The third installment of Scott Westerfeld’s New York Times bestselling and award-winning Uglies series—a global phenomenon that started the dystopian trend. Tally thought they were a rumor, but now she’s one of them. A Special. A super-amped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. But maybe being perfectly programmed with strength and focus isn’t better than anything she’s ever known. Tally still has memories of something else. Still, it’s easy to tune that out—until she’s offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she’s programmed to complete. Either way, Tally’s world will never be the same.
The third installment of Scott Westerfeld’s New York Times bestselling and award-winning Uglies series—a global phenomenon that started the dystopian trend. Tally thought they were a rumor, but now she’s one of them. A Special. A super-amped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. But maybe being perfectly programmed with strength and focus isn’t better than anything she’s ever known. Tally still has memories of something else. Still, it’s easy to tune that out—until she’s offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she’s programmed to complete. Either way, Tally’s world will never be the same.
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Find Specials Scott Westerfeld in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
Find Specials Scott Westerfeld in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
2 books in catalog
Dystopian vision and speculative invention define a major body of young adult literature centered on societal conformity, technological transformation, and alternative history. Scott Westerfeld made an indelible mark on speculative fiction with the Uglies series, exploring a future world where mandatory cosmetic surgery turns sixteen-year-olds into socially engineered 'Pretties.' His vast bibliography spans young adult and adult science fiction, ranging from biological steampunk reimaginings of historical conflicts to contemporary urban fantasies set against the backdrop of modern culture.
Through deeply imagined worlds where time halts or living airships battle diesel-driven war machines, Westerfeld engages readers with themes of identity, agency, and institutional authority. His celebrated titles, including Uglies and its third installment Specials, continue to influence speculative fiction across print, audiobooks, and screen adaptations.
Scott David Westerfeld was born on May 5, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Because his father worked as a computer programmer for UNIVAC during the Apollo space missions, Boeing aviation projects, and defense submarine developments, the family moved frequently across Texas, California, and Connecticut. Westerfeld attended Vassar College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1985. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked a wide variety of jobs, including making lead soldiers as a factory worker, teaching as a substitute instructor, editing textbooks, and working as a software designer. In his early creative years in New York City, he composed original music for downtown dance performances and wrote ghostwritten fiction, including three Powerpuff Girls choose-your-own-adventure books.
Westerfeld published his initial adult science fiction novels before transitioning into young adult literature, ultimately producing roughly forty novels. In 2001, he married Australian author Justine Larbalestier, and the couple splits their time between New York City and Sydney, Australia. Alongside his fiction, Westerfeld has contributed essay and nonfiction work to publications such as Nerve, BookForum, and the scientific journal Nature. His writing has earned notable industry recognition, including the Philip K. Dick Special Citation, the Aurealis Award, and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, as well as selection as New York Times Notable Books and YALSA/BBYA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults.
Westerfeld's narrative approach blends high-concept speculative premises with rigorous worldbuilding and critical social commentary. A central thematic focus in his young adult fiction is the pressure of social conformity and the ethical implications of technological modifications imposed upon adolescent bodies and minds. In his alternate history and urban fantasy projects, he frequently explores complex mechanical systems, biological engineering, and secret subcultures operating parallel to ordinary life.
Collaborative craftsmanship and genre-crossing experimentation also characterize his work. He collaborated with authors Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti to construct shared-universe superhero narratives in the Zeroes trilogy, and worked with artist Keith Thompson to integrate detailed visual illustrations directly into his steampunk prose in the Leviathan series. Westerfeld's storytelling balances fast-paced adventure and inventive world design with thoughtful questions about freedom, surveillance, and youth autonomy.
2 books in catalog
Dystopian vision and speculative invention define a major body of young adult literature centered on societal conformity, technological transformation, and alternative history. Scott Westerfeld made an indelible mark on speculative fiction with the Uglies series, exploring a future world where mandatory cosmetic surgery turns sixteen-year-olds into socially engineered 'Pretties.' His vast bibliography spans young adult and adult science fiction, ranging from biological steampunk reimaginings of historical conflicts to contemporary urban fantasies set against the backdrop of modern culture.
Through deeply imagined worlds where time halts or living airships battle diesel-driven war machines, Westerfeld engages readers with themes of identity, agency, and institutional authority. His celebrated titles, including Uglies and its third installment Specials, continue to influence speculative fiction across print, audiobooks, and screen adaptations.
Scott David Westerfeld was born on May 5, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Because his father worked as a computer programmer for UNIVAC during the Apollo space missions, Boeing aviation projects, and defense submarine developments, the family moved frequently across Texas, California, and Connecticut. Westerfeld attended Vassar College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1985. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked a wide variety of jobs, including making lead soldiers as a factory worker, teaching as a substitute instructor, editing textbooks, and working as a software designer. In his early creative years in New York City, he composed original music for downtown dance performances and wrote ghostwritten fiction, including three Powerpuff Girls choose-your-own-adventure books.
Westerfeld published his initial adult science fiction novels before transitioning into young adult literature, ultimately producing roughly forty novels. In 2001, he married Australian author Justine Larbalestier, and the couple splits their time between New York City and Sydney, Australia. Alongside his fiction, Westerfeld has contributed essay and nonfiction work to publications such as Nerve, BookForum, and the scientific journal Nature. His writing has earned notable industry recognition, including the Philip K. Dick Special Citation, the Aurealis Award, and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, as well as selection as New York Times Notable Books and YALSA/BBYA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults.
Westerfeld's narrative approach blends high-concept speculative premises with rigorous worldbuilding and critical social commentary. A central thematic focus in his young adult fiction is the pressure of social conformity and the ethical implications of technological modifications imposed upon adolescent bodies and minds. In his alternate history and urban fantasy projects, he frequently explores complex mechanical systems, biological engineering, and secret subcultures operating parallel to ordinary life.
Collaborative craftsmanship and genre-crossing experimentation also characterize his work. He collaborated with authors Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti to construct shared-universe superhero narratives in the Zeroes trilogy, and worked with artist Keith Thompson to integrate detailed visual illustrations directly into his steampunk prose in the Leviathan series. Westerfeld's storytelling balances fast-paced adventure and inventive world design with thoughtful questions about freedom, surveillance, and youth autonomy.
