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Uglies
Summary
Tally lives in a world where your 16th birthday brings aesthetic perfection: an operation that erases all your flaws, transforming you from an "Ugly" into a "Pretty". She is on the eve of this important event and cannot wait for her life to change.
As well as guaranteeing supermodel looks, life as a Pretty seems to revolve around having a good time. But then she meets Shay, who is also 15 — but with a very different outlook on life. Shay isn't sure she wants to be Pretty and plans to escape to a community in the forest — the Rusty Ruins — where Uglies go to escape "turning". Tally won't be persuaded to join her, as this would involve sacrificing everything she's ever wanted for a lot of uncertainty.
When she is taken in for questioning on her birthday, however, Tally gets sent to the Ruins anyway — against her will. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she could ever imagine: Find her friend, Shay, and turn her in or never turn Pretty at all. What she discovers in the Ruins reveals that there is nothing "pretty" about the transformations...and the choice Tally makes will change her world forever.
A Simon & Schuster audio production.
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Reviews
In Uglyville, at the age of 16, you gleefully and thankfully receive an operation to become pretty, then you can live in Pretty Town. With her operation only weeks away, Tally befriends Shay (whose operation is also around the corner), and she sheds a new light on the much awaited change.I love suspense. Especially when I don't want to put the book down. This one was like that for me. It is another science fiction novel that has realistic elements that holds it together, which helps me accept it. As for the plot - it never stopped and even surprised me a time or two. And, interestingly enough, I even joined in on a few rides - too fun!I teetered between a 4 and 4.25/5 because while I thought it was very good, I thought the YA showed through with its simplistic language. Unfortunately (for me), I don't like to feel like I'm reading a YA book when in fact it is. Despite that, keeping up the suspense and intrigue warranted the higher rating. (4.25/5)Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
In this seriously bizarre world that Westerfeld has envisioned, wars, civil unrest, jealousy and alienation are all things of the past - because when a person turns 16 they undergo plastic surgery and are given the qualities of a desirable mate - huge eyes, full lips, even skin-tone, the list goes on. Bones are changed so everyone is the same height, fat is sucked out, plastic cheekbones are inserted under the skin. This is a world that promotes equality and achieves it by eliminating the differences between individuals. And it creeped me out from the blurb onwards. It's frightening because on a basic level it makes sense, but it violates everything I know and believe about being proud of individuality.My favourite aspect of the book have to be the mysterious Special Circumstances people - they sound like a truly scary bunch! With all their special augmentation they behave more like robots than human beings, and I think they creeped me out more than anything else about this world. Dr. Cable is a great villain as the classic evil doctor. I can totally imagine her with her lab coat and maniacal laughing as she operates on Uglies. Another aspect of the world I enjoyed was the society in The Smoke. They are so normal to me and yet at the same time so alien to Tally, and I enjoyed reading how they survive outside of the influence of the cities. One of my favourite scenes is when Tally realises that children used to resemble their parents before the operations. I think it was really well done and showcased exactly how much humanity had lost.Tally is a hard character for me to like - she's in many ways the anti-thesis to other female YA heroines. She hungers for the operation and counts down the days until her birthday. She firmly believes in her society and doesn't understand why Shay, her new friend, wouldn't want the operation.When Tally is blackmailed into journeying to The Smoke, a hidden community of people like Shay who ran away before they could have the operation, she is happy to do it, thinking she will be rescuing Shay from a horrible fate. It is only when Tally reaches The Smoke and learns the awful secret behind the operations that she changes her mind about it all. However, her strong belief in the system is shattered in only a few days - she goes from being disgusted at the uglies to being friends with them, sharing their meals and even kissing one of them. It's all too quick and doesn't make sense given how conditioned she was to her society before.A clever and enjoyable story, Uglies has certainly made an impression on me and now I completely understand what the hype is about. I have the rest of the series sitting on my shelves, so I will be reading it as soon as I can. If you love a good dystopian novel and haven't tried this book yet, then I strongly recommend it to you!You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.
The world of Uglies is our own, but after we damaged our planet and ourselves almost to the point of no return, society gets restarted in a place where everything is self-sufficient and no one is discriminated based on their physical appearance because, ta-dahh, everyone is pretty. Well, not everyone, everyone over the age of 16, because before that they are not old enough to go under the knife. So, these young teenagers who have yet to discover the wonders of cosmetic surgery are called Uglies. Because it's what they are – Ugly.Tally is one of those, months away from getting her operation, and she can't hardly wait to join the rest of her friends in the parties and being simply amazing. She is the last of her mates to turn 16, so she feels really alone in Uglyville, so much that she decides to go sneak up to New Pretty Town, to check on her BFF, Peris, who has been there for so long and hasn't bothered to write. Or call.Things do not go exactly as planned, Tally is trespassing after all, but she satisfies her need to see her friend, who makes her promise not to get into more trouble before she gets the operation, and she meets someone else doing the same as her, Shay, who becomes her new best friend. They do stuff together all the time, enjoying their time left in Uglyville to play all the pranks they want, Shay even teaches Tally to hoverboard (yes, hooerboard, think Marty McFly and Back to the Future). But when the big day looms close (and it's the big day for both of them, they share a birthday), Shay tells Tally she doesn't want to pretty (*gasp* The Horror!), instead she is going to runaway and join a group of rebels who also don't want to be pretty, known as Smokies (they live in The Smoke). Shay would have liked to have Tally runaway with her, but Tally is not having that. She wants to be pretty. But since she is in such good terms with Shay, she promises to think about it, and Shay leaves her a coded message on how to get to The Smoke.Tally would never use that, of course, if The Powers That Be hadn't noticed Shay's leaving and Shay's new best friend. As it was, they made her an Ultimatum, she either had to help them catch the Smokies (breaking a promise to Shay of not telling her secret) or she would be ugly forever. Poor Tally thinks, and thinks, and decides to help TPTB somewhat – she'll go to Smoke, see what it's all about, and then she'll decide whether to betray her friend's trust or not.And so, with hoverboard in hand, a pack full of concentrated Spaghetti Bolognese, Tally hovers away to get to The Smoke, not without perils, since this girl almost got roasted alive (this section remind me of The Hunger Games). And let me stop here before I summarize the entire book. (There aren't many spoilers, though, most of this is on the back cover, only much more concentrated summarized)Anyway... It took sometime to have the courage to pick this book up. Why? Well, to me beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder, and my eyes are sometimes different from other eyes. So, this world where everyone was pretty, it wasn't gathering points with me. But I started the book, and I understood the concept of beauty used here – mainstream beauty, evening out differences, going for the big eyes, pouting mouth look of innocence, that ensured that there was a biological/psychological need to protect and love that person. I would be utterly miserable in that world, of course, but I can understand the reasons why it worked. As I continued reading I could also see how this world could be seen as school metaphor – the younger Uglies earning to enter that cool place that is New Pretty Town (*ahem, cof, High School, cof*). Tally, with her eagerness to also be pretty, never really impressed me. She was fun, but had the book been about someone else, it would have been the same for me – I was reading for the world and the society, not the characters. In fact, I will continue reading the series for those reasons, even if there was some growth, at least where Tally is concerned. There was also a bit of romance in there, which, unsurprisingly, didn't impress me either. This book's strengths are both the worldbuilding, and the action. There is plenty of action going on, from Tally and Shay's pranks, to the lone trip of Tally through the wasteland that our world has become, to the events on Smoke, rescue missions, hiding and going undercover. Lots of stuff that kept the pages flying by.It did end on a cliffhanger (one has to ensure that readers will pick up the next book, right?), and as such I want to know what happens next. I also want to learn more about the world.Also at Spoilers and Nuts
The premise: in Tally's world, turning sixteen isn't about getting the license to drive, it's about turning pretty. This is a world where everyone goes through a major operation at the age of sixteen to become impossibly beautiful, and she can't wait. Until her best friend decides she doesn't want to turn pretty at all, that people shouldn't be ashamed of their faces, and runs away. This shouldn't affect Tally, but some higher-ups have decided to use Tally to track down rebels like her best friend and break up the resistance to the pretty society. Suddenly Tally is learning some very ugly truths about her pretty society, and if she doesn't do what she's asked, she'll never be pretty. But if she does, it means betraying her best friend.My RatingMust Have: it's a fast, enticing read that does an amazing job at illustrating the heart of teen issues and fears. And the fact it does it in such a well-drawn SF dystopia makes it something more than a must-YA-read, but a must-SF read as well. I've yet to see an adult SF writer (meaning, writers for adults) take a science fictional spin on the ideas of beauty and letting those ideas drive the story rather than be window-dressing. At least, I haven't seen this in a novel. Short stories, I wouldn't be surprised. Anyway, I look forward to reading the rest of these books, and as of right now, I'm more than willing to check out other Westerfeld titles as well.The full review, which does contain spoilers, may be found at my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. REVIEW: Scott Westerfeld's UGLIESHappy Reading! :)
Tally can't wait until her sixteenth birthday--that's when she turns pretty and will be able to join all her pretty friends across the river. But until then, she and the rest of the uglies must remain in their place, leading sheltered lives and never venturing far from the school and dormitories. At least, their not supposed to. A few tend to bend and even break the rules; Tally herself has snuck across the river many a time. Her best friend Peris is lucky; he's already turned sixteen and had the operations needed to make him pretty. Poor Tally is left mostly alone, until she meets and befriends a fellow mischievous ugly, Shay. But Shay isn't so happy about turning pretty. In fact, she would rather stay just as she is. Shay runs away to a hidden, outsider community to ensure that this will never change. Tally once again is left alone. But everything will be better once she is pretty. Except the authorities refuse to turn her pretty until she helps find her friend, and bring her back. The decisions she faces, and the decisions she makes, will change her life forever. The first book in a trilogy, Uglies is wonderful dystopian fiction for young adults. I did want to throttle a character now and then, but for the most part this book was quite enjoyable and I look forward to reading the next two books, Pretties and Specials. Experiments in Reading
I enjoyed this a lot. It was easy to see how their world could come about, and so, so easy to understand the desire to want to become Pretty. Life is easy when you're a New-Pretty, everyone loves you and life is one big party. There's no pressure, no competition, none of the pain we live with.
I felt for Tally, I really did. All she wanted was to feel good and safe and that was threatened. She had to betray her friend in order to have the life she wanted. No, not the life she wanted, but the life she and everyone else gained as a matter of course.
One of my favorite scenes was Tally looking at the "ancient" magazines and remarking upon the photo of a model. Our society does horrible things to our girls, including anorexia, and having Tally think about that from her place in her society really struck me.
This book had been recommended by readers I trust and I can see why they liked it so much.
I felt for Tally, I really did. All she wanted was to feel good and safe and that was threatened. She had to betray her friend in order to have the life she wanted. No, not the life she wanted, but the life she and everyone else gained as a matter of course.
One of my favorite scenes was Tally looking at the "ancient" magazines and remarking upon the photo of a model. Our society does horrible things to our girls, including anorexia, and having Tally think about that from her place in her society really struck me.
This book had been recommended by readers I trust and I can see why they liked it so much.
Some of the most entertaining SF takes an aspect of current life and exaggerates it with interesting results. Tally lives in a future world where all adolescents are "ugly" and live in dorms, going to school and awaiting the ultimate sweet sixteen - surgical transformation into a "pretty" who have years of parties awaiting them. Uglies blow off steam by sneaking out at night and pulling off stunts, but Tally seems to have a knack of getting into more trouble than most. She has adventures with bungee suits, hoverboards, city ruins, and a new best friend. Little by little, she will learn what is behind the strict stratification of her society and what other options are open to her - or not. It's the first of a trilogy and I'm ready to listen to the next one. This one loses a star for the reader's vocal characterizations of some of the characters. Shea's voice was irritatingly flat and toneless, but overall, it was a fun adventure.
I’ve wanted to read the Uglies quartet for years, ever since they showed up on my little sister’s shelves. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic society where all of humanity is gathered into a few independent cities. In every city, when citizens reach their 16th birthday they undergo a surgery to change them from “uglies” into super-model gorgeous “pretties”. There is, of course, a catch. Both the catch and most of the other plot points were quite predictable, although the motivations of those in charge surprised me; I just don’t feel like they got enough out of it. But the idea was novel and I appreciated that. The world was also very well developed and the details of the procedure by which people became pretty were fleshed out enough to make it very believable.
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I loved the premise of this book, what a clever idea.
I've not read much young adult fiction, so I wasn't sure what to expect going in. I liked Uglies a good deal. Westerfeld does a nice job of using pretty standard plot structures and characters to make something that feels fresh. His prose gets a little melodramatic at points, but I'm guessing that's to ratchet up tension? There's some interesting thematic things going on too. Overall, well-written and interesting. I'm excited to read the next one.
An excellent dystopian tale of choice, trust, and weeds.
The Writing and Worldbuilding
While the writing style wasn't my absolute favorite, it was engaging and managed to make the slower parts of the book not so boring as they had the potential to be. The dialogue felt a bit 2005, but the book was published then, so I can't really hold that against it. I was particularly fond of the motifs and themes of the book, my favorite being the beautiful flowers that are invasive weeds literally choking out all other life, and ultimately even themselves.
The flowers were so beautiful, so delicate and unthreatening, but they choked everything around them.
The premise sounded somewhat far-fetched at first, but it is executed so well that by the end, I could really see this as a possible future, which was frightening. The technology was well explained and plausible (at least to me, but I'm no scientist).
What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful.
The Characters
Tally: She was really consistent, yet still grew a lot, which I really liked. She stayed true to her fundamental person—a person of action, but also thought—and also learned to let go of some of her faults—indecision, selfishness, and even self-consciousness. And me of all people actually liking a female protagonist is really something.
Shay: I loved Shay. She is fun and spunky, and somewhat of a tomboy, but still maintaining some girlish charm.
Doing what you're supposed to do is always boring. I can't imagine anything worse than being required to have fun.
David: Despite being a tad insta-love-y, David was also really great! His insta-love had actual believable reasons, and he was just such a sweet guy!
Dr. Cable: Specials in general are pretty freaky, but this one in particular was super creepy.
Conclusion
It definitely wasn't my favorite book ever, but I did really like it, and actually really brought back some appreciation for YA that had been dying in me, so I'm really glad I read it, and I would definitely recommend it. And besides all that, my older sister has been trying to get me to read this series since like 2010, so it was surely time.
The Writing and Worldbuilding
While the writing style wasn't my absolute favorite, it was engaging and managed to make the slower parts of the book not so boring as they had the potential to be. The dialogue felt a bit 2005, but the book was published then, so I can't really hold that against it. I was particularly fond of the motifs and themes of the book, my favorite being the beautiful flowers that are invasive weeds literally choking out all other life, and ultimately even themselves.
The flowers were so beautiful, so delicate and unthreatening, but they choked everything around them.
The premise sounded somewhat far-fetched at first, but it is executed so well that by the end, I could really see this as a possible future, which was frightening. The technology was well explained and plausible (at least to me, but I'm no scientist).
What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful.
The Characters
Tally: She was really consistent, yet still grew a lot, which I really liked. She stayed true to her fundamental person—a person of action, but also thought—and also learned to let go of some of her faults—indecision, selfishness, and even self-consciousness. And me of all people actually liking a female protagonist is really something.
Shay: I loved Shay. She is fun and spunky, and somewhat of a tomboy, but still maintaining some girlish charm.
Doing what you're supposed to do is always boring. I can't imagine anything worse than being required to have fun.
David: Despite being a tad insta-love-y, David was also really great! His insta-love had actual believable reasons, and he was just such a sweet guy!
Dr. Cable: Specials in general are pretty freaky, but this one in particular was super creepy.
Conclusion
It definitely wasn't my favorite book ever, but I did really like it, and actually really brought back some appreciation for YA that had been dying in me, so I'm really glad I read it, and I would definitely recommend it. And besides all that, my older sister has been trying to get me to read this series since like 2010, so it was surely time.
I've had this book and the others in the series sitting on my shelves for months now. I read one great review, went out and purchased them; then I started seeing a lot of mixed reviews.
Granted, the story starts out slow, can be totally confusing with some of the words used; but overall I believe this is a great story. As a mother of a soon to be teen (9), I am constantly trying to get her to understand that she doesn't have to look like everyone else to be pretty; the Uglies touches on just about the same thing.
With Tally only counting the days till she can be a Pretty along with her friend Peris, and Shay wanting nothing more than to stay an Uglie, the lines are drawn. When Shay took off, I just knew that something was going to happen to Tally to make it to where she wouldn't get to be Pretty.
I can't say too much more without giving the story away, but the trip to the Smoke was a wild one and I can't wait to read the next book to find out if David still cares.
Granted, the story starts out slow, can be totally confusing with some of the words used; but overall I believe this is a great story. As a mother of a soon to be teen (9), I am constantly trying to get her to understand that she doesn't have to look like everyone else to be pretty; the Uglies touches on just about the same thing.
With Tally only counting the days till she can be a Pretty along with her friend Peris, and Shay wanting nothing more than to stay an Uglie, the lines are drawn. When Shay took off, I just knew that something was going to happen to Tally to make it to where she wouldn't get to be Pretty.
I can't say too much more without giving the story away, but the trip to the Smoke was a wild one and I can't wait to read the next book to find out if David still cares.
great book to start off a dystopian interest. i just couldn't stop reading. the rest of the series is just as great as well.
The world of the Uglies universe seems rather sickeningly vain and shallow, but it also seems clear that this is extremely intentional. In a world where everything revolves around how you look, why would you not obsess about looking pretty? In fact, it would become everything to you. There's definitely quite an obvious lesson there for the real world too. Yet, as the story evolves, you start to find out that there is indeed something far more serious and sinister beneath the service. It's definitely enough to make me want to read the sequel and see where the story here leads, since it definitely ends on a promising note.
I love this book!
Scott Westerfield's "Uglies" is young adult science fiction novel set in a future time in which everyone undergoes a compulsory surgery that turns them into when they turn sixteen. Tally Youngblood yearns to be a "pretty," and she is very nearly there. While biding her time, she becomes close to another "ugly," a girl named Shay. But when Shay runs away to find The Smoke, a community of people who refused to undergo the operation, the authorities send Tally to find her. I she fails in her mission, she will have remain an ugly forever. Although she still wants to be pretty, what Tally finds at The Smoke changes everything.In "Uglies" Westerfield plays upon the insecurities of his readers: what teen wouldn't want to be amazingly attractive and spend all their time partying? But, of course, being pretty is not everything it's cracked up to be. This tension, which exists in our own world, is what makes the story so compelling, and teens will be able to identify. "Uglies" is an intriguing commentary on our own society and where it might be headed. Tally, as a character, is not always very likable, but, nevertheless, readers will feel for her, since they understand the draw of what she stands to lose.The technology in "Uglies" is another aspect of the book that will appeal to teen readers, grades 7 and up. Cool gadgets like hover boards and interface rings add whole new element to the action of the plot. The rules in Tally's world are completely different than ours, so there's no telling how things will go.
it was ok but definitely not as good as i expected the main character was really annoying at times
Is the only thing that keeps us warring and petty fighting that we are different physically? If were all able, in fact forced, to achieve the same standard of beauty, would we be perpetually happy and content? If you lived in New Pretty Town, your answer would be yes. If you were growing up, waiting for your operation so that you didn't have to look at your imperfections, you would probably also say yes. But what if the concept of individually and embracing, or at least not obsessing, physical flaws was deemed radical and dangerous? The book follows these questions and attempts to answer them. While this is a beautiful idea for a book, it's only skin deep. These premise has the ability to create a profound, emotionally rich story and yet it falls short. As an early-young adult book, it may read differently. As an adult read, I won't find myself picking up the next book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, beginning to end. It was just so unique and relatable on a certain level.
This is an engrossing novel that delves into the concept of beauty. There is nothing too violent or sexual so it should be appropriate for teens. It is not a difficult read but the concepts are very thought provoking. The three main novels (Uglies, pretties, and specials) are meant to be read together as the first two do not resolve everything and they all build off each other.
Considering this was on my wish list, I was very much looking forward to reading it. I must say, I was greatly disappointed. It started off well, introducing us to Tally and her utalitarian world. The story held my attention for about the first 100 pages before I started to become frustrated with the plot development and the fact that I wasn't connecting to any of the characters.There is one goal: to be a Pretty.Tally longs to join the folks in New Pretty Town and become what society deems as 'perfect'. After the first 100 pages, I started to get bored as the story was just dragging along. There was always constant movement, yet the story was not progressing. Many scenes lacked significance. At times, I felt as if I was in a parked car, and everything around me was moving. Although we get to see Shay and Tally go on adventures, it felt as if the story wasn't going anywhere. I felt as if I could do without those scenes as they didn't add much to the story. I wanted Westerfeld to just get to the point and stop lollygagging.The story just didn't fly off the pages for me. I didn't feel the presence of the character, I didn't particularly care for the romance that was forming between Tally and David nor did I care much for how the story would end. I skimmed a few pages, particularly towards the end, which I don't like to do, as I feel I'll miss out on important information. It's a good concept. It just wasn't executed well. At least, that's how I feel.Westerfeld writes well, but the story just didn't grab me. Uglies was an okay read, but I don't think I'll be continuing on with the rest of the books in the series.
In the book, "Uglies" Scott Westerfeld tells the story of Tally who was an ugly and had a friend named Peris. Tally lives in a city where you are ugly until the age 16 when you get a special operation to make you into a pretty. Tally is about to turn 16 and her friend Peris is older than her so he is already a Pretty and lives on the other side of the city with the other pretties. Tally plans to join him there when she turns 16. One night Tally meets Shay who has the same birthday as her and will also be turning 16. Tally and Shay become really good friends, but Shay doesn't like the idea of becoming "pretty". One day Shay and Tally get into a huge fight and don't talk to each other for a while. Then the night before their birthday Shay comes to Tally and tells her she is running away to see her friend called David. She gives Tally a secret poem telling her how to get to the Smoke if she later decides to follow her. On the day of Tally's operation Specials come to her and tell her about Shay and that they want to know where she is or Tally can't turn pretty. Tally first tells them no then comes back a few days later and gives them the paper with Shay's secret poem on it. They tell Tally to go to the Smoke so they can track her down and then turn Tally pretty. Tally agrees and goes to the Smoke. Near the end David's Mother tells Tally that when uglies turn pretty they get part of their brains damaged so all they want to do is party all the time. The Specials take Shay and turn her pretty and Tally goes after her and turns pretty herself. The End This book wasn't my complete favorite. However, I really liked the plot. I also fell in love with the story line of it. I have to admit that it wasn't one of those books I can't put down and am addicted to. I liked all how Tally ended up going to the Smoke because I was very curious about it while i was reading. I thought her trip to the Smoke would be boring but the author kept it interesting enough. I rated "Uglies" 3.5 because it was and interesting book for me, but not the best.
Stop. I can't even deal with how much I loved this book. It centers around Tay Youngblood, who lives in a society where they're separated into 2 main groups (the 2 main groups also have separations, like new, middle, old etc.). You have the Uglies, everyone under 16, and the pretties, everyone 16 and over. When you turn 16 you get the operation to become pretty. The people in this society are brainwashed so they think this operation is the best thing to ever happen to them. Tally meets a girl named Shay just before her 16th birthday, and Shay doesn't want to be pretty. Basically, Shay escapes and Special Circumstances (basically the authorities) give Tally a choice: lead is to Shay, or stay ugly forever. So so soooo good. I love the world that Scott created when writing this. I fell in love with characters, and their relationships. I loved the story line, I loved the way everything unfolds. The story ends on a cliffhanger as well, which had me dying to pick up the second book. This was an amazing read, and I recommend it to everyone.
I really really enjoyed this book. There was some slow spots, but overall it was a great read. The plot of the story is very interesting and unique. Not sure if I'll read the next books or not yet. Can't imagine a world we everyone is turned into Barbie dolls lol!
THis book is perfect for young adults, as the character Tally is 16 when she is about to be transformed into a Pretty. It shows the evil side of conformity while adding the thrill of being watched by "Big Brother". A must read. Also comes with 3 more books after.
The first and best of the series.
Interesting premise, reasonably well executed, a couple of gross science errors were annoying, but other than that quite fun.Sometime in the future society has collapsed through the overuse of resources, and humanity has survived only in careful cities fully green powered but with ample technology. Social engineering has also taken place, with society carefully structed along age lines. 'Littlies' live with their parents in the suburbs before moving to dorms as teenagers. Here they wait, working and playing tricks for the magical age of 16 when they undergo their first operation to become pretty. When they can finally live properly and party. All of humanity is moulded to fit statistically approved definitions of acceptable appearance and behavior. Unless of course you meet someone who doens't conform. And then you learn about life's Special Circumstances - true the world over, but especially when you're attempting to shape utopia. It's dissappointing that basic science errors crept in. Gold is not magnetic. It would have been far better if the hover boards had been left as just anti-gravity devices. Trying to explain their power by giving a pseudo-scienctific explanation for it, and then getting it wrong, is far worse. But generally it was fun, plucky kids against the stodgy adults always goes down well. Plot wise there is nothing particularly special here, the usual inept adminsitrators etc. But the social engineering aspect of a future society bares some thinking about.I'm not sure I'm that bothered about reading the rest of the series, but I probably will if I come across them.
2.5 stars. The plot picked up after about 60%, but honestly, I was forcing myself to read this one only because I paid for it. (WHY? I wasn't that impressed with the sample...what was I thinking?)
I have to say, the dialogue was pretty unbelievable. It was overdone, over-explanatory, and overly melodramatic. Honestly, Westerfeld must believe teenagers are idiots--both his characters and his audience. In addition to the moronic dialogue, the characters took far too long to comprehend the circumstances around them. They simply weren't believable as humans. Worse, they kept repeating things over and over, as if we simply weren't going to understand without beating the horse to death. Give your readers a little credit, friend.
I have to say, the dialogue was pretty unbelievable. It was overdone, over-explanatory, and overly melodramatic. Honestly, Westerfeld must believe teenagers are idiots--both his characters and his audience. In addition to the moronic dialogue, the characters took far too long to comprehend the circumstances around them. They simply weren't believable as humans. Worse, they kept repeating things over and over, as if we simply weren't going to understand without beating the horse to death. Give your readers a little credit, friend.
A little slow going at first, but once it picks up it moves quickly and thrillingly. Scott Westerfeld created a very interesting world and maintains it well. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the sequels.
Very enjoyable YA book. It is a dystopia world where people are made to be pretty and not be competive with each other. There are a group of rebels and Tally is asked to be a spy to help the Specials find there camp. It is a series though and leaves you hanging. I hate series.