Uglies: Shay's Story (Graphic Novel) (Uglies Manga) [Paperback]

Scott Westerfeld (Author), Devin Grayson (Author), Steven Cummings (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: March 6, 2012 | Series: Uglies Manga

“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves.”—Shay
 
Uglies told Tally Youngblood’s version of life in Uglyville and the budding rebellion against the Specials. Now comes an exciting graphic novel revealing new adventures in the Uglies world—as seen through the eyes of Shay, Tally’s rebellious best friend who’s not afraid to break the rules, no matter the cost.
 
A few months shy of her sixteenth birthday, Shay eagerly awaits her turn to become a Pretty—a rite-of-passage operation called “the Surge” that transforms ordinary Uglies into paragons of beauty. Yet after befriending the Crims, a group of fellow teens who refuse to take anything in society at face value, Shay starts to question the whole concept. And as the Crims explore beyond the monitored borders of Uglyville into the forbidden, ungoverned wild, Shay must choose between the perks of being Pretty and the rewards of being real.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Scott Westerfeld’s novels include Evolution’s Darling, a New York Times Notable Book, as well as the Uglies series, the Leviathan trilogy, the Midnighters trilogy, The Last Days, and more. Scott was born in Texas and alternates summers between Sydney, Australia, and New York City.
 
Steven Cummings lives with his family in the magical land known as almost-Tokyo. He has worked for a variety of comic and manga publishers, ranging from Marvel and DC to Tokyopop, on titles including Wolverine: First Class, Elektra, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Deadshot, and Pantheon High.  He is also a member of the Canadian art empire known as Udon.
 
Devin Grayson turned a lifelong obsession with fictional characters into a dynamic writing career. Best known for her work on the Batman titles for DC Comics and the celebrated X-Men: Evolution comic for Marvel, she has written in a number of different media and genres, from comic books and novels to videogame scripts and short essays.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (March 6, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780345527226
• ISBN-13: 978-0345527226
• ASIN: 0345527224
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Best known as a mainstream comicbook writer for DC's Batman titles, Devin is also a novelist, video game scripter, essay writer and copy editor. An insulin-dependent diabetic since the age of fifteen, Devin is the lucky partner of an amazing hypoglycemia medical-alert dog, Cody, and a passionate advocate of and volunteer for Early Alert Canines. Other interests include RPGs, music, GLBT rights, wine-making at her family's vineyard and exploring the world with her beloved step-kids.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great addition to the Uglies Series! April 7, 2012

By Michelle Madow

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I don't typically read graphic novels (aka I've never read one in my life), but when I saw this was an addition to Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series, I knew I had to give it a try! I love the Uglies books, so any new view I'm given into the awesome world Scott created is something I love to see.

When I first started reading it was tough to adjust to the change of medium (getting lots of the story through pictures instead of words). However, after a few chapters in I stopped thinking about how different it was from reading a text book and was able to be completely immersed in the story. I loved seeing the pictures -- one of the things I was fascinated with in the Uglies series is all the technology Scott created. It was super cool being able to see drawings of everything - the ping rings, hoverboards, crash bracelets, spagbol packets, etc. The whole story came to life on a whole new level through the illustrations. The only issue I had was that it was difficult to see the differences between the Uglies, Pretties, and Specials -- they looked pretty similar, except minor details. When reading the series, I imagined the differences to be much more vast then they were in the illustrations in Shay's Story.

This book drastically changed my perception of Shay. It's been a long time since I read Uglies (six years I think!) but I remember thinking that Shay was overly jealous and easily angered. When reading from Tally's point of view, I sympathized with Tally, not Shay. But getting to see the story from Shay's point of view totally changed my opinion of her! I understand now why she was so upset about Tally and David's relationship, and fully sympathize with her feelings. It makes sense why she was upset, and feeling like things weren't working out fairly for her.

This book is a MUST READ for fans of the Uglies series! If you haven't read the Uglies series, I recommend reading the series before reading this part. Great work, Scott!! Looking forward to the next installment of Shay's Story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Uglies Fans! September 2, 2012

By Nicole @ Paperback Princess

Format:Paperback

I have to admit, I don't remember much of what happened in Uglies, but I remembered enough to not be lost. Maybe this gave some information away as to what happened in the book, but I don't recall. I really like the idea of authors giving a little bit more away about their stories by using the adventures of another main character.

The idea behind the Uglies series is that you are "ugly" until you turn 16 and then you have a surgery to make you a "pretty" of course none of these people realize that there is something seriously wrong with this, instead they can't wait to be totally "bubbly". This book has its own slang which is a great touch to add to the atmosphere of a new world.

It was one thing to read about the "ruins" of the world world where Shay and Tally would sneak out to, but getting to see them was really awesome. You get to see how the "rusties" as were called, lived, and its erie because these are our cities that they're playing in. The ruins of our life are their playground.

The other great part about having this be a graphic novel is that you get to see how beautiful these young girls are and yet theyre being told that they're ugly. They have selfdepricating nicknames like skinny, squinty, and mouse. Hearing the conversations that Shay and Tally have about what Tally wants to change about herself is so sad because that is what is wrong with society now. Westerfeld's statement about that society is what our society is, essentially we tell young girls that their nose is too big, their forehead is too high and their lips are too small, except in New Pretty Town that all changes because at 16 they change you and make you this mold of who they want you to be and not who you are. We are slowly turning our society into this world of vapid people who are untinteresting and get surgery whenever and why ever they want.

Westerfeld had a lot to say on the matter of how we make young people feel and I was really glad for it. The entire series took up 4 books (I'm sad to say I never finished them, but I think I will revisit the series) and now they are revisiting this wonderful world in the form of graphic novels. I wish that other authors would do that (Just because I'm greedy and never want the story to end) but I just can't wait to see what the next one will be like.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Start for the series but the rest... July 2, 2012

By Alexander

Format:Paperback

I really enjoyed this book and I looked forward to it because I had read other books from the author. I am not a teenager, but I am a SciFi fan and not realizing this was a teen book I checked it out. Loved it. Great ideas. Believable characters. He keeps a sense of mystery about the story line. Good ending with an obvious opening for a sequel but still having a satisfying ending. This is a fabulous book.

So naturally I decided the read the rest of the series and while I think it is worthwhile reading "Pretties" and "Specials" the actual subject matter of these sequels is a little jarring to the average parent of teens. It is not something I would want my teenager to be reading without some parental guidance, explanation and a little questioning as to why my teenager found interest in this series.

Spoiler alert on "Pretties" and "Specials":

Not to give too much away on the follow-on books but some of the characters involve themselves in "cutting". As I recall they mention it ever so briefly in Uglies but it becomes a major part of the plot in Pretties and Specials. You can read about it at WebMD. It is a valid teenage subject since most teens know someone in their school who is cutting themselves, but it is a subject best reviewed by parents with their teens.

This book, "Uglies", is a good book and I am recommending it but remember that it is mild in comparison to the follow-on books... somewhat like Twilight by Stephanie Myer which is a vampire love story but in subsequent books the story line gets progressively strange, addictive and probably not good for teenage girls in terms of role-modeling love relationships. (It's not just "Don't fall in love with a vampire," but keep in mind that the women in drug rehab love the Twilight series. Just so you know.) Don't think (as a parent) that as you read the first book you understand where the author is going with the series. Check them ALL out.

Just FYI. Your choice.