Book Review: I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
The sci-fi geek in me was excited to read this book – there was tons of pre-release hype this summer, not to mention they started filming the movie version before the book was even released! I LOVE the story’s hook: Nine aliens living on earth are being hunted by their enemies, and a magic charm keeps them safe by forcing the bad guys to kill them in a certain order … they have killed the first three, and our hero is number four.
I thought this was a great story, with lots of action and suspense. The book starts off strong, with the dramatic murder of number 3 and then going into the lonely, nomadic life of John Smith (number four) and his guardian, Henri. John is one of the last survivors of the Lorien race, one of the elite Garde, who inherit varied unique powers called Legacies as they mature. They came to Earth when they were small children; each with a Cêpan, or Keeper. The Keepers watch over them as they grow and protect them from the Mogadorians, the evil race that destroyed Lorien. I enjoyed learning about the Loriens throughout the book and getting the backstory, as told in John’s dreams and conversations with Henri.
John longs to stay in one place long enough to make friends, have a life and feel normal. Henri has to uproot them frequently to avoid detection by the Mogadorians. John and Henri take off again after the death of number three (which John knows because the charm brands rings around their ankles when one of them dies) and land in Paradise, Ohio. This is where the book bogs down a bit for me – the standard coming of age stuff – trying to fit in, make friends, standing up to bullies, liking a girl. Of course, John is also dealing with his developing Legacies at the same time, and trying not to get killed by those pesky evil aliens. I liked Sam, the friend who is into alien conspiracies – he was a little comic relief. I also liked the “dog” Bernie Kosar – I’m a sucker for pets in a story. Unfortunately, John and Sarah’s romance was the most unbelievable part of the book for me – they seemed to have nothing in common, their conversations somewhat flat. AND – she wasn’t even the tiniest bit freaked out or skeptical when he finally revealed he was an alien – um, really? The book was not as emotionally resonant as I thought it could be because of that (perhaps that’s because it’s aimed at the mainstream male teen crowd).
Let me also mention that this book is ascribed to Pittacus Lore, an alien elder who came to earth and is preparing for war with his fellow race. Actually, Pittacus Lore is a pseudonym for authors James Frey and Jobie Hughes. There have been some strange and (I think) cheesy interviews conducted with ”Lore” to generate publicity - here’s one: http://bit.ly/c4cn8e.
Don’t let that gimmick stop you from reading this story, however. The ending is action-packed and fast, and when all is said and done, I’d like to know where this story is going to go next.
I give this book 4 STACKS!
See you in the STACKS, Nancy
Thanks for the review! I like a good sci fi book every now and then.
Grrrr, I WANT strong romance in this. Is that bad?
no. I want it too!!
I’m a bit conflicted on this book. I’ve seen mixed reviews….people either love it or hate it. I suspect I’ll read it but might push it further down the pile though.