Ah, so nice to have a post without a picture of me . . .
So you may remember not long ago when I posted about the UK cover of Uglies.
Well, the trilogy is coming out at a fast and furious pace in the UK, thanks to a crack team of unsleeping translators, so I already have the British version of Pretties in hand:
You know, when the first UK cover came my way, I hadn’t seen any episodes of Nip/Tuck. Now I’m watching the show, and enjoying it, and realizing how much these covers riff on it. (Which is a good thing: intertextuality R us.) I think it’s the dotted lines that really make the connection for me, though I know that present-day plastic surgeons actually draw them on people before cutting them up. (All together now: Eww.)
Another nice symmetry is that the UK covers have followed the US color scheme so far. That is, blue/green for Book 1 and pink/red for Book 2.
Here’s all four covers for comparison:
Discuss.
PS Pretties comes out in the UK in July this year, and Specials in December. In the US, it’s May 9 for Specials.
What are they going to do for Specials? Give the barbies knives and fangs?
The US covers are cool but I think I dig the UK ones more. I *love* the one for Uglies; it’s just got this deeply messed-up vibe.
I predict they’ll use Bratz(TM) dolls for Specials. Those are … weird.
(Very much enjoyed Uglies and Pretties; can’t wait for Specials!)
Ditto what Hal said. The whole idea of Barbie as the apotheosis of what beauty should be has more resonance for me than actual human pretty people on the cover. But that’s me.
“…thanks to a crack team of unsleeping translators”
Translating from American to English is such an arduous task…
i think that the books on Uglies going on to Pretties then going on to Specials is an amazing trilogy. It was so much fun to read. And they were so good that I can jardly sleep until May when the last book comes out. It was so amazing and I would love to have a long talk with Scott Westerfeld.
Have you settled on a tagline for Specials yet, Scott? And I think it’s cute how you say ‘here in the US’. For God’s sake man, you’re in Sydney, Australia!
I like the UK ones a lot… they are slightly disturbing, in a good kind of way, if that makes sense. I can’t wait for the third one to come out. kudos to you and the book cover designers.
I really like the UK covers, but it may cause people to misread the genre… I’d never suspect a book like that being more science fiction oriented… But they are totally awesome!
The US covers… I love the Uglies cover… I think that also is a bit misleading, but the cover also proves to be the reason why I picked the book up, which in turn led to me reading more of your books. Although I really enjoy the Specials cover, the Pretties cover doesn’t turn me on.
hahahahahahaha I love what Darice said:
“I predict they’ll use Bratz(TM) dolls for Specials. Those are … weird.”
hahahahahaha
Those scare me…
Yeah, the UK ones are much creepier. Especially the first one, with its surgical apparatus + no faces.
But Pretties is definitely going to bought by at least one reader looking for some pink-book chick-lit, and they’re going to freak out in about two pages. “Hoverboards? They’re going for a date on hoverboards?”
Heh, heh.
And yes, I’m in Australia. Fixed. Oops.
May 9th is forever from now. Sigh.
“May 9th is forever from now. Sigh.”
Yes. But March 1st is less than four weeks away (Blue Noon release date…YAY!)
Those dolls absolutely cracked me up.
I actually like the UK cover much better…
yeah the non-US books always get the cooler covers. scott if they put bratz on the cover. . . man. . .bad image. yeah you finished blue noon forever ago…and they come out at like the same time, whats up wiht that? well not really the same…..ok, shuting-up. i like the date on ahoverboard thing though . . . sounds like fun.
I personally prefer the US covers because I think the UK ones look a bit cheesy or too flamboyant. Not to mention that the UK cover for Pretties just reminds me of the cover on Meg Cabot’s book: Size 12 Is Not Fat. But apparently everyone else likes the UK cover so its all good.
Neat covers. Little girls will probably pick those up thinking “Oooo! Barbie!” And get a whole lotta…not-barbie.
So May 9th, eh? That’s my parents anniversary. Hahaha.
Can’t wait, maaan. What with the cliffhangers and the like…
What does a translator do when translating an American book for English people? I know that those wildly popular wizard books (*pretends she’s not wearing a Hufflepuff shirt*) have UK and American versions, but I always thought they were taking the Brit slang and making it American. Do they do that the other way around for you?
And erm, I must confess that I like the American covers better. The images of the faces are really powerful, and I looked at them a lot, when I read.
And DEFINITELY with a chick lit reader buy one and freak out. I’m excited about that. 😀 Means more sales for you.
I CANT WAIT UNTIL MAY 9th!!!!!!!! *dances around room*
That is also my friend’s birthday and she reads the trilogy too! She will be SO excited! 😀
May 9th! Yessssssss! Thank you Scott! Although you probably didn’t do it for me in particular…
May 9th! Sorry. Happy! Also, cool covers for UK.
I find the UK covers a little more disturbing (which is good).
I mean, I can’t say all, because I wasn’t one of them, but there are A LOT of little girls out there who idealize the Barbie doll as the perfection of girls. Seeing them all mutilated like that, (which is what all of mine looked similar to) gives off that eerie vibe parallel to that of the book. It’s wicked cool.
But I did enjoy the US covers because I found them very realistic as a chart, so to say, because I could see the difference between the covers. I think that, by default, I’d have to pick the US ones as my favorite. 🙂
Be well all.
I also have a grin on my face, noting that the book comes out 8 days before my birthday. 🙂 So thanks, Scott.
I must say I like both sets of covers equally.
The UK ones have that lovely demented feeling, but the US versions give you a little head start visualizing the characters. 🙂
true bailey, true. and i do think that the barbies give an image of wannabe perfection to young girls. and that relating the barbie to a pretty (what everyone wants to look like, but there are bad consequences(spelling??) really shows that perfection is over rated. im not sure if that makes sense to anyone but me tho…
I have to say, the US ones are better, although Pretties wasn’t as good as Uglies (the cover I mean)
I really like that Specials cover you posted. I hope you use it. In fact, if you don’t use it….we’re back to that whole I_Can’t_Say_I’ll_Kill_You_Because_I_Might_Be_A_Terrorist thing. Oh well. Just use it, please!
Oh dear
May 9th
Well it was actually earlier than I expected
It’s going to drive me crazy
I read both uglies and pretties within probably 5 days. And that really is a huge record for me.
I haven’t picked up a book since last summer but (I never thought I would say this) thank god for the book report we had to do in english or I never would have discovered the series. Keep up the good work I truly enjoy the series.
Oh, you’re getting all fancy now. METRIC measuring tape…
I like the covers, both American and British! Can’t wait to read Specials (right now I’m fine, though, reading Midnighters.)
well why wouldnt he use metric? america is the only country screwed up enough to use standard. if it was in standard, then people in england would say “Oh, you’re getting all fancy now. STANDARD measuring tape…”
but they arent b/c it isn’t… i am being really random today.
Not very fancy at all. The entire world—except the USA—is metric. Y’all is backward.
I like both ((both?…all.)) covers. I think I’m used to the US ones, being here…but the UK ones are neat too. I especially like the UK Uglies cover.
There’s something very demented about that picture.
How I love these books! I’ve gotten my boyfriend into them as well and they’ve gotten us into many theological discussions…how this is kind of already taking place, as mentioned by *you*, Mr. Scott-sir. =D
I absolutely cannot wait for Specials.
“Y’all is backward” is incorrect grammar…If you must use a southern twang, “Y’all are backward”…though it would sound “Y’all er backward.” *Grins* I’m weird, but, I’m from the south, so I know what I’m talking about haha.
“Y’all is backward” is Afro-American ebonics, though, so it can be right, too. *grin*
Ahoy! I love the UK covers!! I like the bright pink and the blue and the barbies. I especially like the measuring tape wrapped around Barbie! They’re so cool they make me want to buy it from the UK, which would be kinda hard to, not to mention expensive. they’re AWESOME!
uh the barbie dolls are kinda no wicked scary
Ohh march 1st…counting down!
Metric….well, it IS the UK version. I’m sure if it was US it would be standard.
no we get the one with the face….
Well yeah, but if it were the US one with the dolls, then we’d get us some standard measuring…and it would probably be some well known american doll…like Bratz. 😛
Ya know if only one country in the world measures things the way y’all do it’s not really standard, is it?
No, not really. People are screwy.
You know, I was thinking about that. Instead of Metric and Standard, (Standard….cocky freakin’ Americans….I’m American so that’s not offensive.) It should be Metric and Weird.
…Actually me and ze B are Italian and Scottish and English…and a whole bunch of other things. So really, we were only born here. 🙂
When I was editing textbooks (a long time ago), the US units were called “traditional.” Which is sort of like a world for old-fashioned . . .
Have you guys read Dess’s rant on the metric issue?
Go here . . . and click on “Walks Like a Foot. Talks Like a Foot.”
yes i love that blog..
I first read about these on BoingBoing, went out and got ’em, and I LOVE them. If my stepkids are good I might share, but they’ve already stolen my T.H. White books so I’m thinking of locking the bookcase.
Ok, so the UK already has Specials, and the US has to wait till spring…what about us stuck up here in the Great White North? We get the British language version of The Wizard Books, so perhaps we oughta get earlier versions of yours, too. I’m just sayin’.
PS. I’m sorry, I used to be a professional proofreader, so I noticed a couple of discrepancies; are Tally’s Pretty eyes silver or copper? And was she in the wild for months or two weeks? I can’t turn that part of my brain off, I apologize.
Here’s my two cents as a librarian in a middle school in California:
The US covers have much more kid appeal. And I think Uglies has the reserve-list record in my library (10 so far).
Also, I’m not sure that someone looking for chick lit will be completely disappointed, so long as they like adventure too. I think Westerfeld achieved a Rowling-like feat of melding genres in this book. When is the last time you read a dystopian novel for teens that actually had an exciting plot? Not to mention romance, friendships, betrayals, excellent world-building… (Yes, I’m wishing the next few months away too…)
And as for Kipling’s comments: wasn’t it that Tally was in the wild for two weeks but pretended to be there for months to explain why she left so late?
Oops – forgot Feed. What a Pretty Headed unit I am!
but while I LOVED Feed also, I don’t remember it being as exciting an adventure.
I like the UK covers better than the US ones- I live in the US and I’ve never seen the UK ones. They look cooler.
I love these books and so do all of my friends- We all have weird arguements about what is going to happen next becuase Specials hasn’t come out here yet. I wish I lived in England becuase A- I could read Specials; and B_ I could be proud of my goverment. (Sorry to get political on you. 😉 )
definitely like the uk covers, they’re creepy but in a good way- they make you think. (but i’m not complaining.) just gotta say i loved the books and i can’t wait for specials to come out.
ps. i agree with isabel on the whole ‘wish i lived in england’ deal.
I really pictured the people on the covers so differently.. I pictured Pretties as Innocent looking doe eyed teenagers.. and symmetrical faces xD I’d really like for you to explain who the people are on the Pretties cover please.
i absolutly love the whole uglies trilogy…..im counting the days down till speacials come out…soooooo yea keep up the good work
p.s.your my fave author
~ashley~