Review: Extras by Scott Westerfeld

This is the fourth book in the series.


Reading Order: Uglies, Pretties, Specials and Extras, Bogus to Bubbly:An Insider's Guide to the World of Uglies and Mind-Rain: Your Favorite Authors on Scott Westerfeld's Uglies Series .

Summary from Goodreads:

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 that's just until she gets to 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:

Extras was a fantastic book. I really enjoyed it. It didn’t let the series down; it was a great addition to the Uglies series. I really appreciated the fact that it was from a new character’s point of view because it was interesting to get a wider and more varied perspective. During the book, events were sometimes viewed from the perspective of Aya’s hovercam, Moggle, which added a new slant to the action.

Extras is set three years after the happenings of Specials and thus, I was able to observe the changes wrought by the cure for ‘prettymindedness’.

Whereas in the earlier three books where Westerfeld focussed on beauty, in Extras the focus was on gaining popularity and a higher reputation. Also, it was set in an unspecified city in Japan which made a change and illustrated to readers the extent that prettymindedness had travelled prior to the cure.

The characters were well rounded, 3-D and had real aspirations that people in our society have. Extras reflects the lengths that people in our society will go to for recognition. It was exciting to watch Aya’s struggle to attain fame and eminence.

Westerfeld’s descriptions were very imaginative, especially of strange body alterations. The themes of the novel were self worth in conjunction with society’s view of an individual. Extras was fast-paced and kept me enthralled. I loved the plot of the story and was surprised by the twists and turns in the novel. I was pleasantly surprised as to the deeper meaning of what it meant to be an 'Extra'.

As expected, Westerfeld thought up some super new technology to be integrated into the futuristic society and to fascinate readers. These new technological advancements included hoverball rigs, hovercams, mag-lev trains and radical honesty surgery among many other weird and wonderful inventions.

As Extras was narrated from a different viewpoint, Tally, the main character from the previous books, came across as harsh, cold and distant. This wasn’t the Tally I was used to as I wasn’t privy to her thoughts. Perhaps it would have been better if Aya had overheard a conversation or two where Tally related her thoughts, feelings and apprehensions about her new role as the enforcer of the conservation of the world.

In addition, Shay and David seemed very out of character and insignificant in comparison to their prior roles in the Uglies series. David only had a few sentences in the whole book and Shay, although disapproving of Tally’s rash behaviour, was placed in a subordinate role, rather than as an equal to Tally such as in the previous books. This may have been because Tally was now the only fully-equipped Special. Nevertheless, it was strange to observe.

One of the major aspects of the story was Aya’s journalistic ambitions and Westerfeld placed great emphasis on reprimanding Aya when she published an inaccurate article about a city-destroying weapon. This shows that people should be sure of their facts before circulating them as scandalous news such as that can result in disastrous consequences. However, as in all good stories, Aya was able to redeem the situation by finding out the truth just in time.

Overall, Extras was awesome and I am very, very glad I read it. Aya’s point of view was refreshing, unique and enjoyable to read about. The society I was introduced to was impressively-depicted and I could visualise the story in my mind’s eye. I was sad to finish the series. Extras is a must read.

I am hoping for another book from Westerfeld for this series. While Extras ended the series very well, I feel that there is more Westerfeld could explore in further novels. There is a guide to this series called Bogus to Bubbly which I will look into and also Mind Rain. I will also check out his other books. There is also a movie being planned for Uglies in 2011 so look out for that.

Uglies Series in Order of My Satisfaction Level:

Uglies

Extras

Pretties

Specials

Book Rating: 5/5

Cover: 5/5

Concept: 5/5

Author: Scott Westerfeld

I reviewed Extras as part of Dystopian August which is going on over at Presenting Lenore. Check it out!

Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Description from Goodreads:

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license—for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

Review:

I highly enjoyed Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. This is the first in a series: Uglies, Pretties, Specials and Extras. At first, I was sceptical about the book as the blurb did it little justice- I got the impression that it was about teenagers partying day and night. However, Uglies tackled some very difficult yet important issues such as the definition of beauty, friendship, acceptance and ethics in an innovative way.

As Tally, the main character, moves from the city into the wild, her mind expands, freed of the confines of the doctrines of the city. She realises that there is more to life than being ‘pretty’. Tally found out that there is more to people than just their outward appearance. This road to self-discovery was interesting to observe.

Tally Youngblood was a strong character who was easy to relate to. I was constantly aware of her thoughts and feelings (which is what I like in a book). Though Tally was strong, she still had her own vulnerabilities which she had to overcome.

Tally had to weigh her own wish for becoming a ‘pretty’ against the wishes of her own friends; not to betray them. She had to discover what was most important to her. This made her human and a complex, 3D character. The romance in Uglies was realistic, not overly done and served a purpose in the book. I liked that Tally’s character didn’t change so much after the start of her romantic relationship.

There was a solid image in my mind of Tally’s world which Westerfeld artfully created. Though the city’s name remained anonymous, a real sense of place was established. I liked the rules and boundaries that were developed. Westerfeld thought up some interesting, futuristic gadgets such as hoverboards, bungee jackets and interface rings, to mention just a few, which encapsulate the freedoms and restrictions of Tally’s life.

Uglies contained some complex relationships full of emotional turmoil which is always relevant in any era. Readers of any age can relate to this story and take something away from it. As in most dystopian novels, Uglies does have a moral message; however, it is not over-emphasised. In this case, the book addresses the ever- present need to conserve and protect the Earth or risk destroying both it and civilisation itself. This book is especially relevant for today’s society with the overwhelming obsession for fashion, cosmetic surgery and the desire to fit in whilst remaining unique.

Overall, Uglies was well-paced and I didn’t lose interest. I do believe that more time should have been spent at ‘The Smoke’ so that we could gain a better understanding of their lifestyle. The book was very descriptive; Westerfeld provided enough detail about the society in which Tally lived. Uglies was easy to read and understand and I would recommend it to other people. I was very impatient to get my hands on the next book. This is one of my favourite books that I’ve read this year and one of my favourite dystopian books.
Look out for my review of Pretties coming soon!

Cover: 5/5

Concept: 5/5

Rating: 5/5

Author: Scott Westerfeld

I wrote this review as part of Dystopian August over at Presenting Lenore. Check it out!