gets sent from Lady Margolotta’s Uberwald to Lord Vetinari’s Ankh-Morpork and assigned the task to accumulate ‘worth’ in human society. In doing so, Nutt gains many loyal friends and admirers in his workplace, the Unseen University. Co-worker Trev Likely goes to any length to defend his orc friend, and the head mistress of the Night Kitchen, Miss Glenda Sugarbean (creator of the crusty onion pie) becomes a staunch admirer, which later leads to a budding romance.
After demonstrating his knack for strategic thinking to his superiors at Unseen University, Mr. Nutt gets appointed as coach for the school’s floundering football team. And so a string of events begins to unfold.
You don’t need to be a soccer fan to enjoy Unseen Academicals. It is also a parody on clothing fashion, food (in particular pies), and the general vagaries of human nature. So if you are into wearing clothes, eating food, or being human, then this book will provide you plenty of opportunities for laughter.
Mrs. Hellman resides in North Carolina with her husband and their three boys. A copywriter by profession, she writes book reviews as a hobby. Visit the website The Light Fantastic, where you can order Unseen Academicals and all the other 36 novels in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.
Terry Pratchett: The Light Fantastic
February 19, 2010
Relatively unknown in America, Terry Pratchett was the number one best-selling author in Great Britain during the 1990′s, and only J. K. Rowling has sold more books than Pratchett in the UK since 2000. The Light Fantastic is the classic second novel in his Discworld series from back in the 1980′s when it all began.
While the events of Pratchett’s novels take place on an imaginary Discworld, they are really parodies on various cultural phenomena from our own world. The Light Fantastic makes delightful fun of the religious fanaticism that can arise from the belief that the world is coming to an end. Book burning bonfires abound, lynch mobs chase after the unconverted, and frightened hordes flee the cities like rats off a sinking ship.
Through the book, we follow the fortunes of a “failed” wizard named Rincewind who possesses a singular talent for surviving by running away. And run he does, because practically everything frightens Rincewind.
That is, everything except for the one thing that has got everyone else in a state of panic: The Red Star appearing in the sky that keeps growing brighter and hotter by the hour. Other than Rincewind, the only other person unconcerned about the new celestial threat is his friend Twoflower, who says of Rincewind: “If there was anything at all to be frightened about, he’d be frightened. But he’s not. The star is just about the only thing I’ve ever seen him not frightened of. If he’s not worried, then take if it from me, there’s nothing to worry about.”
In the end, it turns out that Twoflower is right in using Rincewind as the barometer for any real threat to the world as they know it. Rincewind is, after all, the Discworld’s leading authority on when to panic.
Rincewind and Twoflower’s adventurous journey includes saving an unappreciative sacrificial virgin, visiting a forest of talking trees and a lair of friendly trolls, flying through the sky on a rock levitated by druid magic and through the universe in a magic gift store, and narrowly escaping the scythe of Death in the netherworlds: Things that are the stuff of myths and legends in our reality but almost commonplace on the Discworld.
But what the story really boils down to is a powerful magic spell that’s hiding in Rincewind’s brain, biding its time and waiting for the Red Star to appear, at which time it plans to reunite with seven other ancient spells that are to be read together for the purpose of turning the path of Great A’Tuin away from the menacing Red Star.
Great A’Tuin, needless to say, is the enormous sea turtle carrying the Discworld on its back through the Universe. Just in case you were of the mistaken impression that all planets were spherical and revolved around stars.
The Light Fantastic is British humor at its very best. Even those who normally don’t like British humor would likely be hard pressed to not laugh out loud while immersed in this novel.
Britt Hellman resides in North Carolina with her husband and three children. A professional copywriter, she writes book reviews as a hobby. In the late 1980′s, her husband turned her onto the books by Terry Pratchett. Visit her site The Light Fantastic for more information on Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett, from The Color of Magic (1983) to Unseen Academicals (2009).
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