Every Terry Pratchett releaser is something to be quietly enjoyed, to be savoured. The question on many minds was would he still be able to do it following his diagnosis with Alzheimer's Disease.

Unseen Academicals provides the answer and it is a resounding yes.

What readers usually associate with Pratchett is his wonderful humour but there is much more than that to a Pratchett novel.

In this novel, we see a commentary of sorts on the senseless violence and hooliganism that is all too often associated with English football. We also see our protagonist struggling to comprehend how her friend, after an unexpected turn as a fashion model, is suddenly the focus of so much attention. Not to mention a type of dwarf chain mail (it doesn't chafe!) and beards becoming an unexpected sought-after fashion accessories. This is a lovely satirical comment on the 'fashion industry.' The overarching theme of the novel however is that of no matter how we are born, what we make of ourselves is ultimately up to us.

One of the real joys in reading Pratchett is his seemingly effortless subtlety. When I write humour, it has all the subtlety of Rincewind wielding a sock containing a half-brick. Pratchett's glides over, enfolding you like the peel from one of the Librarian's bananas. This has been a feature of Pratchett's writing from at least as far back as the start of the Discworld series in The Colour of Magic, where we learned that Discworld's gods resided in Dunmanifestin (try saying it out loud) - a simple joke wrapped in elegance.

Another strong aspect of Pratchett's work is the influence of history, The game being initially played in Ankh Morpork, foot-the-ball, reads like the wild predecessor of modern English football that was played in Tudor times with its undisciplined mob mentality. Although I'm not sure Tudor England used a block of wood wrapped in some rags.

Unseen Academicals reminds us yet again that Terry Pratchett is the true master of a genre that he has made all his own.

Like all Discworld novels, the good triumph, just not quite how you imagine that they would.

Ross C. Hamilton