I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies) [Kindle Edition]

Pittacus Lore (Author)

Book Description

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, August 2010: John Smith has just arrived in Paradise, Ohio, just another stop in a string of small towns where the 15-year-old has been hiding out from the Mogadorians. Those terrifying aliens are hellbent on destroying him and the other nine Loric children who have sought refuge on Earth. The Mogadorians are picking off the surviving kids in numerical order. The first three are dead and John's number is up. Will his Legacies, his defining super powers, develop in time for him to fight against the enemy? I Am Number Four is a breathless page-turner of a sci-fi novel that will have readers rooting for the teen alien who must unleash his fire power to save himself, his human friends, and the planet. This is the first of a slated multi-book series that, judging by this first book, will help reinvigorate a traditional YA genre that's grown a bit light on strong character development. So, gear-up sci-fi fans, the battle for Earth is on and there's a new kid in town! --Lauren Nemroff

Will Hill and Pittacus Lore: Author One-on-One

Will Hill's new thrilling trilogy kicks off with Department Nineteen. Recently he was able to ask some questions of the mysterious Pittacus Lore. Read the resulting Amazon-exclusive interview below, or turn the tables to see what happened when Pittacus interviewed Will.

Will: Number Four is told to blend in but he finds this a difficult task. Being a mysterious figure yourself, has this ever happened to you?

Pittacus: I have always taken great care to conceal my identity. I change my appearance regularly. I do not speak or correspond with many people. No one has ever suspected me of being what I am, which is an alien military leader with superpowers. If anyone ever does, it will be a bad day for me.

Will: Why is now the time to write the unknown history of the planet Lorien and the Nine? What do you think the people of Earth can learn from the Lorien Legacies?

Pittacus: We are in the middle of a war to save the remaining Lorien, and to save earth. We thought the people of earth might want to know about it. I hope humanity does not make the same mistake we did on our planet, which was to be unprepared the day war arrived on a grand scale.

Will: Who do you think would win in a fight, Dracula or a Mogadorian?

Pittacus: Dracula wouldn’t stand a chance. If he tried to drink Mogadorian blood he’d poison himself. It’s would be like drinking battery acid.

Will: Number Four has his legacies as his best weapon. Do you think John could be an agent of Department Nineteen?

Pittacus: Once we have vanquished the Mogadorians, maybe that is what he will become. He certainly has some mad skills.

Will: Sarah in I Am Number Four is in love with an alien. Jamie in Department Nineteen is falling for a vampire named Larissa. What makes young love just so difficult? Do you think these crazy kids/vampires/aliens will ever make it work?

Pittacus: Love is a beautiful and confusing thing. I hope they all live happily ever after.

Will: I Am Number Four has made the perfect action sci-fi movie. What has it been like to see this come to life on the big screen?

Pittacus: It’s been thrilling and fun and very cool. We’re hoping to see all six of the books become films.

Will: What can we expect in The Power of Six?

Pittacus: Six is a powerful young woman. Mogadorians fear her. In The Power of Six, we see why.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Despite the amazing powers that many of the people of Lorien possess, the planet was defeated and its natural resources looted by Mogadorians in a matter of days. Only nine children escaped with their guardians to Earth, where they planned to hide until they developed their powers in order to defeat their enemies and revive Lorien. The Mogadorians hunt the Nine and have already killed three of them. And that's just the backstory. When Number Four, bearing the name "John Smith," moves to Paradise, OH, he runs afoul of the school bully, falls for the most beautiful girl in town, and befriends the local alien conspiracy nerd in short order. There is plenty of great action, but the dialogue is average, as is the character development. With its interesting premises and a fast-pace telling, the story will grab readers who are willing to suspend quite a bit of disbelief. Others, who like their science fiction with a bit more science and internal logic, will have to search elsewhere.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 1023 KB
• Print Length: 452 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Reprint edition (August 3, 2010)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003SE75ZS
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,542 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #26 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction
  • #34 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction
  • #55 in Books > Teens > Love & Romance

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

279 of 310 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars This Pittacus Lore fella sure can spin a yarn... July 8, 2010

By H. Bala TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Man, this book is seriously garnering heaps of exposure, what with its already having been optioned for a movie, this movie scheduled for a 2011 release. I AM NUMBER FOUR, which admittedly is an awesome title, is penned by someone named Pittacus Lore, who claims to be a ten thousand year old space alien seeking to warn us of hostile other aliens currently lurking in our midst. This is cute. Except that two folks named Jobie Hughes and James Frey are the actual authors.

The high stakes premise goes like this: Nine alien children have fled their annihilated homeworld of Lorien and have sought refuge on Earth. Having scattered to the winds, they are being hunted down, one by one, by a separate and malevolent extraterrestrial race from a dying planet. Thanks to a quasi-mystical protective charm placed on the Nine, they can only be killed in order (although, my bet is that Number One doesn't regard this charm as all that "protective"). As the book opens, three of the Nine have already been tracked down and murdered. So we come to Number Four.

His name used to be Daniel Jones. It used to be something else before that, and then something else before that, and so on. Ten years on Earth, ten years of hiding and staying always on the move and staying safe and alive... this is the life of Number Four and his guardian and mentor whose name is Henri (oddly, Henri's alien accent sounds very much like a French accent). Number Four has just collected a new scar circling his right ankle, this an indicator that another of the Nine has been recently slain. Three scarred rings around his ankle, and so Number Four knows he's next. And it's time to pack up the bags again, time again to get the eff out of Dodge.

Henri and Number Four - or "John Smith," his new assumed name - have always gravitated to tiny towns, conjecturing that their hunters would stick out more like sore thumbs in tiny towns. They end up in Paradise, Ohio. For John it's another try at blending in in school but without making friends, because no one can be trusted. Except that it's a little different this time. John Smith befriends a geeky kid who is a science-fiction enthusiast. He adopts a stray mutt named Bernie Kosar (and Bernie Kosar, by the way, is easily the book's breakout character). And John Smith also meets a girl. So much for staying on one's guard.

My first impression, while reading the first few pages of this book, was that this whole thing is very reminiscent of two short-lived television sci-fi shows: THE POWERS OF MATTHEW STAR from the early '80s and, more recently, ROSWELL. But then, pressing on, I guess it's inevitable that comparisons to the X-Men would surface. The Nine teens are holing up while waiting for their superhuman powers (called Legacies) to develop. These Legacies vary, and there's no guessing as to which abilities a Nine would latch up to. Number Four is at that age when his Legacies would shortly begin to crop up. And they do start cropping up, one by one, and there is a really fun factor in watching our sympathetic alien boy try to cope with each incoming talent.

Gratifyingly, the alien hunters from Mogadore aren't only downright intimidating, they seem even more powerful than the Nine and their guardians (and the guardians aren't at all equipped with superpowers). This drives up the suspense. What I AM NUMBER FOUR has going for it is its irresistible sci-fi/superhero premise and a pace that really moves. Number Four is a likable protagonist, although someone needs to explain to him the exact definition of keeping a low profile. After all, dude is supposed to be in hiding and fitting in. He really doesn't do much of either. None of the supporting cast break out of their stereotypical mold, and only the scene-stealing dog Bernie Kosar seems to be an original character. I will say that John's geeky pal Sam does come up with a touching reason for why he's such a sci-fi freak and why he wears those fugly prescription glasses. And as much as I dig Sarah, her and John Smith's teen romance feels like any other teen romance in YA lit. It comes in a nice, predictable package. Sarah is gorgeous and nice... and, well, bland. Another issue I have concerns a high school bully whose turnaround comes too abruptly. Perhaps the most intriguing element in the book concerns the mystery surrounding the very peculiar Bernie Kosar (see how I keep coming back to the dog?).

I AM NUMBER FOUR is the first book in a planned six-book series, and it reads very visual, especially in the explosive action sequences, and no wonder this is being made into a movie. Number Four performs bits of astounding derring-do throughout the book, but things get really amped up during the final 90 pages. It all culminates in one of those blistering "Release the Kraken!" Jim Butcher-type paranormal (except it's sci-fi) shoot-'em-outs. I can see why Bay and Spielberg are salivating so.

I liked this book, and will most definitely be thre when the sequels come out. But here's the thing, if you're hanging your hat on something that's on par with the likes of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series or even Michael Grant's Gone novels, this won't suit you. I AM NUMBER FOUR isn't as immersing or resonant as those books. THE HUNGER GAMES made me well up in places. GONE reads like LORD OF THE FLIES as co-authored by Rod Serling and Stephen King. I AM NUMBER FOUR had me eating up all the "superhero without a costume" elements, and it's always nice when you can transfer yourself onto a central character who is superstrong and superfast and who won't back down from bullies. I did really like that a surprise character shows up very late in the book, and it looks like she'll be heavily featured in future installments. I'll give this one 4 stars out of 5, because I'm shallow like that and big, bold, f/x-heavy fighty fights never ever fail to transfix me. And because the dog Bernie Kosar is in it.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A sci-fi adventure that guys and girls can get on board with February 13, 2011

By Noelle Posadas

Format:Kindle Edition with Audio/Video

In the not so distant past I worked at a few book stores. A problem I ran into frequently was finding books for teen boys. The YA market is flooded with books meant solely for girls. Boys have always been a harder sell when it comes to reading and publishers haven't made it an easier job, especially when they have flooded the teen market with paranormal romance.

So recommendations for teen boys often meant I would recommend The Hunger Games. Unfortunately many guys aren't too keen on reading a book in which the main character is a girl, no matter how good the story is. So after going through the other 5 or 6 good teen guy books I could think of I would often recommend a book in the general fiction and literature section, but parents often fear that their children will encounter questionable subject matter. Which they may, but they should also remember many of the books their children read in school are found in the fiction and literature not the teen section.

I found "I am Number Four" to be a great action adventure, that followed the traditional hero archetype. The main character, number Four or John Smith, is as relatable as a alien teenager on the run can be. The surrounding cast of characters rounds out this alien boys average existence, Henri, his alien guardian/father figure, Sam, his nerdy best friend, Sarah, his crush, and Mark, a bully and Sarah's ex. The story is a super power driven action packed adventure, filled with all the tender feelings and angst that a every teenager has.

It was a quick read. I got through it in about a day and a half. I would recommend this book for anyone over the age of 13. I hope that the quick success of this book will bring about a revamp of the YA publishing field and allow for more guy teen fiction or fiction that can cross gender lines. Anyone that truly enjoyed this book should read The Hunger Games. I can't wait to see the film and read the rest of the series. Happy reading to you all.

173 of 220 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars 2 Stars - Neat Concept, Bad Delivery August 4, 2010

By Pam T TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Wow, this book has a great concept. Nine children come to earth from a war ravaged planet, the last of their people, and they are seeking to hide amongst us until they come of age so they can come into their 'legacies' and kick some bad-guy fanny. The driving essence of the plot is that the kids are being hunted one-by-one by the bad guys who can only kill them in numeric order. And our hero, John, is #4 and #3 just got snuffed.

The fact that there's already a movie shooting didn't hurt my expectations either. I was smiling cheerfully until I got four chapters into the book. Then it occurred to me that The Movie probably came first and that the book was just something thrown together by people who aren't all that familiar with how good YA (young adult) literature is these days.

Good idea or not, "I am Number Four" has flat characters and utter predictability. There's also almost no descriptive writing -- like you'd find in a movie script. Not that you need much help to envision 'Mark' the smalltown, football star/bully who is jealous that John is now dating his beautiful ex-cheerleader girlfriend. (And yes, she's very blonde, smart, and has a beautiful eyes.)

"I notice a girl taking pictures, moving easily from one group to the next. She's shockingly beautiful with straight blond hair past her shoulders, ivory skin, high cheekbones, and soft blue eyes. Everyone seems to know her and says hello to her, and no one objects to her taking their pictures.

"She sees me, smiles and waves. I wonder why and turn to see if someone is behind me....

"'Don't be shy.'
"'I'm not. Just trying to protect you lens. My face might break it."

THE SKINNY:::
I read a lot of YA, MG (Middle-grade) and kidlit, and this book doesn't compare well to "Hunger Games", Percy Jackson, or Mo Willems.

Except for the plentiful scenes with kissing and the one (two?) moments when something interesting might have happened had-they-not-been-interrupted, this book would be perfect for Older Elementary aged kids[AR 4.0] and Middle-schoolers looking for a fun read.

Personally, I think YA'ers would be better off reading "Split" or "Mockingjay" or re-reading something they loved.

Middle-graders would better be directed to Gary Paulsen, "The Red Pyramid", or "Smells Like Dog". Something with adventure or humor or both if they are looking for a lighter read.

Reading level - 4th Grade

Pam T~
mom and blogger

More About the Author

Pittacus Lore is Lorien's ruling Elder. He has been on Earth for the last twelve years, preparing for the war that will decide Earth's fate. His whereabouts are unknown.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#34 in Books > Teens

#34 in Books > Teens