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What are readers saying about Extras (The Uglies)?
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Maxine posted a review at 2008-11-13 06:15:39.
(Language: English)
 
I love the ugly series. I didn't think this book was bad because Tally wasn't the main focus. I personally enjoyed the book.The extras is about a young girl name Aya Fuse. She is after the generation of bubblehead pretties. But even though the world has changed, it doesnt mean it was for the good. Now all that people care about is becoming famous. And of course being a fifteen year old teenager, she is getting in on the world of face ranks. You should defiently read this book. It may even change your view on the world today. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-06 07:01:52.
(Language: English)
i love to read books, i always finish them ... excdpt this one. it was very boring and a HUGE dissappointment to the other 3 uglies who where just A-MAZINGG!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-08 01:50:33.
(Language: English)
Although this book may not have the same main characters it was very cool that you could see the affects in the world of the books affected by Tally young blood and how they took care of problems. Don't read this book if you got really attatched to the first main characters.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-04 02:26:51.
(Language: English)
My favorite in the series. It's a little sappy, but that's alright for me! [Aya is such a pretty name, too! =D]
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-09-10 04:56:51.
(Language: English)
Not as good as the 1st 3, dragged on forever!
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-17 12:30:12.
(Language: English)
i use to never read science fiction, and then my sister, a librarian, gave me the uglies and said it looked interesting. i have been pretty much in love with this series and everyother book scott westerfeld has written since i started reading ch. one of the ugles. i just found out that he was writing this, i didn't have ne idea he was going for a number 4! i did a lil dance when i found out! i love it!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-13 10:45:31.
(Language: English)
great social commentary on our world today from a futuristic perspective. It's like set in a time where facebook and YouTube are more important than money. think about it. They call it a reputation economy and you earn "merits" for doing good deeds like attending school or taking care of little ones. Your face rank (popularity) also matters a lot too. It was all very interesting.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-11-26 07:31:29.
(Language: English)
I did like this book, but it didn't grab me as much as the original Uglies/Pretties/Specials trilogy. The idea of a society based on "face rank" and "kicking feeds" is interesting, though, because in some ways it doesn't seem that far-fetched! I liked how the author wove in elements of his previous books; a few familiar characters make appearances in Extras. Definitely worth a read if you like the author's other books.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-30 10:31:28.
(Language: English)
I like the main character more than Tally in this series. The world in this book is all about face ranks and everyone has their own blog, basically. It's an expansion of the current youtube culture. Everyone is still pretty shallow in the end, which is too bad. They didn't really learn anything.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-03-23 08:27:26.
(Language: English)
I think the series has gone downhill since the first book, Uglies, but some things in this new novel really interested me. The city is dominated by famous people, and people are ranked famous by computers that count the number of times their names are mentioned. That was really facinating, the society built on recognition for whatever stunt you choose. I liked this aspect, but I didn't like what Aly (the main character) discovered to make her famous. It was pretty unrealistic. But I guess it is science fiction, after all.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-21 12:49:09.
(Language: English)
(Just a warning to those who haven't read this book yet: don't continue to read my review unless you want the book to be spoiled.) I've got to say I have NO idea why this book is getting so many bad reviews. I understand that people really liked Tally because she was our main character for three books, but it's not like we didn't hear anything about her. I think the Specials' ending was a good completion to Tally's main story. I LOVED that Tally didn't completely fall of the face of the Earth and came back in this book. It's really amazing how we got to see Tally grow (starting from a 15 year-old ugly, just like Aya, all the way to a legend and most famous person ever). It was also quite unique and interesting to read how the mind-rain would affect different places in the world. The feed reminded me quite a bit of Facebook's new feed. The description, for me, compared to our Facebook profiles, but you could see yours in your brain and every time you updated it, you could become famous. I must say, though, that Aya was not my favorite character. It wasn't until the last few pages that she finally stopped worrying about her face rank (probably just because she was so close to being #1 already - oh, and love, of course). I like how Scott Westerfeld can mix all these scientific ideas and true love all into one book. He's a very talented writer! I'm glad he didn't stop just at Specials because it was really interesting and fascinating to read about the changes Tally made with the mind-rain. I'm glad Tally has kept up with her promise to protect the environment and it's nice to see that she's not the only one. These books really make me think about the world we live in today and how extreme some things may get. People need to start loving themselves for who they are and stop worrying about things that don't matter like how big their nose is and how popular they are. Again, Westerfeld is a fantastic writer to be able to put SO many messages all into a series so thrilling and addictive as this. I can't wait for (and really hope there will be) another book in this series!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-03-02 10:12:49.
(Language: English)
This book, I have to say was not as good as the original Trilogy, but it had its good moments. It takes place in a city in Japan, where being famous keeps the economy running. The more famous you are, the higher your face rank, the more things you get and vice versa. The story is about a girl named Aya Fuse, who has a face rank of about half a million and who like everyone else in her city wants to be famous. So she tries to kick a story on a group called the Sly Girls and gets pulled in to something much bigger and more mysterious then she could possibly imagine. The good thing about this book is that Tally is in it(Give you three guesses as to what her face rank is), and in the end she finally gets together with David...FINALLY!
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-15 12:54:39.
(Language: English)
This is the first book Scott Westerfeld has written that I have found lacking... The heroine is nothing like his usual characters, and is hard to identify with. The new society created in the Post-Pretties world -- in Japan! w00t! -- is unique and interesting, but this book seems a lot more obviously sci-fi than any other of Scott Westerfeld's books; the possibility of the world Westerfeld has painted in other stories has been what makes his books intriguing to the max, but this one... not so much, for some reason. I can definitely see where the inspiration came from, though... *coughs at my room mate, who is watching American Idol... on YouTube...* And yeah, I severely missed Tally, and DAVID! T.T I think my favorite part was the ending, just because it had the two of them in it, and Tally wasn't being an OOC b****. I hope Westerfeld leaves the series alone now... I think maybe he should have stopped it at Specials, although at the time I was thrilled to hear that he was continuing the story. But now... he should really have stopped while he was ahead.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-06 07:13:31.
(Language: English)
This time it isn't Tally's life but Aya's. Read about her life 3 years after the mind rain. Technology rules and now days EVERYTHING is based on who is more popular. Read about Aya's adventures as she meets the Sly Girls and discovers what could cause the end of the world or really what is saving it. But she didn't know the difference. Read about a futuristic world that could possible be in out future one day. While your at it you can learn some Japanese suffixes cause it takes place in Japan!!! Also Tally fans don't worry Tally's back just with a lesser role
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-14 05:14:11.
(Language: English)
Fantastic
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-03-28 06:36:28.
(Language: English)
This last book of the Scott Westerfeld Uglies/Pretties/Specials series was fantastic! The worlds seem to come to an end and mesh all together into this great last book "Extras". It introduces new characters but brings back exciting memories of old ones that you find yourself greatful and excited to know. This book will have you turning pages until the end! I strongly recommend you read this series so you can read this last book! "Extras" was amazing.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-04 05:28:43.
(Language: English)
I love Westerfelds science fiction for teens. They are refreshing and fast paced reads. You glimpse into a world after the Mind Rain, where humanity is up to its usual nature-destruction. It comments on ecology and our societies obsession with social networking on the net ( yes, just like facebook). This time we enter into a 'reputation economy' in a future Japan, where you are always trying to get ahead of the hottest craze to break the news first.The themes of acceptance and and the price of freedom are maintained from the earlier books in the series. I enjoy entering this world of the nearly possible, and plausible effects that our technology has on society. I picked it up and had the luxury of reading it cover to cover in a sitting.WOW! I can't wait for the next one. If you are itching for more sci-fi like this try Robert J Sawyer for a similar feel.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-03-10 02:45:13.
(Language: English)
I don't understand why some people don't like Aya. I do agree that I was mad that Scott Westerfeld didn't continue the story from Tally's point of view, but it's not like she disappeared. It was nice to see what happened in other parts of the world that Tally lives in. I really hope that there are going to be more books and maybe a redo of Extras with Tally as the narrator. I kind of missed her throughout the book...
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-05-09 07:42:35.
(Language: English)
it was okay, but I only got into the story past the half of the book, once tally is back. I get that it was another way of looking at it, but really? not that it was the best series ever,and it was getting long at some point, but I liked the message they conveyed, and that was a cool light read. This one, however, I felt that it was only made for marketing and to sold another book period. The fact that Tally wasn't the principle character is a big clue for that. so if you really liked the series, I strongly sugest you to forget about this one, unless you have anything else to read on a rainy day. Do not read it if you expect another adventure of Tally. (44)
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Jaime posted a review at 2010-02-13 02:00:38.
(Language: English)
GREAT book. Really great commentary on where our society could go if we keep going with Facebook/Twitter where your whole society is based upon fame. Would love to use this book in a classroom
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-10-06 12:25:40.
(Language: English)
Very good
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-06 07:52:57.
(Language: English)
Not quite as amazing as the first 3, but still a great read.It's not quite on the level of Uglies, but it's still right on up there with character development, and an interesting plot twist. It's not so much that this book focused more on the views of society, but the views of society through the individual, and how individuals want society to see them. Even though I say it wasn't par with Uglies, it was still totally worth reading. I do think it's funny that it's considered the fourth part of a trilogy.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-18 11:44:17.
(Language: English)
I only made it a couple chapters in before I decided I just didn't care.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-11-21 08:23:35.
(Language: English)
I really loved this book. It may not be as strong as some the other books in the "uglies" series but its depiction of what happened in some cities after Tally's destruction of the prettytime is pretty damn awesome. After speaking to Scott recently, I would say that this is the last entry but never say never. Who knows, maybe Scott's imagination will think up a new story to tell. BTW, Scott and Justine are pretty much two of nicest most gracious people you will ever meet. If you ever get the chance to meet them you should do it. Every time I seem him I geek out but he's always so kind and just for that he can do no wrong.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-26 08:09:07.
(Language: English)
Let's get one thing straight - Scott Westerfeld is not the most eloquent writer. That's not how he rolls. He's about the action, adventure, and slipping some social commentary in while you're not paying attention. I love the 'Uglies' trilogy. I loved the way it made me think about the culture of beauty in our society, looking at the value placed in beauty, in being perfect - and wondering how much you would give up to be that way? Some found the writing to be frustrating. Starting out from Tally's point of view, already 15 and brainwashed by the world to think that she's Ugly and worthless until the day of her operation to be Pretty. But, if you can look past the frustration of listening to this girl talk so poorly about herself, and see the girls sitting in the library doing the same things to themselves because our culture is just as bad, maybe worse, when it comes to placing inflated value on beauty...suddenly the 'Uglies' books become so much more. 'Extras' is the "fourth" book in the trilogy (Westerfeld dedicates the book to all the people that emailed him to tell him the definition of "trilogy"). It follows the same formula as the 'Uglies' books. You see the adventure from Aya Fuse's point of view, and sometimes the reader can be frustrated by how "brain-missing" she can be. But once you look at the culture that is around her, the values they have placed on, in this case, popularity, you start to interpret her comments in a different way. Yes, Aya lives in Post-Prettytime Japan. They have gone from a Pretty culture to a economy based on "merits" which are obtained from doing little things, like chores, to big things like being the first to "kick a big story" (which, after you read the book a bit, translates into posting a first blog post!). It's a the MySpace/Facebook/Blogger world on CRACK! Everybody is plugged in. Aya has a screen in her eye that is constantly updating her on her "face rank". She wouldn't mind being an "extra" so much if her brother wasn't so super popular. Sibling rivalry is a big part of the tale. But, it's also a Scott Westerfeld book, so there are lots of high speed chases, the "Uglies" world slang, and bubbleheadedness. I liked the book, I didn't think it was as strong as the other 'Uglies' books, but it made some interesting points in the same way. The end was a bit cheesy, but I enjoyed the journey from point A to point B. And it was nice to see Tally-wa, Shay-la, and other characters again. If you enjoyed the 'Uglies' trilogy, do yourself a favor and pick up 'Extras'. It's a wild ride and it really makes you look at what sort of values we are putting forth in our new "social networking" world.
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