Synopses & Reviews
Fame
It's a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. "Tech-heads" flaunt their latest gadgets, "kickers" spread gossip and trends, and "surge monkeys" are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it's all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of American Idol. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.
As if being fifteen doesn't suck enough, Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn't care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself. Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. Aya wants desperately to kick their story, to show everyone how intensely cool the Sly Girls are. But doing so would propel her out of extra-land and into the world of fame, celebrity...and extreme danger. A world she's not prepared for.
Review
"With its combination of high-stakes melodrama, cinematic action and thought-provoking insight into some really thorny questions of human nature, the new novel, like its predecessors, is a superb piece of popular art, reminiscent less of other young adult books than of another pop masterpiece, the revived Battlestar Galactica." New York Times
Review
"The denouement is thin and rushed, but the fast action, cool technology (eyescreens, manga faces) and spot-on relevance to contemporary Internet issues provide plenty of adrenaline." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"An astonishingly well-told story about a future society where popularity rules....Highly recommended." Children's Literature
Review
"Westerfeld delivers another page-turner in the fourth book of his series, neatly tying previous narrative threads together with characters from former novels but allowing readers to enjoy this one with no prior knowledge of earlier books." School Library Journal
Synopsis
The world of uglies, pretties, and specials is over. Now, its all about fame. In the new book in the New York Times bestselling Uglies series, everyones social status is constantly monitored and rated.
About the Author
Scott Westerfeld has written many acclaimed novels for adults and teens, including So Yesterday, Peeps, and the Midnighters and Uglies series. His books have been named New York Times Notable Books of the Year, and have won the Aurealis Award, the Victorian Premier's Award, and the Philip K. Dick Special Citation. Scott lives in New York City and Sydney, Australia.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Scott Westerfeld