Extras

by Scott Westerfeld

Paperback, 2012

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Simon & Schuster Childrens Books (2012), Paperback

Description

After rebel Tally Youngblood brings down the uglies/pretties/specials regime, fame, instead of beauty, becomes the new world order, and fifteen-year-old Aya Fuse embarks on a dangerous plan to boost her popularity ranking.

Media reviews

With its combination of high-stakes melodrama, cinematic action and thought-provoking insight into some really thorny questions of human nature, the new novel, like its predecessors, is a superb piece of popular art, reminiscent less of other young adult books than of another pop masterpiece, the
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revived “Battlestar Galactica.”
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1 more
Aya and her friends are some of the most interesting, flawed and inspirational people I've met in a young adult novel, making this yet another great Westerfeld to use in turning your kids onto sf.

User reviews

LibraryThing member callmecayce
I finally finished reading the Uglies series and I loved it. But here's the thing, many of the characters drive me crazy. I really liked Aya, but she was frustrated with her focus on getting famous. Her brother, Hiro, annoyed me, but I grew to like him (along with Aya's boyfriend and Hiro and Aya's
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friend, Ren). What surprised me was how (this could be a spoiler) cruel and mean Tally is. I think that she's probably always been this way, it's just we've been reading the three previous books from her POV and so everything was glossed over. But now we've got a completely different point of view, so we can see Tally as she is. It's fascinating and both awesome and depressing.
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LibraryThing member Saucy1831
The fourth book in the Uglies "trilogy", and that is not a mistake on my part. However, I believe it was a mistake on the authors part not just to leave the trilogy as it ended.

This comes across as a classic example of an author doing that one extra book purely for the extra money. It was not
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related to the story of Tally Youngblood and the Uglies/Pretties/Specials although they all made an appearance as part of the story.

It would have been a good story had the author used the main plot idea as a base for a trilogy of books not related to the Uglies trilogy in this manner. There was too much going on for one book and it could have been extended into three separate stories and by omitting the Tally Youngblood link it would have been quite enjoyable in it's own right.

It did sum up where the current "Facebook" online society is going where everyone has to put every little thing they do online for all their "friends" to see. Ok I do have a blog and a Facebook account but I don't live my whole life through it or care whether people follow me and like me because of it. The story did have aspects of 1984 (George Orwell) and even, Blind Faith (Ben Elton). So nothing that unique although this book gives it a more modern take on it.

You will read and get some enjoyment out of it if you have already read the original trilogy but nothing that will enhance your life. 2 out of 5 for me.
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LibraryThing member melydia
I almost didn’t read this book at all. I was so upset at the end of Specials that I figured I might as well just give up on the series, since Extras was supposed to be just sort of an additional story rather than a continuation. But a friend of mine convinced me to give it a try and I am so glad
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I did. While the first three Uglies books took place somewhere on the west coast of what used to be the United States, for this book we have been transported to Japan. It's been a few years since Tally's adventures and the Mind Rain (the removal of the lesions causing people to be Pretty-heads) has caused the world to go a little bit crazy. In Japan, Aya lives in a world of face rank - measures to fame compared to the other people in her city. They live in a reputation economy, where relative fame means more credit to purchase items. Aya is a kicker - what we’d call a vlogger - and in order to become famous she goes undercover with a secret clique of fame-shunning maglev-surfing girls. When she unwittingly stumbles upon the biggest story in the world, she attracts a whole lot of unwanted attention.

This isn’t just another story taking place in the same universe as the rest of the series: it actually is connected. Loose ends are tied up and I felt extremely satisfied by the end - and getting there was a hell of a lot of fun as well. Radical Honesty - the physical inability to lie or even hold back the truth - was an interesting plot device that ended up being more funny than contrived. I loved all the new characters and while I guessed at the truth behind the mystery pretty early on, I still enjoyed watching them figure it out. And, of course, the appearance of some of my beloved characters from the previous books was much appreciated. Definitely a worthy finale to the series.
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LibraryThing member CarlyBahRah
Uglies was captivating, Pretties was annoying, but saved itself a little bit. Specials was hit and miss. But, Extras just fell flat. I read it for the sake of finishing the series. I guess it's just near impossible to find a consistently-good series, or maybe once the first book is good, we hold
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the following to the same standards. We should expect less, I suppose. But dangit, everyone raved about these books, and I could have gone without reading these. Aya was annoying. Her love interest not appealing in the slightest. Tally felt dis-connected with the story and I don't even know why she was even there. I'm bummed. Ok, I'm over it now.
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LibraryThing member emvuu
I didn't have very high expectations for this book, considering the trilogy as an ultimate dystopian pre-cultural Renaissance, but I must admit that Westerfeld does an amazing job yet again with action and thrill. He shows that girls are just as good at guys when it comes to bravery and fun.

Aya is
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a strong female lead, going through the book following her ambition and dream to become just as famous-making as her older brother hero.

The reputation economy system has to be my favourite part of the novel. It is so intricate, so different and seemingly to me, so Japanese. There are so many different groups of famous kickers from the tech-heads, ego-kickers, surge monkey (definitely me), to the mind-rain bashers, here everyone can fit into a category.

Money and popularity is everything to Aya Fuse and the economy.
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LibraryThing member dancinsoftball
Extras was good book to end a series because it tied up most of the lose ends after the last book where Tally disappears into the wild. It tells you what has happened to the world now that everyone is free from bubbleheadness and how they are adapting to this new freedom. This book like the others
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has an underlying message in it relating to teens today. That even centuries in the future teens want to be the most popular and they will do anything to get that way, even lie to people who trust them. All in all this book was a good closer to the series.
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LibraryThing member FionaCat
It has been a few years since the Prettytime ended. No longer separated into merely Uglies and Pretties, the people of the cities are discovering new ways to express themselves. In Aya's city, a reputation economy has evolved. In order to get credits to trade for goods, citizens either earn merits
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for doing civic duties or bump their face-rank in the city's network. The more people talk about you and link to your feed, the higher in rank you are -- and the most famous people get the most stuff.

Aya's older brother is famous for kicking interesting stories but she herself has a dismally low face-rank. She's only 15, still an Ugly and can't wait to turn 16 so she can join a clique and go to parties. Of course, even an Ugly can shoot up the face-rankings if she kicks an awesome story onto the city feed ...

Aya discovers a new clique, the Sly Girls, who shun fame and devote themselves to awesome tricks that no one else ever sees. Aya is determined to kick a story about their new trick, mag-lev surfing. She manages to infiltrate the group, but on one of their train surfing expeditions, the girls discover something sinister -- something that will make Aya very, very famous -- if she can survive to kick the story.

Just like Westerfeld's previous books in the Uglies series, this one is full of action and thought-provoking ideas about the nature of fame and the cult of celebrity.
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LibraryThing member dasuzuki
First off this isn’t really a 4th book in the Uglies trilogy although Tally and a couple other Cutters do make an appearance. Aya is the main character and the story focuses on her ambition to kick a story that will make her famous and boost her rank. It’s actually kind of sad that once the
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bubblehead surgery was stopped how some humans reverted back to allocating resources based on how famous a person is. Aya is especially feeling the pressure once her older brother, Hiro, becomes one of the most famous kickers. Although Aya initially hopes the Sly Girls story will jump start her kicker reputation she soon stumbles across a much bigger and more dangerous story. With the help of her brother, his best friend and a cute guy who created a brain surge that forces him to always speak the truth, she tracks down what could be the biggest story ever. I don’t want to give it away as it is a surprise ending.

Again, I still think Uglies was the best book in this story line but I did like seeing how humanity was fairing 3 years after Tally and the others told the world the truth about the mind altering during the pretty surgery. You don’t always get to see what happens after the happily ever after and find out if it really was happily ever after and if you do the story is usually a disappointment. Westerfeld was smart to use the same world but not to try and hold on to all the same characters. It added a freshness to the story that kept it my interest and made it a nice addition to the Ugly/Pretty world.
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LibraryThing member parkridgeya
The fourth of the Uglies series -- this time taking place in Japan. In this world, fame is everything, and how you get noticed is not as important as being talked about. While trying to kick a story about a mysterious group of girl hover boarders, Aya gets drawn into a mystery. Raises great
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questions about celebrity, a very enjoyable read, fizzles a bit at the end.
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LibraryThing member hdmchll
The fourth book in a brilliant trilogy...I loved Uglies, Pretties and Specials. Though I was a little disappointed with the ending of Specials, I was thrilled with the idea of getting back into the adventures of Tally Youngblood and crew. The plot, however, lacks the same luster and draw as the
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original books in the series.
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LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
And he does it again! I just love Westerfeld's YA books. Extras was fantastic, a wonderfully detailed society, great characters, a part in the middle that actually made me gasp out loud with surprise. The twist at the end caught me totally by surprise, but was totally appropriate to the characters
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and the world. Just perfect!
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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
This fourth installment of the Uglies trilogy is set in a Japanese city where popularity means everything. Their city runs on a reputation economy. The only way to get the things you want is to become famous or to earn merits by doing chores or taking classes. Fifteen-year-old Aya, with a face-rank
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in the 400,000s, is a total extra - someone so un-famous that she hardly counts for anything. But Aya is determined to change that. She's got a lead on a story that she knows will be huge, and once she kicks it, everyone will know her name. But Aya has no idea just how huge it will get... and how dangerous...

Just as I loved the previous Uglies books, I loved Extras. I thought it was neat to see the Westerfeld dystopia from the point of view of another culture and I think the world continues to be fascinating and well put-together. Here's hoping that the "trilogy" will expand to include a fifth installment... :)
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LibraryThing member kenck4
I was very exited to get my hands on the newest book in the Uglies series. I couldn't put it down. Uglies moves to anothe part of the world where fame is kicked up on a mmoment to moment basis. The adventure continues and I could not be happpier.
LibraryThing member kewpie
I kept my expectations low for this Uglies companion novel. However, I was very pleasantly surprised. Aya Fuse lives in a City that is may have once been Tokyo. The residents are adjusting to Tally's eye-opening "mind rain" at the end of "Specials", the third book in the series. Aya's city is a
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meritocracy, where people earn credits based on their fame. Almost all of the citizens have portable cameras that follow them everywhere and they constantly create documentaries about themselves, trying to get more famous. Aya is not very good at this. Nobody watches her transmissions and her fame is so low that she's one of the "extras" of society. She simply blends into the backgrounds and crowds -- peeking in on the fame of others. One day she kicks out a killer story, and her entire life changes. Like Tally, she has a chance to change world events.

It's interesting to see a City from a different part of the world than where Tally Youngblood comes from. It was much like Tally's home, but with a very Asian feel. Instead of being simply "pretty", some members of Ayas society use surgery to look like Manga characters and have brain surgery to make themselves incapable of lying. The fame system has a very Japanese feel to it. I greatly enjoyed it.
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LibraryThing member kpickett
A sequel to the Uglies series that stands alone for the first part. Set in Japan it is the story of a community where one's worth is determined by one's popularity.
LibraryThing member shadiphoenix
Scott Westfield's fourth foray into the world of Tally Youngblood and the Pretties, shows the aftermath of Tally's unveiling of the world behind the Pretties. The main character for this book is not Tally herself (though she comes into play near the end), but of a 15 year-old "Ugly" named Aya, who
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one supposes lives in post-Rusty Japan. Gone are the days of the Pretties, though extreme plastic surgery is still in and still available only to those who've turned 16. And Aya is an "extra", in a world (or at least city) where as long as people are talking about you, you've got a starring role in life. But fame isn't all the it's cracked up to be (really I never knew) and adventures, mysteries, and truth come out in this fantastically "dizzy-making" novel. Teens and those who are teenagers at heart will be drawn to this book. Just make sure you read the first three to get an idea of what this world is really about. Totally "bubbly"!!
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LibraryThing member utsusemia
Well, like I need to really tell anyone about this, but yes, I read it, and yay! it was really good. What else did you expect? I loved seeing Tally from someone else’s perspective (a bit of a bitch, like you didn’t know), and of course it was fascinating to see how the changes from the first
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three Uglies novels changed the world. Even neater, I got to do a reading with the author.
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LibraryThing member Conner23456
When i first got the book, i thought it was going to be about Tally and was going to be right after the last book Specials.

Then when i started to read it i wanted to throw it across the room and stop reading it, but, once i start reading a book i will not stop no matter how crappy the book is.
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But, i was happy when they stared to bring in the Cutters and the Youngblood cliques. and stuff that was in the first three books.

And i was happy when Tally showed up in the book agen and had to safe the world.

So, thats why i like the book. But, at the start it made me kinda made that it was not about Tally just about the aftermath of what she did during the first three books.
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LibraryThing member slpenney07
Summary: It's several years since Tally Youngblood burst the bubblehead society and brought the mind-rain. Have things gotten better though? Now fame is decided by face rank and how many people are reading your feeds. For Aya Fuse, a face rank of 451,369 isn't good enough. She's out to find a story
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that will raise her from obsurity into the popularity. The story will do anything to protect themselves and keep the Sly Girls an urban legend.

The Take-Away: I loved that Tally Youngblood made an appearance halfway through the story. Aya's own beginnings are similar enough, in desire anyway, to Tally's that I'm surprised that one of the Cutters didn't recognize it. Instead, the story Aya kicks is nervous-making for Tally and the Cutters. What new sort of hell has humanity thought up?

The slang in this title is fab too. Instead of making-up words, Westerfeld takes normal words and combines them in a way that is easy to follow, but sounds foreign. Dizzy-making stories are kicked to feeds that keep people from truth-slanting.

The series continues challenge the rule-makers and what is considered normal. This is a great title for teens to read. Parents should check them out too.

Recommendation: Start with Uglies, then Pretties, the Specials, before picking this one up.
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LibraryThing member slothman
Aya Fuse is a Japanese teenager living in a city that adopted a reputation economy after the changes wrought by Tally Youngblood in Specials. She’s hunting the fame that functions as currency in her society, and stumbles into a secret that could mean that a global war is in the
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offing.

Westerfeld's reputation economy is well-detailed, giving more ideas on how one would be implemented than the “whuffie” in Cory Doctorow’s Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.
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LibraryThing member samtheteenlibrarian
Extras is the fourth book in the Uglies series, set several years after the initial trilogy. I loved the initial three books but truly found this add-on to be an "extra"! What drove the Uglies plotline so well was the buildup and suspense about what would finally happen to Tally. Although Extras
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presents an interesting and consistent plot, it has none of the pull of the original trilogy. Aya and her friends are as shallow as you would expect residents of their city to be. I just couldn't connect to the plot as well and I don't think it added much to the series overall. Although fans of the series will find a few amusing bits here and there, it's definitely not an essential read. Still, the book is head and shoulders above many YA titles out there, and makes for interesting reading so long as you don't hold it up for comparison to Westerfeld's previous works.
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LibraryThing member meerka
Thought-provoking series, enjoy the slang, loved inclusion of mass driver. *** Spoiler Alert*** Have to add that despite all the sf I've read, I still get spooked by the thought of "aliens" on Earth. So my goosebumps were let down when the aliens turned out to be just surges of a higher degree.
LibraryThing member jravikrishnan
432 pages/432pgs

Extras takes place in Japan. It is a while after the war. Aya Fuse a young Extra a nobody in a wold where popularity is everything. In a world of technology and a place where everything is recorded all the time. She is a "kicker" meaning she like to record cool stories and spread it
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or at least she hopes to. One day she meets the spy girls one of the most secret groups she really wants to kick their story but by doing that it would make her so famous that her face rank (every time someone talks about you and says your name your face rank rises) would be over 10,000. Se has a friend named Frizz and she also get to meet Tally who has the highest face rank in this world, and all the cutters (Tally's friends and David etc.).

The main character is Aya Fuse she is on this mission to make herself popular but later realizes popularity comes with a price. She is very brave and is not afraid of getting caught by someone. She is very tricky and tricked a few people just like Tally once had.

I think everyone can relate to this book because everyone at some point in their life has wanted to be more popular or fit in more with society. I think this book focuses a lot on how society is today and how it is changing.

This is a really good book for anyone. I think you will like this book if you liked Uglies,Pretties,and specials.
It is a really good adventure book and it was a good ending to a nice series.
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LibraryThing member midnighttwilight101
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
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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 obsticles as Tally. This all makes for one great adventure/fantasy. I can't wait to read more from Scott Westerfeld.
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LibraryThing member emitnick
The fourth in the series that includes Uglies, Pretties, and Specials. This one takes place in what used to be Japan, where post-mindrain civilization has taken a rather different turn - people compete to see who can become most well-known, thus earning both riches and respect. The plot is a bit
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ragged and the characters not nearly so compelling as in the first three installments, but fans should still give this a try.
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Awards

Locus Award (Finalist — Young Adult Novel — 2008)
Aurealis Award (Shortlist — 2007)
Ditmar Award (Shortlist — Novel — 2008)

Language

Original publication date

2007-10-02

Physical description

5.2 inches

ISBN

0075
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