RECENT Discworld books have dealt with some pretty obscure phenomena, but were compelling stories about the postal service and the banks of Ankh-Morpork.
However, Terry Pratchett’s topic this time looks off-putting (“Bloody, bloody, clogging, hacking, punching, gouging, silly football!”) as the cantankerous wizards of Unseen University find themselves compelled to compete. Without magic.
It’s not quite The Damned Utd, but Pratchett is very good on the tribalism, greed and sheer incomprehensibility of football – however, he also finds enough poetry in it that even a confirmed despiser of the sport can begin to understand the appeal. If it’s neither the funniest nor the most profound Pratchett of recent years, it’s still better than most people’s best.
Alex Sarll
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