I am returning to the world of Uglies with four new novels. The first three are OUT NOW.
You can buy them in physical bookstores or order them online here.
Perhaps you have some questions?
More of a comment than a question . . .
Ugh.
. . . watching that trailer, I thought it was a TV show or a movie!
Lol. Got you.
These are books. Four novels. We still like novels, right?
Sure. But will there be a movie?
Today’s news is about FOUR NEW NOVELS.
Okay. Are you writing them?
Of course!
I know, I’ve been doing collaborations to stretch myself lately—the Spill Zone graphic novels with Alex (read them online!) and the Zeroes series with Margo and Deb—but this is a solo project.
Where are these books set? Same world? Same time frame?
They take place in the Uglies future, after Tally’s revolution has changed everything. As she once said, “Freedom has a way of destroying things.” The Imposters series is about dealing with the consequences of ending the Pretty Regime. The story starts in a city where things did not work out well. Bad people are in charge.
Dystopian!
Correct. But we also will travel to other cities where things aren’t all bad. This new series is about all the expressions of human nature that’ve popped up after more than ten years of social upheaval.
More than ten years! Is Tally in these books? (Wouldn’t she be, like, super old?)
Lol. She’s, like, THIRTY.
Yes, she is a character in the world. But she’s not a point-of-view character (in the first book, anyway). She’s more like a famous person in the background.
What’s Impostors about then?
A girl named Frey, who’s been raised from birth to pretend to be someone else. She’s a body double. A bodyguard. An impostor!
It’s about the roles that our parents and society force upon us, and how we fight to create our own identities, to invent selves that really belongs to us.
Is that Frey in the trailer?
Not really. This was more of a “Remember Uglies? There’s more!” reveal. There will be another trailer this summer that goes into the plot and characters of Impostors.
Where’s the cover?
Coming soon. It’s lovely.
FORGET COVERS ARE THEIR HOVERBOARDS IN THIS BOOK?
WHAT A QUESTION OF COURSE THERE ARE HOVERBOARDS
Also lots of other cool new tech, never seen before in the Uglies universe.
Like?
Spy dust, suborbitals, lupine surgery, cyranos.
What do those words mean???
Read the book.
Why did you go back to the Uglies world after all this time?
The real world was, like, “Dude. Even stable-seeming democracies are built on seriously rickety underpinnings. Do you really think a bunch of recently awoken bubbleheads are going to make good choices?”
And I was, like, “Dude . . . ”
Dude.
Yeah. Also I had a bunch of science fictional ideas kicking around in my head, and once I came up with Frey’s story, they all started to click.
But you said four books. What are the other three about?
This series mostly follow the adventures of Frey. But later on in the series, Tally (and some other familiar characters) will play a bigger role. The new Uglies world will get bigger and bigger.
There will be one book a year. A book every September till 2021!
Important question here: Is there any romance in Impostors?
There is! But the Love Interest doesn’t know who Frey really is, of course, because she’s an impostor—like in the title! So everything is very tricky, and also our pair are from different sides politically.
Hang on. A guy doesn’t really know who the heroine really is, and they’re on opposite sides? Isn’t that kind of like Leviathan?
Um, Frey isn’t pretending to be a boy. But yes, I do like to play with hidden identities and complicated politics and secrets. Romeo and Juliet is a Thing for a Reason!
Also, unlike with Alek and Deryn, this guy won’t take three frickin’ books to figure it out.
Lol.
Lol.
Wait. You’re writing both sides of this dialog. So this is just you laughing at your own joke.
I slay me.
Any other questions about Impostors?
Why isn’t it call Cakes?
It’s true. “Pretty” is the last word in Uglies, “special” is the last word in Pretties, “ugly” is the last word in Specials, and “cake” is the last word in Extras. So it should be called Cakes.
But the cake is a lie.
Why do you keep spelling it “Impostors” instead of “Imposters”?
Because an “imposter” is someone who works in an impost office. DO YOU WANT TO READ YA BOOKS ABOUT CUSTOMS OFFICIALS? (If you do, there’s probably fan fic.)
Okay. One last question . . . um, IS there ever going to an Uglies movie or TV show?
¯\_(?)_/¯
I mean, who knows with Hollywood? But maybe if Impostors is a HUGE bestseller . . .
If you have any more questions, put them in the comments below.
Ohmygosh I’ve never been so excited for anything in my life (and I’m super excitable)! Uglies is my favourite book series thank you so much for continuing it (although please don’t repeat THAT Zane incident)
Will Aya Fuse be in them?
im literally so excited. for a 6th grade book report i read uglies and from then on.. I WAS HOOKED. im going to be graduating highschool around the time the last of the four books will be out and im excited. ill have one to read each year!!
Yyyaaaaayyy!!!! Uglies is by far my most favorite book universe EVER!!!! I’m so pumped!!!
Omg someone please make the Uglies series a movie or tv show. Would be way better than Hunger Games and Divergent. I hear people talk about how great those movies were and how it shows a corrupt society, and all I can think is that the Uglies series shows the same thing and came out before those other books did.!!!
Mr. Westerfeld,
I’m currently rereading the Uglies series and happened to think about your website. What a wonderful surprise to see a trailer for four more books! I’ve loved this series for years, and I’m taking them on my first deployment in a few weeks. They never get old, and I’m never too old to read them. Many thanks for your hard work and continuation as a writer!
OMG I’m literally screaming!!!
I LOVE this series and I can’t wait to see it continue!
You are one of my favorite authors and I love to read your books.
I actually just finished Nexus from the Zeroes series and enjoyed it so much!
This is the best news I have gotten all year!!
Long time no see, Scott! We met when I was like 14, and you’ve given me advice on self-publishing and finishing books. You’ve also helped me with writing in a lot of ways with the wonderful blog posts you’ve done about how to be better at writing (basically). Especially voices, which I’m trying to focus on for my fifth (fifth!!) book (and working on publishing my fourth).
So real quick THANK YOU ALWAYS for all your encouragement and help and I’ll never forget you e-mailing me back to talk to me about publishing books. (That was 8 years ago!)
I cannot express how much fun it has been to follow your career and I have read most of the books you’ve put out (which reminds me, I need to finish the Zeroes trilogy!) but I have grown increasingly frustrated with YA fiction these days. It all seems very “two boiz lyke her?? but who she choose??? WUT HAPPEN???” and then three or four books stretching out a story that could have been done better in one or two.
I never felt this way about the Uglies series, though. Every book was fleshed out with its own important arc, the characters were fun to read, and the adventure was heart-pounding and impossible to put down. I’ve re-read the books many times and have found a lot of inspiration from them (and dystopian continues to be my favorite genre, to read AND write)!!
I’ve always held the series very close to my heart, and when I saw on a Reddit comment that you were coming back to it I had to come to your blog immediately and see if it was true. Really really???
Anyway. All I can say is it’s been a wonderful twelve years and I continue to be inspired by you and love reading your works, both in collaboration and solo, and seeing this blog post has made me excited to read again. Your books always reignite that passion of reading for mine! Thank you!
So as for questions…
What did you struggle with the most when writing Impostors?
Did you re-read the original series as inspiration or as an aid to return to the original writing style and ideas?
Is Frey also a teenager, or is she a little older to better relate to the crowd who read Uglies when THEY were teenagers, and are now in their 20’s and 30’s? (No pressure.)
What about Frey’s personality can we expect?
Finally, just a thank you for giving me another reason to re-read the Uglies series. Can’t wait, Scott!! Best!
By the way, your writing advice articles are GREAT…would you consider writing a publishing advice article? Or directing me one I can’t seem to find despite scouring your site? Just if you feel inspired to! I’m sure I can’t be the only writer here looking for insight into the publishing world.
Thank you!
There are so many things going around about an uglies movie!! Are any of them true? I LOVE the series btw
I’m an old lady of 43, but I am reading the Uglies series and enjoying them thoroughly! I am on Extras and I’m happy that I won’t have that “last book” sadness. I was wondering, however, if you will continue to treat religion as a foolish thing in these next books. I don’t want to come across as a grouchy, Bible-thumper, but is any discussion about religion even necessary? The Hunger Games was a thrilling series and didn’t mention it at all. And I don’t think the snarky comments further your story. It just lets people of faith know your opinion of them. Since it doesn’t really advance the story, it just seems like unnecessary disrespect to those of us who have a faith, which I think is beneath you. My two cents. :0)
I should probably finally read the first series, then. They’ve been on my shelf for ages. 😉
As a super-Leviathan-fan, I feel like I should come to Alek’s defense and point out that he didn’t take three books. It happened around, what, a quarter into the third book, and he didn’t even *meet* Deryn until half-way through the first, so it was more like one and three-quarters books that it took him. Which is practically immediately for a fifteen-year-old boy to pick up on something about a girl.
I hope this news eventually gets followed by news of a WWII story in the Leviathan-verse.
I’m so happy and excited for the next four books. I did not think that there would ever be more than the books that I fell in love with not so long ago. P.s. the book Uglies was the first book that I actually ever like. Uglies showed me how to love to read!
DUDE. I can’t even. I’ve read the Uglies series so many times. Even listened to it on CD when I was on the road during college. Obviously can’t stand that it hasn’t been made into a movie franchise yet, but new books in the Uglies world?! YES PLEASE. THANK YOU. Beyond stoked!
Alright. I’m gonna be that person.
What happened to the third Shay’s Story mangaaaaaa???? I wanted to see them as Specials! I wanted to see what happened in between Shay ditching Tally and then rescuing her from the hospital!! I love this series so much, I’ve been doing voice recordings of my favorite parts for YEARS!!! I even did recordings from the mangas!! I’m gonna cry if the last one doesn’t come out!
I am so excited! So much of what you wrote in the Uglies series resonates with today and with many other popular science fiction. With Young Adult novels being even more popular than they were when you wrote the first trilogy, I can see this getting big. 😉
Also I’m pretty selfish; I’ve always liked your science fiction (even going back to Fine Prey) the most!
I’ve already pre-ordered but please let us know about advance copies or upcoming tours!
Super stoked that you are coming out with another series, you’re an amazing author & I can never seem to put the books down!??
#BEST NEWS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me and my friend are huuuge fans of Uglies and a return to Tally’s world will be epic! (Currently we are doing a project on Uglies so this news will make it all the better.)
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the first time that I comment here but I just wanted to say that it is too cool and that YOUR BOOKS ARE INCREDIBLY GREAT!!! Be sure I will read them as soon as they are available! 😉
This is the first time that I comment here but I just wanted to say that it is too cool and that YOUR BOOKS ARE INCREDIBLY GREAT!!! Be sure I will read them as soon as they are ahe first time that I comment here but I just wanted to say that it is too cool and that YOUR BOOKS ARE INCREDIBLY great! Be sure I will read them as soon as they are available!vailable! 😉
OMYGOSH!! I heard about Uglies a long time ago and so I just finished reading the trilogy (Extras is being shipped to my library and I’m dying during the wait!) and cannot wait for the new series!! I love your work (at least what i’ve read so far), Mr. Scott and you have full support from me!! I’m so excited to read these books, especially like a treat every year until I graduate I’m pretty sure 🙂 Anyway, I’m so excited and aHHh!!! This is so bubbly-making! 😉 (Hopefully I used the term right lol.)
Also^ why does it say 4:22 AM? That’s like an 8 hour difference. It’s like evening where I am lol.
Hey Scott,
I read the books when looking through an old teacher’s bookshelf. I practically stole the first two books. It’s been a year since I finished Extras. So, the question on my mind is… Will we see more of Aya? I loved her character. Some of what she went through really hit it home for me. I’d love to see more of her.
Please do the same with the Leviathan series!! Maybe you could fast forward a couple years to WW2. I would love to know how different the alternate world would be!
What about Aya Fuse?
I LOVED IMPOSTERS!!! I have not read the Uglies series, but I STILL LOVED IT! I could understand everything, like Imposters could be a stand-alone novel! I’m itching for more! Do you have a date for when the second Imposters book will be coming out?
Okay … I’m finished with Imposters … when are the next 3 coming??? #FifthGradeTeacher #Obsessed
So when do we get book two!!! So excited read book one in a dayyyyyy!!!
I’ve recently started reading Impostors, just finished chapter “Spines” and it’s driving me nuts. Why is Yandre introduced to as “one of Col’s friends, eldest child of…” (Singular) And thereafter referred to in plural pronouns?? They talked to their brother, their flash tattoo, their dress. I’m so confused……
OK SCOTT I HAVE QUESTIONS
What is the Rusty city where Schreve is now settled? What about Victoria? Paz sounds like it’s in Rusty Baja California, so is Victoria in Phoenix area?
Who is the model on the cover of Impostors? She looks like Elizabeth Moss from Handmaids Tale, which is kinda funny because that’s also dystopian.
IM SO FRIGGIN EXCITED I DIDNT REALIZE YOU CONTINUED THE UNIVERSE UNTIL A FEW MONTHS AGO AND IM JUST NOW READING THIS BOOK AND I FEEL LIKE IM 12 AGAIN
Also, to Melinda who commented about Yandre’s character – Yandre is non-binary from what I can tell, and the characters use gender neutral singular they/them pronouns to refer to them! I think it’s amazing Scott has included a non-binary character in his novel without it being a plot decide. That is pretty new in terms of mainstream YA fiction and it makes me very very proud!
OF COURSE YOU HAVE TO WRITE MORE BOOKS! NO AND I MEAN NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. I LOVE YOUR BOOKS. LIKE LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!
Omg omg I. Love. Frey.
What made you come up with the idea of Impostors and the uglies world
You should do the same thing for the midnighters trilogy Cole back and write 4 more books for that series as well 😉
Just finished Impostors, and I can’t wait for more. This series has been a love of mine for years and I’m thrilled this world lives on!
(Also thanks for releasing right before my birthday. Can’t wait to kick out a whole book on the 20th)
—JP
Mh birthday is in the same month!!!!!! I’ve been waiting for this to HAPPEN!!!!!!
Hello! I love the uglies series so much. I still remember you visiting my middle school to talk about them and signing my copy of pretties! Looking forward to reading these as a young adult; other series aren’t the same. (I’m 23 now and read uglies at around 11-12.)
Side note, you really should make a film or tv series for these books. Super underrated and it needs to happen. And if you need someone to play Tally… my Instagram is @whoiskyla. 🙂
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but my daughter and I would really love to see a movie series based on the Uglies Books. Any word on this? My daughter wants to audition for one of the parts:)
I already read the first two books of the new series I read them before I read the Uglies series so I was a bit confused.but impostors and scatter city was so good. So I decided while I wait for the next book to come out I might as well read the Uglies series it was amazing I read the whole series in about a week and a half I definitely recommend your books
I started reading your books when I was a teen and now a new series delving right back into that world is in the wprks.? I just got sucked in. I’m sad I have to wait two years. Two more books. I’m so excitedddd.
I really love the uglies series and I can not wait for more!!!!
I recently started reading the new impostors series and just literally finished the second book, can I just say I was so relieved to find out there was a second book! I was hooked on the series by just looking at the cover in a store. It’s so exciting to find out there was a whole series before it and now I need to get my hands on the previous and future books!