I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies #1) by Pittacus Lore (2010)

I am number four

YA Fiction | Paranormal: AliensBlurb:

“Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books–but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. We have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next.”
–Goodreads

pooled ink Review:

Okay I know this is a book review but can I just say real quick: WHY OH WHY did they make only ONE movie?! I found this book at Barnes & Noble then a few months later I found out that it was made into a movie and was coming out in the movie theaters in a just few weeks. I went and saw the movie with a friend and we were both totally won over. The movie was AMAZING. I guess it didn’t do well enough in the box office to warrant a sequel but I will exist forever disappointed. SO GOOD. So yes I’m going to talk about the book in a moment but also please oh please just watch the movie. Okay cool. Moving on.

So the book. First of all if you dig around enough on the internet you can discover the real identity behind the “author” Pittacus Lore but I’ll let you decide if you want to find out. Personally I found it fun how the author decided to forgo using any mention of their name and instead insist on assuming the identity of an ancient Lorien as the author. It’s a pretty cool idea in my opinion and the fact that when this book first came out it was so hard to find out anything even hinting to Pittacus Lore being anyone but alien leader Pittacus Lore added a level of intrigue and fun to the book.

The story itself is pretty good. Honestly I definitely picture Four aka John Smith as the actor who portrayed him in the movie (Alex Pettyfer) because he’s far more appealing than the dude my brain conjured up just based on the book description. Not super important I guess but my blog is self-described as “honest babble about books.”

The whole thing was done quite well. Lore was able to intertwine the Lorien race with our present day human race so completely that I was honestly half convinced and questioning my own reality. I was so totally prepared to meet a Lorien and help fight the good fight or even – deep inhale – discover that I too was a Lorien. Haha no such luck of course but still it was fun to pretend and not difficult to do while I was wrapped up reading this book.

I felt like this book contained a generally good balance of elements. It had high school teenage life (hence it being YA Fiction), it had aliens and sci-fi, it had football and cheerleaders, it had action, death, war, and epic-ness, it had romance and friendship. It was an adventure with something for everyone. It was sci-fi for sure but not so much that only stereotypical sci-fi geeks would be into it. It had romance but not so much that only googly-eyed school girls would enjoy it. It had plenty of high-speed action and adventure, paranormal aspects, mystery, good versus evil, you name it it was probably in there somewhere.

This book was a great read and the movie is an awesome adaptation. So go read it and then go watch it and then just sit back in awe and satisfaction as you imagine yourself slow-motion strutting away from an exploding bungalow on the beach.

Cheers.

Originally read and rated on January 10, 2011

Purchase here:

I Am Number Four (book)

I Am Number Four (movie)

Check out the rest of the series: The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies #2), The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies #3), The Fall of Five (Lorien Legacies #4), The Revenge of Seven (Lorien Legacies #5), and The Fate of Ten (Lorien Legacies #6)

Recommended similar books: The Calling (Endgame #1) by James Frey, Sing Sweet Nightingale by Erica Cameron