Extras

Reader reviewed by HoopsGirl27

All good things must come to an end -- or so I thought when I turned the last page of Specials, the third of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies trilogy.

But then I saw the solicit for Extras, a new adventure set in the world of the Pretties, a few years after Tally Youngblood's revolution. The only way I can explain how excited I was to learn of this was to compare it to seeing a surprise announcement of an eighth Harry Potter novel. Yes, the books are that good -- so all you Googlers who come here looking for information to fill your book reports with should really sit down and try reading the books; you're really missing out by not doing so.

Extras changes the setting from the Diego territories of the trilogy to a post-"Mind Rain" city somewhere in Japan. With the bubbleheadedness of being Pretty wiped out, the citizens were beset with a whole new set of problems. Before, anything anyone wanted was provided by a magical hole in the wall. Now, with their minds cleared, people began wanting more, threatening to tax the city's resources. To counter this, the Good Citizens Council developed a new economic structure based on merit and reputation. Merits were earned by working, but the real value came by your ranking within society, a ranking calculated by the city's computers based on how much people talked about you. The more famous you were, the more you had access to.

...the size of YouTube's impact on politics and society will likely be far more important than its impact on finance.

-- Stephane Fitch

Reader reviewed by samantha

This book is about Tally Youngblood and her journey through rough decision. Her way and her friends ways to be sane is to cut themselves to be an Extra. They have strong strengths and fast reflexes. After a while of doing this, she gets reunited with an old friend and they run off in the woods together to keep everything in the world at a natural order.

The book is wonderful as all of Scott Westerfeld's books are. Nothing compares to his writing, nothing. The book is captivating and will force you to keep reading until you are completely finished. The book is wonderful because Tally finally makes the best choice in her life to go with her friend and be with some one she loves.

Reader reviewed by Kath

the 3 book of the series... but not the best one!
At the beginning Tally is not there in the book and we miss her...then she finally gets in the story and she is just mad about everything.  Tally's character was pushed too far. About the story, I didnt find that it was as good as the 2 first books. This said, there is still plenty of action and loving new characters.
kath

Reader reviewed by Taylor

Being the oblivious person I am, I had NO idea this book wasn't from Tally's perspective until i started reading it. (Yeah, I was so dumb I didn't even read the inside cover.) So naturally when I started it I was pretty confused. Actually I was also a bit angry. I was convinced that the Uglies series was ruined because the book was written from the WRONG person.

Eventually I calmed down enough and decided that since I had the book in front of me that I had to finish it. Wow, am I glad I did. I love the perspective the book came from, and how a futuristic book showed the future of its original series. (If that makes sense.)

Aya is a powerful character in an interesting way. I was drawn to her because Westerfeld is amazing at making characters interesting and addictive. I love the way Aya is a pretty shy and normal girl (looking for popularity, self conscious, and jealous of her sibling) but yet, she is built into a character that is brave, strong and everything the opposite of how she feels inside. I felt like I could relate to everything she was going through (except diving hundreds of feet under the city in the pitch black on a hoverboard.)

I also love how the book is set in Japan. I have never been there, but this book views them in the only way I have ever seen them. They are constantly looking for crazy new ideas, popularity, and have crazy ideas. I absolutely love it!

When Tally came into the book, I was actually shocked. Her mindset seemed so much different than the other books. Before she seemed like your normal teen, trying to rebel against authority while finding herself. But in this book she seemed powerhungry and controlling. It bothered me at first, but then I thought more about it and came to the conclusion that is probably the only way she has been able to think since she has assumed the position of protector of the world. She probably doesn't have the time to second guess herself.

There are a few things that bother me though. I want to know if Tally and David will ever get together. I also wish there was more written about the sly girls, and how Jai, Kai, Lai, whatever her name is, changed her mind and what events happened to them while Aya was away.
Overall I loved the book, possibly the most out of the entire series, and wish that Westerfeld would write more from Aya's point of view.

I LOVED it! 5/5!

Reader reviewed by cosmicdustbella

It is a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Withought 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 is all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of American Idol. Whoe ver is getting the miost buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.

As if being fifteen does not suck enough, Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she is a totalnobody. An extra. Her only chance to excape extra land is to find a big story to kick, something wild and unexpected.

Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. But the Sly Girls are hiding something bigger, an explosive discovery that may change the face of the brave new world forever. If Aya kicks this story, she will be propelled into the world of fame, celebrity... and extreme danger. A world she is not prepared for.

In this conclusion to the Uglies saga, Scott Westerfeld has almost destroyed the spirit of the series. While it would have been a good companion novel, he decided to include Tally and her friends in the book. At the end of the Special's, Tally is said to be almost cured. Now, in this continuation, Tally is as unstable and her personality has completely changed.

Scott Westerfeld has unnaturally continued the series at the request of his readers.

Reader reviewed by KitKat

It's the future, and there's no more money. Instead, Aya's society's currency is fame. The city keeps a running total of how famous you are, and those who capture the collective minds and imaginations of the city live lives of extreme priveledge, never having to work. Aya Fuse, though desperate to be famous, isn't. Her "kicker" (reporter) stories just don't interest people - they aren't superficial enough. She lives her life on the fringe of the city, desperate to be in the limelight but never quite making it.

Until the citykillers and the Sly Girls.

The Sly Girls live outside the "fame" economy. Their goal is not to be famous, but to be UNfamous, breaking the rules and living real lives without subscribing to the superficial, petty city. Aya is swept up in their adventures, although she's lying to them about not wanting fame.

And then they discover the citykillers.

Scott Westerfeld's companion novel to the Uglies trilogy is excellently written. The premise and plot are fascination, the characters vivid, and the adventures exciting. A can't-put-it-down book!

Reader reviewed by Dede

Extras was an okay book and there were parts of it that really caught my attention. However, it started feeling repetitive. I'll explain why: Aya Fuse is an Extra. She wants to be popular (like Tally wanting to be Pretty) like her older brother. She learns that what she wants may not actually be what she truly wants. Tally has a robot friend name "Moggle" who has been tweaked to record/take pictures/follow her around. She joins this click of girls who do crazy stunts but don't want to be famous. They witness mysterious beings opening a "door" into a tunnel and moving in mysterious orbs. Tally breaks the story and becomes famous and gains the attention of none other than Tally Youngblood, who comes to help Aya through the trouble that comes from breaking the story. At times, Tally is portrayed as not very like-able and I got tired of reading how much it would hurt if you fell from the hoverboard and the crash bracelets yanked you to a stop, or reading about these actual falls. We are reintroduced to Tally, Shay, Fausto, David and Andrew Simpson Smith to name a few, and the adventure Aya goes on is interesting, but only in certain places and not really enough to keep my attention for long. The ending was worth reading the whole book though. As much as I like this series, I hope Scott leaves it be now.

Reader reviewed by Lucy

Unlike the first three books in the trilogy, Extras focuses on the character Aya instead of Tally. Several years have passed since the mind rain and cities have drastically changed. The city where Aya lives is controlled by the desire to be famous. The more people know your name, the more privileges and money you get. Aya desperately wants to be famous and goes nowhere without her hovercam Moggle, always on the watch for a juicy story. Her pathetically low face rank of 451,369 proves that so far none of her stories have been successful. That is until she discovers the Sly Girls, a clique of girls who pull the craziest tricks, but do their best to stay hidden and unknown. At first, Aya tricks the Sly Girls into believing that she wants to join their clique, while secretly filming everything that they do for her next big story, which she hopes will boost her face rank. However, the discovery of a huge secret that could mean the destruction of the world abruptly changes Ayas story.
Extras is a great book with lots of action and adventure that will surely please fans of the first three books. It also gives you a lot to laugh about, and of course also to think about. Is fame really as great as it seems? How much are you willing to sacrifice in order to become famous? The only thing that bothered me about the book was that it didnt really fit among the other books in the series. It didnt really manage to measure up to the first three and wasnt necessary because the story in the first three books is well closed off in Specials. But just because it wasnt necessary doesnt mean that I didnt enjoy it, because I did and I know others will too.

Reader reviewed by Kayla (Midnight Twilight)

It's been a few years since Tally took down the pretties warped society. The world is now in a cultural renaissance. The world is one big popularity contest where "tech-heads" flaunt their newly created gadgets, "kickers" spread the latest gossip and newest trends, and "surge monkeys" are hooked on the most extreme plastic surgery. All these things are monitored by tons of different cameras that stream the information for everyone else to watch. The higher your face count the more popular you are (number one being the most popular person in the world, Tally Youngblood)

Aya Fuse has a measly score of 451,369, she is a fifteen year old nobody. An extra. Her only way to fame is to find a totally wild and unexpected story to kick. Aya then meets the Sly Girls, a super secret clique who love to pull crazy tricks. But there's something more that the Sly Girls are hiding, something big. This discovery will change the new world forever. If Aya kicks this story she will be propelled into fame and fortune, and a world of extreme danger. A world she may not be prepared for.


Scott Westerfeld unexpectedly wrote a fourth book in his Uglies series, and i am ecstatic about it. In Extras we meet a whole new set of characters that are just as amazing as the ones in the other books (though Tally and the gang do make a slight appearance). This book is in a whole different society than in the Uglies books, Tally's fight worked the way it was intended, and there are no more bubbleheads (other than the people who still want to be one). Aya goes on her own adventure to fame, fortune, and to save the world. And has just as many obstacles as Tally. This all makes for one great adventure/fantasy. I can't wait to read more from Scott Westerfeld.

Reader reviewed by Chioma

The book Extras is the fourth book in Scott Westerfelds Uglies series. Unlike the previous three books this book is not starring Tally. The story takes place three years after Tally destroyes the old system of Uglies/Pretties/Specials. Now this new world revolves around face ranking. Basically its like high school and the more popular you are the higher your face rank. The higher your face rank the more parties and social events you get invited to. As i said before High School. Aya yurns for fame. And she believes if she kicks a huge story about a sercret clique she has now join called the Sly Girls she will get it. But she founds that there is a much bigger story than just a secret clique hidden. And it is a matter of life and death for everyone in the entire world.
To be honest i really didnt want to buy this book because it wasnt about Tally, but Im glad I did. (aND tALLY DOES COME INTO THE BOOK EVENTUALLY).