Extras, by Scott Westerfeld
Extras
by Scott Westerfeld
417 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/SF/YA
Aya Fuse is a kicker, a sort of futuristic video news blogger, but her face rank is in the two hundred thousands (out of one million) and she is constantly overshadowed by her famous older brother Hiro. In this novel, of course, Aya comes into her own and eventually shoots up to a much lower (i.e. better) rank. How low? About as low as you'd expect in a young adult coming-of-age story.
Suspenseful as usual, of the breezy but unmemorable type that I've come to rely on Westerfeld for. The interpretation of Japanese culture is overall deftly handled, especially the language barrier. The concept of a reputation-society was very cool, and it made sense for Japan. Every time they said "face rank," though, I thought of Facebook. Actually, I personally think that this standalone volume is better than the original trilogy. I certainly appreciated the less biased viewpoint of Tally, who is essentially self-centered (and since the trilogy is written in first-person, everything is filtered through her).
Recommended if you like this sort of thing (a very specific thing, which any of Westerfeld's books is an excellent introduction to).
by Scott Westerfeld
417 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/SF/YA
Aya Fuse is a kicker, a sort of futuristic video news blogger, but her face rank is in the two hundred thousands (out of one million) and she is constantly overshadowed by her famous older brother Hiro. In this novel, of course, Aya comes into her own and eventually shoots up to a much lower (i.e. better) rank. How low? About as low as you'd expect in a young adult coming-of-age story.
Suspenseful as usual, of the breezy but unmemorable type that I've come to rely on Westerfeld for. The interpretation of Japanese culture is overall deftly handled, especially the language barrier. The concept of a reputation-society was very cool, and it made sense for Japan. Every time they said "face rank," though, I thought of Facebook. Actually, I personally think that this standalone volume is better than the original trilogy. I certainly appreciated the less biased viewpoint of Tally, who is essentially self-centered (and since the trilogy is written in first-person, everything is filtered through her).
Recommended if you like this sort of thing (a very specific thing, which any of Westerfeld's books is an excellent introduction to).