- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's (6 Nov 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1416917284
- ISBN-13: 978-1416917281
- Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 13 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 19,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Specials (Uglies Quartet)
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Review
"The most challenging of the three books in the trilogy, and for that and many other reasons, its easily my favourite of the bunch."
--The Book Smugglers, 6 Aug 09
--The Book Smugglers, 6 Aug 09
Product Description
"Special Circumstances" - These words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a rebellious Ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumour - frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally's never been ordinary...Now she's been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the Uglies down and the Pretties stupid. The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember...most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more. Still, it's easy to tune that out - until Tally's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: carry out the mission she's programmed to complete, or listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat telling her that something's wrong...Either way, Tally's world will never be the same.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was blown away by this book [and in fact the whole trilogy!]. Aside from having a stunning plot which is able to spread across three books without becoming tedious; the world in which Tally and others live is perfectly thought out and utterly believable. Its a brilliant book but very hard to describe to others- many people would turn their nose if you said "its set in the future and everyone has had an operation to make them pretty." BUT DONT BE DISCOURAGED! Tally's story is so down to earth and exciting this book is one that will be glued to your hands, and your brain, for a long while.
Another point. When you're finished the debate is on: Is the city evil with its operations, boundaries and runaway-rules? Or are the Smokies really driving the world back to rusty times of environmental damage?.....
Another point. When you're finished the debate is on: Is the city evil with its operations, boundaries and runaway-rules? Or are the Smokies really driving the world back to rusty times of environmental damage?.....
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
SOME PLOT SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW-
I read Uglies back when I was sixteen and I really loved the story and anticipated borrowing Pretties off of my friend so I could see if Tally ever made it back to the smoke and a truer way of life.
Unfortunatly I soon forgot about the series and it was only last week (I am nineteen) that I finally remembered to read it!
Pretties was just as riveting and I found (unlike the previous) the plot never slowed up. I loved the introduction of Zane as Tally's new love interest and thought the characters were matched really well. I felt that Tally could never really go back to David as she had changed too much and now had a better chance of happiness with Zane.
I wasted no time in picking up Specials, mildly horrified after the horrible ending of pretties (I really hated how they spent all that time getting to the new smoke and then in the end they are almost back where they started). At the end of Pretties you realise Tally is going to become a special and I wasn't sure if this would hit the spot for me, but rather annoy me.
In Specials, Tally and Zane are separated and I spent the whole first chapter feeling annoyed at the characters. After their connection in Pretties, I really wanted to see Tally find a way to get back to Zane and for them to escape once more.
But all we get is more of the character Shay- who I really dislike! I also find it silly how Tally is so obedient to Shay calling her 'boss' all the frigging time! I felt like Tally was always supposed to be the strongest character and that it should have been her that lead the specials. I also expected Tally to find a way to escape from Shay's clutches, not cling to the ridiculous group 'the cutters'.
Finally a little way into the book we find Zane. He is not quite himself due to the brain damage from Pretties, but is trying to fight back as much as he is capable of. Tally finds herself repulsed by him (what the hell!) and feels worse after going to see him. This chapter was pathetically painful and I found it hard to believe that even with her new mind, Tally had so many bad feelings towards him (after the amazing bond between them in the previous book). When they were last together, Tally was giving up everything for him! Even david and her old life.
I felt we should have seen her fight harder and that she would have overcome her new way of life to find the love she felt for Zane. Instead she cannot stand to be near him and pushes for him to become a special. At least at this point I had enough hope to carry on reading.
But he is still not present in much of the book and later when something horrible happens to Zane...(Scott, how could you!) we realise that relationship is now dead forever. It seemed like an all too easy way for the author to solve the Zane-David problem, instead of letting Tally choose for helself (which considering the end of pretties, she already rather had!)
All in all this book does not truly resolve all the conflicts that had been built up and I could barely manage to read the end- which could have been better explained. For me the series ended with Pretties, which is such a shame as he could have done so much. Tally herself could have been so much more.
On a last note I am a bit of a romantic, so if you prefer your stories to be harsh then you will enjoy this book. It is still written well and still a punchy story. Just don't get too attached to the characters.
I read Uglies back when I was sixteen and I really loved the story and anticipated borrowing Pretties off of my friend so I could see if Tally ever made it back to the smoke and a truer way of life.
Unfortunatly I soon forgot about the series and it was only last week (I am nineteen) that I finally remembered to read it!
Pretties was just as riveting and I found (unlike the previous) the plot never slowed up. I loved the introduction of Zane as Tally's new love interest and thought the characters were matched really well. I felt that Tally could never really go back to David as she had changed too much and now had a better chance of happiness with Zane.
I wasted no time in picking up Specials, mildly horrified after the horrible ending of pretties (I really hated how they spent all that time getting to the new smoke and then in the end they are almost back where they started). At the end of Pretties you realise Tally is going to become a special and I wasn't sure if this would hit the spot for me, but rather annoy me.
In Specials, Tally and Zane are separated and I spent the whole first chapter feeling annoyed at the characters. After their connection in Pretties, I really wanted to see Tally find a way to get back to Zane and for them to escape once more.
But all we get is more of the character Shay- who I really dislike! I also find it silly how Tally is so obedient to Shay calling her 'boss' all the frigging time! I felt like Tally was always supposed to be the strongest character and that it should have been her that lead the specials. I also expected Tally to find a way to escape from Shay's clutches, not cling to the ridiculous group 'the cutters'.
Finally a little way into the book we find Zane. He is not quite himself due to the brain damage from Pretties, but is trying to fight back as much as he is capable of. Tally finds herself repulsed by him (what the hell!) and feels worse after going to see him. This chapter was pathetically painful and I found it hard to believe that even with her new mind, Tally had so many bad feelings towards him (after the amazing bond between them in the previous book). When they were last together, Tally was giving up everything for him! Even david and her old life.
I felt we should have seen her fight harder and that she would have overcome her new way of life to find the love she felt for Zane. Instead she cannot stand to be near him and pushes for him to become a special. At least at this point I had enough hope to carry on reading.
But he is still not present in much of the book and later when something horrible happens to Zane...(Scott, how could you!) we realise that relationship is now dead forever. It seemed like an all too easy way for the author to solve the Zane-David problem, instead of letting Tally choose for helself (which considering the end of pretties, she already rather had!)
All in all this book does not truly resolve all the conflicts that had been built up and I could barely manage to read the end- which could have been better explained. For me the series ended with Pretties, which is such a shame as he could have done so much. Tally herself could have been so much more.
On a last note I am a bit of a romantic, so if you prefer your stories to be harsh then you will enjoy this book. It is still written well and still a punchy story. Just don't get too attached to the characters.
Format:Kindle Edition
(Source: I own a copy of this book.)
This is book three in the `Uglies' series. **Warning** Unavoidable spoilers for books one and two - `Uglies' and Pretties'.
It is now a couple of months since Tally was captured at the end of `Pretties', and now she's a special. Her bones are made of ceramic, her teeth are filed to points, and her fingernails are razor-sharp. She's also a lot more aware - her eyes are sharper than a human's, she can smell things better, and her brain is `Icy' (she thinks very clearly).
Tally isn't the only one though. In fact all of the cutters are now specials, including Shay, who heads up the team.
The problem is that being special is still not 100% free, as it seems that being special gives you other problems - a superiority complex, anger issues, a high level of stress on a day-to-day basis. It seems that being special is just another way for the authorities to control you, and Tally's thoughts and actions show her to have been almost brain-washed by the specials.
Tally is missing Zane though, who has not been made a special due to his brain damage. She hates how he behaves as a pretty, even a bubbly pretty, and is intent on getting Zane turned into a special too. There's also the problem of the new smoke to take care of.
I loved this book. From the very start it was all action, and I didn't want to put it down.
I loved how Tally's `special' abilities made her feel, and I'm glad that she finally felt like she fitted in somewhere. It was nice that the brain-washing hadn't removed her love for Zane, even when her `special' senses made her feel sickened by his shortcomings.
I thought the storyline was good, and as I say it was just constant, on the edge of your seat, action all the way through. If Tally was functioning at a higher level, the audience certainly was too! I have to say that I liked the way that Tally loved being special so much, that it made me reading it want to be special too! There was also the array of gadgets like in the first two books, but this time with hover-boards that didn't need metal, and sneak suits, which camouflage you and hide your heat from infra-red cameras!
Overall; an action-packed young adult read.
9 out of 10.
This is book three in the `Uglies' series. **Warning** Unavoidable spoilers for books one and two - `Uglies' and Pretties'.
It is now a couple of months since Tally was captured at the end of `Pretties', and now she's a special. Her bones are made of ceramic, her teeth are filed to points, and her fingernails are razor-sharp. She's also a lot more aware - her eyes are sharper than a human's, she can smell things better, and her brain is `Icy' (she thinks very clearly).
Tally isn't the only one though. In fact all of the cutters are now specials, including Shay, who heads up the team.
The problem is that being special is still not 100% free, as it seems that being special gives you other problems - a superiority complex, anger issues, a high level of stress on a day-to-day basis. It seems that being special is just another way for the authorities to control you, and Tally's thoughts and actions show her to have been almost brain-washed by the specials.
Tally is missing Zane though, who has not been made a special due to his brain damage. She hates how he behaves as a pretty, even a bubbly pretty, and is intent on getting Zane turned into a special too. There's also the problem of the new smoke to take care of.
I loved this book. From the very start it was all action, and I didn't want to put it down.
I loved how Tally's `special' abilities made her feel, and I'm glad that she finally felt like she fitted in somewhere. It was nice that the brain-washing hadn't removed her love for Zane, even when her `special' senses made her feel sickened by his shortcomings.
I thought the storyline was good, and as I say it was just constant, on the edge of your seat, action all the way through. If Tally was functioning at a higher level, the audience certainly was too! I have to say that I liked the way that Tally loved being special so much, that it made me reading it want to be special too! There was also the array of gadgets like in the first two books, but this time with hover-boards that didn't need metal, and sneak suits, which camouflage you and hide your heat from infra-red cameras!
Overall; an action-packed young adult read.
9 out of 10.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Specials by Scott Westerfield
This was a birthday present for my 12 year old granddaughter to complete the trilogy. It arrived on time, in perfect condition and she really enjoyed it, as did her mother! Read more
Published 14 months ago by grandmajil
A rather dull ending
In the third book of the Uglies series, Scott Westerfeld throws you right in the deep and and doesn't give you a chance to pause for breath until the end. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Miss Victoria Ramage
Awesome!
Tally Youngblood has been Ugly and Pretty - now she's Special. In fact, she's a special kind of Special, she's a Cutter. Read more
Published on 14 April 2010 by Tasha
Just fantastic reading!!!
It's the perfect "ending" for Tally Youngblood's story..... I can't wait to read the next book but I'm kind of guessing how will the story go.
Published on 12 Mar 2010 by Luis Ramírez
Not yet read
Just about to read this - I have just finished the previous book in the series and I am addicted!!
Published on 9 Jan 2010 by Mrs. S. Burton
A little too neat an ending to an excellent trilogy
The first two books focus on Tally's choices and in particular, her decision to be free. In this book, Tally's previous experiences mean that she works hard to preserve the status... Read more
Published on 25 May 2008 by quippe
Disappointed
Loved Uglies and Pretties so was looking forward to this.
However it seems to have moved away from the original interesting concept to a different tale. Read more
However it seems to have moved away from the original interesting concept to a different tale. Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2008 by Panda
Nip/Tuck vs urban escape
Do you like stories about people who all look and dress the same?, do you like futuristic urban sci-fi stories? Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2007 by Ms. Nicola Fantom
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