"Special Circumstances": The words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor -- frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally's never been ordinary.
And now, in the third book in the series, Tally's been turned into a Special: 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: 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.
WESTERFELD SCOTT
Scott Westerfeld is the author of twelve New York Times bestsellers, including the multimillion-selling Uglies series. Published in thirty-five languages and loved by generations of young readers, Uglies has now been adapted as a feature film starring Joey King, streaming on Netflix in late 2024. The New York Times called the novels, "A superb piece of popular art."
The Uglies series continues in the Impostors books, all four of which are out now.
Westerfeld is also known for the Leviathan trilogy, a seminal work in the steampunk genre. Published in more than twenty countries, all three books are being adapted as an anime series by Orange Studio in Japan, streaming on Netflix worldwide in 2025.
Westerfeld's books have won many awards, including the Philip K. Dick Special Citation , Indie Choice, and Locus, and been named New York Times Notable and ALA Best Books of the Year. His work has also won the Victorian Premier's, Aurealis, and Ditmar awards in Australia, and the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire in France.
