Sunday, January 17, 2010

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

There's not much I can say about Terry Pratchett because his fabulousness is already well-known. If you haven't read any of his Discworld novels yet (and why haven't you?), then go ahead and start with this one. Expect wacky wizards, a benevolent tyrant and a city where humans, dwarfs, trolls and vampires have learned to co-exist, but football matches are apt to end in death. It is a story about having the courage to be true to oneself and the wisdom to view change in a positive light. Pratchett's use of language is such a delight that I will use the rest of this post to quote from the book:

"[The love letter] read as though someone had turned on the poetry tap and then absent-mindedly gone on holiday."
"Glenda was taken aback and affronted at the same time, which was a bit of a squeeze."
"Don't drink that - that's cider vinegar!" "I'm only drinking the cider bit."
"Juliet's version of cleanliness was next to godliness, which was to say it was erratic, past all understanding and was seldom seen."

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