Bogus to Bubbly: An Insiders Guide to the World of Uglies

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Explore the entire Star Trek book collection, apps and more. Get relationship help, parenting advice, healthy recipes, and tips for living a happy life from our author experts. Get access to the best in romance: That's why a guide to the world of uglies has been requisitioned from the hole in the wall.

A rundown on all the cliques, from Crims and Cutters to tech-heads and surge-monkeys The complete history, starting with the destruction of the oil bug to the launch of Extras in space How all those awesome gadgets came to be: And so much more, it's mind-wrecking.

Your Cart items Cart total. Trade Paperback Trade Paperback eBook. Buy from another retailer. Free eBook available to NEW subscribers only. Must redeem within 90 days. See full terms and conditions and this month's choices. More Books from this Author. After a certain point, it's just like David said to Tally: The "averaging hypothesis", which suggests that people actually gravitate toward average-looking faces that contain a variety of genetic features, also has implications that deserve further thought.

People may find averaged faces attractive as a whole, but the most beautiful faces tend to be non-average in some way. So looking weird can be a whole other kind of attractive that's hard to pin down with statistics. Being attractive is mostly about how we conduct ourselves, and unlike the angles and shape of our face, that's entirely within our control.

Next we get a rundown on the cutting-edge gadgetry in the series, from interface bracelets to eyescreens to bungee jackets to self-heating food. Several of these inventions already existed in some form when Uglies debuted in , and Westerfeld describes in detail the possible future of their development. Since hoverboarding is integral to the plot of all the books, magnetic levitation is given its own chapter.

We move on to an explanation of character names in the series, and Westerfeld intersperses his mini lecture on linguistic logistics with excellent tips for aspiring writers, as well as the "Panzercrappitastica Bonechomper" joke that had me laughing out loud for about a minute. Tremendous thought went into the characters' names, and Westerfeld's exposition of his process is illuminating for lovers of the writer's craft. This continues in a chapter on creating believable futuristic slang, where Westerfeld's observations are spot-on as usual.

Not only are his tips invaluable for students of writing, but they tell us a lot about the evolution of human language, why we use the words we do and how those words are likely to change in the decades and centuries ahead. We return to hard science with a treatise on nanoscale machinery, both as it occurs in the natural world and the ways humans have synthesized nanos in hopes of monumental medical breakthroughs in the future. Nanos pose troublesome risks, but their potential benefit to mankind is virtually immeasurable.

The Uglies series gives a preview of what a future with controlled nanotechnology could look like, and it's exciting. Extras is chronologically set apart from the first three Uglies novels, so it stands to reason it would have a section of its own in Bogus to Bubbly focused on the book's reputation economy. It's the most interesting idea of Extras , in my opinion, and Westerfeld demonstrated spectacular foresight into the immediate future of the internet, even predicting that people would come to rely on answers provided via the net more than the opinion of traditional experts.

If a million people look at a puzzle, chances are that one of them knows the answer. Or maybe ten people each know one piece, and that's enough to put it all together. Reputation economy has existed to some degree for millennia, but the internet age provided new frontiers it would rush to fill, and in the tradition of pioneering science fiction authors Jules Verne, George Orwell, and Orson Scott Card, Scott Westerfeld anticipated its future trends. Westerfeld next compiles a section of informational odds and ends that should interest Uglies fans, and reveals that Hiro, not Aya, was the protagonist in his first draft of Extras.

He includes chapter one of that draft for our reading pleasure. Bogus to Bubbly finishes with a brief list of ideas the author lifted from external sources and a glossary of terms that's well worth the time it takes to read, packing still more insight into a book already bulging with them.

It's hard not to be impressed by the substance of these one hundred ninety-six pages. Westerfeld could have settled for slapping his name on the cover of a keepsake collector's volume with minimal literary value and it would have sold well, but instead he made Bogus to Bubbly so much more. This book definitely rewards Uglies fans for their intimate knowledge of the series. Because of that I hesitate to recommend it for people who haven't read the novels, but there's a wealth of content here for the uninitiated, too.

I learned a lot, and was served more sophisticated food for thought than I expected. This is quality nonfiction, and a heartfelt tribute by the author to his loyal readers. I'm glad I didn't let Bogus to Bubbly slip by me.

I hope that the Uglies series has helped a few of you resolve issues, whether with cutting or looks or your own struggles against the Dr. Cables of this world. Jul 14, Amelia rated it it was ok Shelves: It was nice to get more of the background information to the books, although it really irks me that some things that should have been discussed more in the books were not included there.

And I don't think a whole lot of people think to pick up this book after reading the series. For example, the author recognizes that cutting is a destructive behavior and discusses it briefly in this guidebook. However, in "Pretties" and "Specials," I often had the impression that cutting was a good thing, som It was nice to get more of the background information to the books, although it really irks me that some things that should have been discussed more in the books were not included there.

However, in "Pretties" and "Specials," I often had the impression that cutting was a good thing, something that kept you alive, thinking straight, and on your toes. He eventually whimpered out a slight message that it was bad, but it didn't have the weight it should have had after all the time they spent talking about how "good" cutting is. He also never confronted the issue in "Pretties" of starving yourself for the same reason they cut themselves--to stay alert and focused.

I know she tried to starve herself to try and get her cuffs off, but that didn't even work. So what was the point?

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These books are pretty much meant for teenage girls And the messages they may take from this books are very harmful, in my opinion: Nov 26, Emma Miss Print rated it liked it Shelves: Sometimes, when a book series gets really popular, writers will try to cash in by writing unauthorized guides to the story or books about the "science" behind popular fantasy titles.

Then, rarely, you get a book like Bogus to Bubbly: An Insider's Guide to the World of Uglies that was actually written by the ultimate insider: Uglies is a series of books one trilogy and a companion book about a world in the future where in order to prevent war and strife everyone gets pla Sometimes, when a book series gets really popular, writers will try to cash in by writing unauthorized guides to the story or books about the "science" behind popular fantasy titles.

Uglies is a series of books one trilogy and a companion book about a world in the future where in order to prevent war and strife everyone gets plastic surgery to be beautiful and live long. Everyone else, by contrast, is ugly. That is the super, super short explanation of the series which is more complex. I don't recommending reading this guide before the series because it contains spoilers and, truth be told, unless you know you like the books this guide will not be that interesting.

Westerfeld explains a lot of things in this book. He discusses where the idea for the story came from, as well as how he thought of skintennas and the Rusties. Parts of the book also explain technology, history, and culture surrounding the worlds created in the Uglies series. What I liked about the book was that it mentioned a lot about the writing process.

While Westerfeld himself notes that it's hard to trace the origin of ideas, this book does try.

It's interesting to read how a dentist visit inspired several aspects of the book while, thankfully, we are not the entire inspiration behind the Rusties. Explanations of names and slanguage were also very informative and interesting. I was less enthralled by the technology information. It was fun to hear about the science of beauty, but the information about magnetic levitation, hoverboards and inventions got a bit, well, technical.

Although I fully admit that could be me since Uglies is one of the few straight sci-fi series I read I usually go in for fantasy which, having dragons and what not, is guaranteed to be less technical. There is also a bit of repetition with the books revealing much of what Westerfeld puts together in Bogus to Bubbly but that is probably inevitable with an insider's guide like this.

Aside from content, I liked the book's organization. It's written like a real guide with cross-referencing between sections and an index. The book also includes illustrations and maps which helped a lot to visualize the city as it was meant to be seen. While the entire book might not be read-worthy for every fan, it's very likely at least one nagging question about the series will be answered in this book.

Mine, for instance, being whether belly sensors were indeed belly button rings or not. Readers will also leave the guide with a new insight into how the writing process might work. On top of that, Bogus to Bubbly also includes a preview of Westerfeld's new series Leviathan. My only serious regret is that the Awesome Librarian Clique only warranted passing mention though since they didn't factor in the books at all, perhaps that is to be expected. You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print Pretty interesting history of the world of Pretties.

I enjoyed learning about it as I still had questions regarding some aspects of the world. It also goes through how Scott Westerfeld came up with some of the ideas. Jan 04, Angela rated it liked it. Overall, a fun little book full of lots of info, facts, and trivia. Parts of it are redudant if you've read the book, but other parts are great if you want to get more detail about a particular aspect of Tally's world.

Bogus to Bubbly

Jun 09, Airiz C rated it liked it Shelves: Fans of Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" series will definitely give this fun and helpful companion book a thumb up. It's like a reel of bloopers and behind the scenes for a well-loved movie, and what's better is that it is written by Scott Westerfeld himself. It is chock-full of the fictional history of Tally Youngblood's world, from the days of the Rusties, the Diego War, and upto the age of Mind-Rain and face ranks; the technology present in the post-scarcity dystopian society, including maps and Fans of Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" series will definitely give this fun and helpful companion book a thumb up.

It is chock-full of the fictional history of Tally Youngblood's world, from the days of the Rusties, the Diego War, and upto the age of Mind-Rain and face ranks; the technology present in the post-scarcity dystopian society, including maps and instruction manuals for hoverboards and other gadgets; geography of the setting; trivia about the names of the characters and about the "slanguage" used in the books, among others.

I enjoyed it for the most part, except for the ones that I've already encountered in the info superhighway. View all 6 comments. Nov 23, Dannielle Albert rated it it was ok. I was really hoping this book would give more insight to the unanswered questions in my mind about the world of Tally and her friends but unfortunately, it was mostly just reiteration of what we already knew compiled altogether in one book. For example, I wanted to know how the explosions happened but Westerfeld writes, "No one knows for sure exactly what happened, perhaps it was I was hoping he would give u I was really hoping this book would give more insight to the unanswered questions in my mind about the world of Tally and her friends but unfortunately, it was mostly just reiteration of what we already knew compiled altogether in one book.

I was hoping he would give us some more details that were left out of the stories but they were still left unsaid. Sep 25, Seth rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Recommended to Seth by: I just finished this book and I got it like yesterday or something. It was really good and I learned a lot about the series. Sep 19, Dakota rated it really liked it. I love the book super great! It made the world of Uglies much more real and helps you have a better appreciation for it in a way. I did like going behind the scenes in a way and learning more about the tech or some of Scott's thought process when writing making some things more clear ect small things that like I said before bring something new so to speak to the series and makes you love it that much more.

Feb 10, Kristi rated it it was ok. Apparently, Westerfeld wanted some more money or something because essentially this book had nothing in it you couldn't figure out through context while reading the other books, other than the fact he is totally fine with ripping off other authors' ideas. Jun 02, Erica Warren rated it really liked it. I really enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at the world that Westerfeld built in Uglies, as well as getting some of my questions answered!

Sep 18, Seely McCarty rated it really liked it. This is a good companion to the Uglies series.

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I enjoyed reading Westerfeld's explanations on why he made some of the writing decisions that he did. Sep 08, Brittani Jones rated it liked it. An insightful look into the series. Jul 10, Brittany LeMoine rated it it was ok. It's all stuff you already know if you've read the books but it's nice for a big fan of the series. Un livre vraiment utile pour comprendre en profondeur le monde. Sep 27, A.

When I read the Uglies series, I had a lot of questions. What about Pretties in other countries? Are Pretties of other races closer to the Eurocentric ideal of beauty that is the current global standard? Why the heck are there honorifics in post-apocalyptic US, and why does everyone have such stupid names?

How does the technology work? When I learned there was a companion novel, I was hoping to get the answers to all of my questions. This is something that J. Rowling does well though I admit that she also does a better job of closing many--though not all--plot holes and questions. Scott Westerfeld does as mediocre job in this book as he does in his original novels. The tone in this book is incredibly condescending and infantilizing. At one point, he tells us that opposite magnetic poles attract while same ones repel.

I think most people who have gone past elementary school know that piece of information; each book in the series is about pages long, so I'm sure people who can read that are not grade schoolers. A lot of the historical information about the Rusties' world he just hand-waves away, saying things like "No one really knows how they did it As the author writing up his fantasy world's history, he must know; otherwise this book is a waste. As far as the racial makeup of their world, I got some limited answers.

Apparently Pretties look like the local population, so Pretties in Asia have Asian features, and Pretties in the US have mixed race features. There's a whole host of questions about Eurocentric beauty that I wanted answered, but I guess I'm expecting too much from a white dude to care.

The one thing that makes sense is the weird fetishizing of Japan and Japanese culture the honorifics, the whole setting of Extras in Japan --apparently this was done because Scott Westerfeld is a weeaboo who was learning Japanese at the time of writing. I'm always wary of how westerners depict future Asia as a mass of interchangable East Asians, totally discounting South Asia and the Middle East, or as a Japanese or Korean-centric society.

It totally ignores the current political climate of the two dominant Asian powers by both population and geopolitical influence China and India , and it also leaves out smaller nations that could in theory become the dominant power in the future. The last criticism I have is that Westerfeld doesn't really have a good understanding of science to write about it.

Bogus to Bubbly

He talks about illness and how it affects facial symmetry, but to have a sustained effect on one's body, you'd have to be really, really sick. Plus females, especially, have a bit more natural variation in their bodies due to X inactivation. Perfectly symmetrical faces often veer into uncanny valley; more realistic CGI faces take note of this. So a lot of the science is iffy or leaves more questions.

I do like the fact that the book exists, but I wish it was better than it was. Jan 21, Katrina rated it really liked it Recommends it for: I blew through this book. I really enjoy reading the author's thoughts behind the books that I enjoy. If anything, I wish Westerfeld had gone more indepth with his "Insider's guide".

This book is not meant to be a fantastic work of fiction, or of science, for that matter. He includes both in it, however. I quite enjoyed getting to read the original first chapter of Extras: I am also glad he did not write the rest of the book like that. Wes I blew through this book. Westerfeld gives lots of details that he does not include in the books because they were not needed.

Bogus to Bubbly: An Insider's Guide to the World of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

These details did not really feel contrived to me, though, in retrospect, I think they could. His 'map of the former US' could use a little work, considering I am pretty sure that the west coast won't look perfect after full on global warming and years. So sure, he's got science problems, but he's also got science that now I want to look more into.

He's an author, not a scientist, and he does a pretty darn good job at making the science-y bits believable and realistic. For that I applaud him. I was a little taken aback by the number of times Westerfeld said "I stole this from" this person, and the one time he said "It's not stealing if you give them credit for it someplace" paraphrase The exact way that line was worded kind of struck a nerve on the "anti-plagiarism" training.

Still, I was quite interested in hearing what his influences were. The tone was congenial and familiar, more like a conversation than anything else. Each chapter, furthermore, had a different feel to it based on its purpose. The science sections were SW talking to you, etc. All in all, this did not feel like a textbook Did I mention I breezed through this book, totally engrossed? So, yes, I enjoyed this and I think that anyone who has read the entire Uglies series yes, that includes Extras, Mari-la would find this interesting and maybe even enjoy it.

A very quick, easy read with lots of pictures and blank space. Dec 02, Julie Suzanne rated it liked it Shelves: So far, I've enjoyed hearing the real-life story that inspired Westerfeld's idea for the novel, but I could have, had I searched it out, found that on the internet. I've never read an "insider's guide" to a book or book series before and had always wondered what the heck they are. So I'm trying it out.

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