Specials (Uglies Series #3)

Publishers Weekly

Bringing the Uglies trilogy to a close, Specials by Scott Westerfeld follows Tally Youngblood, first met in Uglies (which PW said "introduces thought-provoking issues"), as she is turned into a Special, a high-octane fighting machine, programmed to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. Can she listen to the small voice in her head or will she destroy New Smoke's residents? Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

This long awaited third book will not disappoint fans of the science fiction Scott Westerfield trilogy. Tally Youngblood, the once rebellious Ugly and then troublemaking Pretty, is now a member of the Cutters—a new group of special Specials created by Dr. Cummings herself and lead by Tally's best friend, Shane. The Cutters were created in order to search out and destroy the New Smoke and most of the old Crims are now members. True to her character, however, Tally has trouble fully accepting what it means to be a Cutter without Zane by her side and demands to see him and help his case. When she sees the new Zane, Tally is horrified by how she reacts to his "prettiness" and lack of special qualities, yet she is determined to prove that Zane, the once level-headed leader of the Crims, should be made into a Cutter too. Shane and Tally use Zane and his group of runaways in order to locate the New Smoke, only to discover that it is so much more than any of them could have imagined. It is an entire city just like theirs, only there are limitless possibilities, no bubbleheads, and no Specials. Tally finds that she and the other Specials are not feared in this new and strange city. Instead, she is a monster and a hazard to those around her. Amid a war that she created, Tally has to come to grips with who she is. Can she overcome this newest surgery and cure herself once again from the brain operation, which this time has turned her into a fearless killer? This trilogy will captivate readers of all ages of readers from beginning to end. A new-age science fiction novel, it will find its place in the classroom as well as for independent reading. 2006, SimonPulse/Simon & Schuster, Ages 12 up.
—Jeanna Sciarrotta

VOYA

I liked the book by itself, although as the ending to the trilogy, I found it lacking in resolution and in important details. The plot was complicated and only problems associated with this book were resolved. Some of the characters were unsympathetic, and I didn't care about them. In the other books, the same characters were important ones, which I liked. But as a whole, I enjoyed the book and I recommend it for eighth and ninth graders. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2006, Simon Pulse/S & S, 384p., Ages 11 to 18.
—Liza M. David

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-This final installment in the series is a warning of the dangers of overconsumption and conformity. Set some time in the future, after a human-made bacteria destroyed the modern world, the trilogy tells of new cities established and tightly controlled through brainwashing and a series of operations leading to a compliant society. Tally Youngblood, the 16-year-old protagonist, learns in the first two books that free will and truth are more important than a false sense of security. In Specials, she has become an elite fighting machine, fully enhanced with nanotechnology and super-fast reflexes, and made to work as a Special Circumstances agent for the nameless city that she fled. As in the first two books, much of the story takes place with characters whizzing through the air on hoverboards, but Tally and her friends are in for some harsh realities here. Readers who enjoyed Uglies and Pretties (both S & S, 2005) will not want to miss Specials, but those who have not read those books will not understand much of what is happening. Westerfeld's themes include vanity, environmental conservation, Utopian idealism, fascism, violence, and love. In this trilogy, the author calls for a revolution in our hearts and minds-think The Matrix.-Corinda J. Humphrey, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Tally's third incarnation is thrillingly unsettling. When readers left her, she was about to be surgically altered from a "Pretty" to a carefully engineered military "Special." Now her body is weaponized, her teeth, fingernails and reflexes razor-sharp. Westerfeld deftly conveys Tally's new perspective: Edges look extra sharp, the world is maniacally beautiful and Dr. Cable's pursuit of the New Smoke rebels is inherently justified, especially because the New Smoke's irresponsible medical experimentation damaged Tally's boyfriend Zane and made him repulsive. Tally and Shay are Cutters, elite Specials who slice their skin to stay hyper-focused. As they track runaways to find the New Smoke, the previously two-sided fight expands into a war with multiple stances and complications, on a far broader scale than Tally could have guessed. Tally's in constant motion, the action nonstop, all the way until-paralleling the stunning end of Uglies-Tally makes an unromantic, pragmatic and desperate final decision. A splendid, provocative conclusion to a terrific series. (Science fiction. YA)