Uglies, Pretties and Specials

Recently finished the third book in the Uglies Trilogy – a young adult miniseries written by Scott Westerfield based around a future society where everyone gets “surge” (plastic surgery) and becomes “pretty” when they reach puberty. The Pretties are changed mentally as well as physically, so their personalities can match their new bodies.

At first I was a little hesitant about reading this series. I’ve never been one for ooh-ing and aah-ing over technology, but I can always get on board with a Utopian society run amok. Westerfield promised a perfect society wherein choice is limited, and inevitably our heroine will bring freedom to it’s people. And the series delivered effortlessly on this count.

In fact – it was reminiscent of The Giver, but not in a derivative way. Honestly any story about a Utopian society geared towards Young Adults is bound to be held up against The Giver. It’s up to the author then to give the content some fresh spin that will keep the comparison brief.

Westerfield works into this familiar tale a lot of great fresh material, and I found it to be relevant for the current events and attitudes of our present society. With the focus on beauty, puberty, relationships, friendships, technology etc – there is more than enough intrigue to keep most teenage girls (and maybe even boys) occupied.

Westerfield’s unique voice in this genre is centered around the idea of beauty, individuality and personal freedom. There were several genres this series was operating in – action adventure, sci-fi, romance, political and societal commentary. And it worked on most levels – at times the romance seemed distracting, as well as the nearly relentless “action.”