Disappointed................

No, not the wonderful Electronic song of the same name - the way I felt after reading Unseen Academicals, the latest Discworld book from Terry Pratchett. It just didn't do it for me in the way most of the other books in the series have done(bar the witchy ones, until they joined up with the main narrative).

Vetinarii had some nice moments - but that was all they were - moments. Rincewind got a walk on part but really, why did TP bother? I think we are all over Rincewind now, and his absence isn't a running sore of sadness for those of us who loved him - but to bring him back to essentially a two minute cameo in which he is no more than a cipher - what was the point of that? Vimes got a name check, and Angua got one scene - again, frankly why did TP bother?

If this book proved anything (other than that TP doesn't really understand footy at all. It's come and have a go if you think you're hard enough. Not the other thing) it proved that the Wizards can't drive a Discworld story any more. Ridcully, Stibbons, the Librarian - as things stand, they have gone as far as they can go. If TP wants a book just about them, then fine, I'm sure it will be great - but to have them as the backdrop for yet more new characters....nah. That seam is all mined out. Whereas the Watch, I think, is still full of potential. Such a shame it was basically ignored for this outing. Especially as that sidelined Vetinarii. Vimes (and Moist, for that matter) are worthy ........contenders for Vetinarii. Ridcully, funny though he used to be, just isn't. Even though he can, one supposes, do magic.

It's such a shame. I've been a fan since the beginning. Well - since The Colour of Money was published in paperback, anyway. So, well more than twenty years. And I'm loyal, me. But......I was really looking forward to this book. And now, if I'm honest, I regret reading it. I regret bumping other books down the waiting list to make way for it. Because I don't think it was worth the effort.

Sometime, sometime soon, I'll remind myself why I love the Discworld. But today is definitely not that day. Today I'm ......disappointed.