Uglies is a book series by Scott Westerfeld for young adults. Westerfeld originally intended for Uglies to be a trilogy. However, after publishing the series' first three novels, Uglies, Pretties, and Specials, he ultimately wrote an additional fourth book, Extras. This fourth book is dedicated "[t]o everyone who wrote to me to reveal the secret definition of the word 'trilogy'."^[1] On February 2, 2018, Westerfeld announced a continuation of the series consisting of four new novels, the first one being Impostors, that was released in September 2018.

The first three novels focus on the exploits of Tally Youngblood. In the post-apocalyptic future society where Tally lives, teenagers, upon reaching their sixteenth birthday, undergo a surgery to mold them into a so-called "Pretty." When Tally's new friend Shay runs away to the Smoke, a secret refuge for those who oppose the city's government, the future of Tally's own operation becomes uncertain. Dr. Cable, the head of the mysterious Special Circumstances, cuts Tally a deal: betray her friends and help the city locate the runaways or remain an "Ugly" forever.^[2] When Tally joins the Smokies, she learns a chilling truth: the surgeries that the city performs are not just intended to render its inhabitants beautiful. The city also puts lesions into the brains of the "Pretties", making them shallow, unintelligent, and ultimately an easier to control population.^[3] Over the course of the novels, Tally struggles to maintain her sense of self within a society that literally alters how people think and ultimately succeeds in undoing the system of mind alteration.

The fourth novel centers on Aya Fuse, a girl struggling to find her place in the chaotic world after Tally frees people to think for themselves.

In humanity's future, a new type of society has been formed after a disastrous oil-bug was released upon the planet that killed 98% of the human population and left many cities in ruins. The new society is composed of about one hundred small post-scarcity, independently run city states, spread out across the seven continents, which now have different coastlines as a result of global warming. Tally's city is located somewhere in Washington state, west of the Cascade Mountains. The new society holds three values at its core: Sustainability, Peace, and Equality. The new society promotes these values through the use of The Surge, a type of extreme cosmetic surgery that all citizens undergo at the age of 16. The Surge transforms ordinary humans into paragons of beauty, right down to perfect facial symmetry. New Pretties are given access to life in New Pretty Town, the innermost part of the city where food, shelter, and entertainment are provided by the government free of charge. Within the post-Surge part of a person's life, everyone's common beauty inspires peace and equality among the citizens.

In a promotional interview prepared by Westerfeld's publisher, Simon & Schuster, he talks about his inspiration for the series, stating: "We are definitely heading toward a world in which lots of people will get to decide how they look… [I] wanted to write a future in which these technologies were fairly common."^[4] In the same promotional material, Westerfeld also cites the 2002 short story "Liking What You See: A Documentary", by Ted Chiang, as an inspiration.^[4]

Reviews noted the extensive similarities between the plot of the series and that of "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You", a 1964 episode of The Twilight Zone.^[5][6] In a blog posting, Westerfeld noted that he had seen the episode in his childhood, but assures that it was not plagiarism, and was not his inspiration for the series, claiming that he had forgotten all about the television episode by the time he started writing the series.^[6]

Littlies are young children. They live with their parents in the suburbs surrounding New Pretty Town, and they will attend elementary school until they turn twelve. They become uglies during their preteen years.

When children turn 12 years old they are considered "Uglies", because of the burgeoning physical developments experienced by all preteens and teens. Uglies are then moved out of the suburbs and live in monitored dorms in Uglyville, where they attend middle and high school. Uglies are encouraged to call each other nicknames based on their personal imperfections (e.g.: Fatty, Skinny, Squint, or Zits), as well as to use software to generate preferences for their facial features. The former and latter are both methods of building up the Uglies' anticipation for the Pretty operations they will undergo upon turning 16. Unbeknownst to them, Uglies are also monitored by city authorities, not to restrain their behavior but to see which of them are most capable of 'pulling tricks' such as sneaking out at night and into New Pretty Town. This information is used in the Uglies' later life to determine whether they are capable of holding jobs that require decisiveness, initiative, and independent thinking, such as being a surgeon, a firefighter or a Special.

When an Ugly turns 16 they undergo a massive Operation that makes them perfect in beauty and health. The Operation completely overhauls a person's body structure and also includes lesions upon the brain, which makes them compliant and less likely to cause conflict. The lesions also tend to "dumb them up." They become "New Pretties" and are moved into apartments or mansions in New Pretty Town. New Pretties do not have to work; the only thing they do in New Pretty Town is have fun and maintain an active social life. New Pretties generally join popular cliques, such as the Swarm (who only go places massed into large groups), the Hot Airs (whose favored pastime is floating in hot air balloons), and the Crims. The Crims commonly consist of those who pulled the most tricks when they were Uglies, and are therefore considered to have a 'criminal' past, hence the name.

The "Middle Pretties" have picked their professions and gone through a second, minor operation that makes them look older and wiser, but still beautiful. They then move to the suburbs and are allowed to marry and have children, but are encouraged to do so only every 10 years, so as to discourage the formation of sibling bonds, and to ensure that the population of the city doesn't rise over capacity. Middle pretties are the working class. The Middle Pretties' Littlies (children) are allowed to stay with their parents until they turn 12.

"Late Pretties", or "Crumblies" (Littlies, uglies, and new pretties may refer to their parents as crumblies, even if they are still middle pretties), are parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. They live in assisted living homes and receive life extension surgery that allows them to live into their middle hundreds and two-hundreds.

Uglies are "surveillanced" (surveilled) by Special Circumstances to see if they have what it takes to become a Special. The security system in Pretty Town is "too easy" to hack and trick. It is believed that the Specials were created by Dr. Cable to stop humans from expanding into the wild or resisting the cities. Specials are described as frighteningly beautiful and as a "cruel pretty" with features like large coal black eyes, sharp cheekbones ...etc. They undergo a special surgery that gives them the ability to feel vibrations with their hands, enhanced senses, muscles sheathed with self-repairing mono filament, sharp orbital alloy teeth, incredible reflexes, bones made out of aircraft ceramics (light as bamboo and hard as diamonds). Furthermore, they are implanted with skintenna, an antenna implanted on their spine which allows them to hear/see what the others are doing, talk to each other, or listen to music. They are also very strong.

The Surge (also called The Operation) is an internationally standardized and performed medical procedure mandated by the new society that plays a central part in the plot of the Uglies series. The Surge consists of many steps, taking place over a single twenty-four-hour period, half of which is spent in anaesthetic stasis. The Surge is mostly cosmetic, but also involves major surgery being performed on the nervous, immune, and neurological systems. The point of The Surge itself is to promote and inspire peace among its recipients, with the idea that beauty ultimately trumps all forms of inequality and bigotry - Things like race and orientation don't matter when everyone is beautiful. The Surge is performed at the age of sixteen on every citizen in the world (although some cities perform it at age 18, and is hinted to be performed at 15 in some) and is strictly regulated by The International Committee For Morphological Standards ("The Pretty Committee"), which convenes yearly to exchange notes on things such as innovations, anaesthesia techniques, and standard levels of attraction worldwide (because of the cities attitude towards codependence, these meetings are mostly just to make sure every city is making their recipients the same kind of pretty, and to not have any one city have more attractive post-ops).

This operation, performed at the median age of sixteen, is only the first of many surgeries. When a new pretty reaches a certain age (25 or so), they are given the surgery that transforms them into middle-pretties. This surgery is entirely cosmetic (unless the pretty is entering a job which requires creativity and quick-thinking, in which case, some lesions are removed), and can be performed in an afternoon. The second Surge gives the pretty light crows feet and a few grey hairs, which inspire trust and authority. There is no official third surgery, though a crumbly can undergo multiple life-extension surgeries which allow them to live into their mid two-hundreds comfortably and attractively.

The first cure Maddy developed consisted of two pills. In the first pill, the nanos (tiny robot machinery widely used throughout the prettytown) were to break down the lesions. The nanos in the second pill were to stop the nanos in the first pill from spreading. Both pills were to be taken together. Since Zane only took the first pill, his brain was permanently damaged, which ultimately led to his paralysis and later, death.

The second cure consisted of only one pill needed for the treatment of the lesions. Maddy made the pills much safer; instead of removing a part of the brain, it stimulated the brain to work around the lesions. The Smokies, in partnership with another city, Diego, mass distributed the pills across the world, causing the "Mind Rain", which marked the end of the prettytime. In the second book Tally cures herself by rewiring herself.

Pretties are able to cure their own brain lesions by feeling "bubbly" enough, i.e. participating in activities which stimulate the brain and increase brain chemicals. Daring, dangerous, or thrilling acts all cause the "bubbly" feeling, as well as physical pain and heightened emotional states, such as stress or interest. Pretties who are self motivated enough to continue undertaking challenging actions can eventually cure their own brain lesions, which is considered a sign they are suitable for higher-skilled jobs, such as government positions, doctors, or Specials, once they become Middles.

Pain was used by Shay in Pretties to feel 'bubbly'. Unlike other cures, it needed to be done frequently and wasn't long-term, just staving it off for a bit.

After she created the pills curing pretty lesions, Maddy created a cure for Specials. Unlike the pills, the Special Cure had to be injected with a needle. This cure didn't remove the "scary" appearance (sharp teeth and fingernails), but it removed the lesions in the brain, like the pills. After the mind rain, Tally is the only Special in existence from her city without the Special Cure. All other Specials were either despecialized or have an unknown status. However, it is implied that Tally again rewired her brain so that she can have an incredible body, but still have control over her own thoughts.

Tally is the protagonist of the books, first appearing in Uglies as a young, 15-year-old girl, waiting for her 16th birthday so that she can be turned pretty. Throughout the series, Tally undergoes significant changes physically and mentally from Ugly, to Pretty, to Special, different classes of citizen in her city.

Shay is Tally's on-and-off best friend throughout the series. They meet when Tally returns from visiting her friend Peris in New Pretty Town. Shay believes Tally can keep the secret about The Smoke. Dr. Cable forces Tally to follow Shay to the Smoke by threatening to withhold her operation. Shay becomes a pretty, and Tally follows, and once again when she becomes a Cutter for Dr. Cable. Shay also becomes cured of her specialness near the end of the third book and remains in Diego. Shay and Tally are often in disagreement about David and Zane. Even though Shay can sometimes seem deeply flawed, she is still one of Tally's true friends.

David is Tally and Shay's contact from "The Smoke". Shay met David when her friends were running away from the city, because David led them to "The Smoke" and showed them they could live out in the wild. David is the son of Maddy and Az; he was born and raised in the wild, after his parents left Tally's city. He is also in love with Tally, due to her seriousness while she was in the Smoke. But before she arrived, David was dating Shay, which causes tension between Tally and Shay throughout the first two books. In the end of Specials, he accompanies Tally in creating the new "Special Circumstances" that is set on keeping the Wild safe, and making sure people weren't pushing too far. David never surged to become a "pretty", and is the only main character who was left ugly. At the conclusion of Extras, Aya notices David and Tally's closeness, confirming that, at the series' end, David and Tally are a couple.^[7]

Maddy and Az are David's mother and father. They are from Tally's city, but they ran away. Maddy was on The Committee for Morphological Standards (A.K.A. The Pretty Committee) and had begun doing some research on how to make the operation safer for everyone. She noticed lesions in the brains of all New Pretties, most Middle Pretties, although Late Pretties were never mentioned. She began doing more research, but Special Circumstances showed up and forced her to discontinue her research, or lose her medical license. She and Az became suspicious, fled the city, and established "The Smoke". Later in the series Maddy discovers a single pill cure, followed by a cure for specials injected by a needle. Az is also killed later on in the first book. They help Tally with some things.

Croy is one of Shay's friends who moved out to The Smoke. He is suspicious of Tally most of the time, but after she fights against the specials, he trusts her. He brings the cure to Tally at the beginning of Pretties after crashing a party.

Peris is Tally's childhood friend. Peris was older than Tally, therefore he got the operation before Tally. Peris is a member of The Crims, and has been a pretty through all of the books. He is also a very understated character throughout the series. Peris was Tally's best friend until he left her to jump alone off the hot air-balloon.

Dr. Cable is the head of Special Circumstances. Dr. Cable is described by Tally as a cruel pretty with cruel features. In the third book (Specials) Dr. Cable and Shay turn Tally into one of the cutters and Tally joins their big team of Special Circumstances. By the end of the third book [Specials], Dr. Cable is cured by Tally Youngblood. Dr. Cable then helps Tally Youngblood escape just before Tally goes under despecializing operation because she wished for at least one of her creations [Specials] to remain alive.

The Smoke is an established camp in the wilderness, where runaways from cities gathered to avoid the lesions included in the pretty operation.

The Old Smoke was established by Maddy and Az (David's parents) in a remote location in the wilderness near railroad tracks and a forest. Maddy and Az created it because they found out a secret about the operation. The Old Smoke was destroyed at the end of the first book Uglies, by Special Circumstances. Tally Youngblood accidentally alerted Special Circumstances when she threw her tracker pendant into a fire, as a show of trust and caring for David and The Smoke.

The New Smoke was thought to be a new camp in the wilderness, but the Smokies formed a partnership with the city of Diego and settled there.

A name is never given to Tally's city. It is north-east of Diego, and east of The Rusty Ruins. In Bogus To Bubbly, there is a map showing North America in the future. The rusty city nearest to Tally's city is Seattle, Washington.^[8]

Diego is assumed to be San Diego, but in the future. Diego does not follow the Committee for Morphological Standards regulations about surgeries, and the fashion trends in Diego are very diverse, but at times bizarre to outsiders. The New Smokeys distributed "The Cure" in Diego, and partnered with the local government. Diego supplies the Smokeys with the cure, sneak suits, a city to take refuge in, and removal of the lesions by a doctor in a safe hospital setting.

The Rusty Ruins are west of Tally's city and are the remainders of Seattle, Washington. They have been preserved so that children can see what the Rusties did to the world. They are a gathering place for uglies who want to trick the sensors on their hoverboards. David meets up with potential Smokeys in the ruins.

As part of the extras plan to launch a shuttle into space so that they have a smaller effect on the earth, they harvest metal from Singapore to build their shuttles. Aya, Hiro, Frizz, and the Cutters visit the ruins with the Extras.

Yokohama is the home city of Aya Fuse in Extras. The cities name is never mentioned in the book, but in early drafts when Hiro was the main character, he refers to the city as Yokohama. The city is not shown to have any rusty ruins near it, so it is presumed to be built over the remains of the modern-day city of Yokohama, since Aya describes her apartment in Shuffle Mansion as having a view of mountains and of a coast; modern day eastern Yokohama has a view of both. Also, the large mountain that Aya and the Sly Girls visit multiple times in the story is presumed to be Mount Fuji.

Only mentioned once in Extras, when Tally says that metal has been disappearing from the rust ruins near the city. It is presumed that Londinium is built near or on the ruins of London.

In September 2020, a feature film adaptation titled The Uglies was announced to be in development with 20th Century Fox and Joey King signed on to star in the lead role as Tally Youngblood.^[9][10] McG signed on to direct, with Krista Vernoff serving as screenwriter. John Davis, Jordan Davis, Robyn Meisinger, Dan Spilo, McG, and Mary Viola will produce the movie. The project will be a joint-venture production between Davis Entertainment Company, Anonymous Content, Industry Entertainment, Wonderland Sound and Vision, and Netflix Original Films. The film is intended to release through streaming exclusively on Netflix.^[11] Later that year, Keith Powers, Brianne Tju, Chase Stokes, and Laverne Cox joined the supporting cast.^[9][10]

In February 2022, King revealed that production had already finished, and had taken place in Atlanta, Georgia in December 2021.^[12]

• Children and Young Adult Literature portal

• Westerfeld, Scott. Specials. Simon Pulse 2007. ISBN 978-1-4169-4795-0 (pbk).