Uglies: Bonus round
Westerfeld takes a stab at turning his clever futuristic trilogy into a quartology.
The world Aya Fuse has grown up in is quite different from our own - different even from a few years ago. The operation to make people into airheaded Pretties is no longer required; in fact, people can look as normal or as wild as they wish, with no consequences. Aya's city has a reputation-based economy: the more people talk about you, the more rich and famous you are. A poor student, Aya hopes that soon she'll be able to "kick" a news story that will put her rank in the top one thousand. She thinks she's found the perfect scoop when she worms her way into an ultra-secretive clique called the Sly Girls - thrill-seekers who don't care about rank. But on one of their nighttime trips, Aya runs into some strange-looking creatures transporting a mysterious substance. Suddenly the story is taking a new direction, but Aya's having trouble filling in the blanks. When she receives a message from the most famous person in the world, the rebel Tally Youngblood, Aya's world of fame-hungry kickers, rank-obsessed celebrities, and all-seeing cameras gets turned upside-down.
For the most part this is a thoughtful, exciting, and rather cynical exploration of a society dealing with the aftermath of a major regime overthrow. Things are peaceful and orderly, except for a couple of grumbles, and instead of working for money, people either earn merits or fame - depending on how popular they make themselves. But this environment also creates a person like Aya, who is for the large part petty, superficial, and less than trustworthy. It's entirely understandable, but that doesn't make her into a particularly sympathetic protagonist. After a run-in with a handsome celeb who has programmed himself to always tell the truth, she begins a very slow personality overhaul. Very slow. Other characters are more interesting, such as Aya's snobby older brother, his techie best friend, and the leader of the Sly Girls (who gets little face time, unfortunately). And when Tally enters the stage, it definitely gives the story some energy.
The real strength here is the plotting. I swear, every time I started to lose interest in the story, something happened to pull me back in. This happened at least three times. It alternates between scrambled action scenes and contemplative character exploration; a scene where Aya's love interest Frizz and Tally butt heads is particularly impressive and thought-provoking. Aya's arc revolves around betrayal and redemption, and although her evolution feels kind of flat, the themes are no less prevalent. The twist this time around is delivered in an atypical fashion - atypical for this series, that is - and I wish more time had been devoted to it rather than the unremarkable Sly Girls.
This isn't an essential part of the Uglies saga; Aya's whiny presence is a hindrance here. But it was great to see Tally again and I appreciate Westerfeld's vision of a future obsessed with notoriety. There is a sense that there is no true end for a world that wants to learn from its mistakes. Rating: 3.5 hovercams out of 5.
For the most part this is a thoughtful, exciting, and rather cynical exploration of a society dealing with the aftermath of a major regime overthrow. Things are peaceful and orderly, except for a couple of grumbles, and instead of working for money, people either earn merits or fame - depending on how popular they make themselves. But this environment also creates a person like Aya, who is for the large part petty, superficial, and less than trustworthy. It's entirely understandable, but that doesn't make her into a particularly sympathetic protagonist. After a run-in with a handsome celeb who has programmed himself to always tell the truth, she begins a very slow personality overhaul. Very slow. Other characters are more interesting, such as Aya's snobby older brother, his techie best friend, and the leader of the Sly Girls (who gets little face time, unfortunately). And when Tally enters the stage, it definitely gives the story some energy.
The real strength here is the plotting. I swear, every time I started to lose interest in the story, something happened to pull me back in. This happened at least three times. It alternates between scrambled action scenes and contemplative character exploration; a scene where Aya's love interest Frizz and Tally butt heads is particularly impressive and thought-provoking. Aya's arc revolves around betrayal and redemption, and although her evolution feels kind of flat, the themes are no less prevalent. The twist this time around is delivered in an atypical fashion - atypical for this series, that is - and I wish more time had been devoted to it rather than the unremarkable Sly Girls.
This isn't an essential part of the Uglies saga; Aya's whiny presence is a hindrance here. But it was great to see Tally again and I appreciate Westerfeld's vision of a future obsessed with notoriety. There is a sense that there is no true end for a world that wants to learn from its mistakes. Rating: 3.5 hovercams out of 5.
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