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| {{Short description|2010 novel by James Frey}} | |||
| {{About|the novel|the film based on this book|I Am Number Four (film)}} | {{About|the novel|the film based on this book|I Am Number Four (film){{!}}''I Am Number Four'' (film)}} | ||
| ⚫ | {{ |
||
| {{Infobox book | {{Infobox book | ||
| | name = I Am Number Four | | name = I Am Number Four | ||
| | image = |
| image = I Am Number Four Cover.jpg | ||
| | |
| caption = The American cover of ''I Am Number Four'' | ||
| | author = Pittacus Lore | | author = Pittacus Lore (] & Jobie Hughes) | ||
| | title_orig = | | title_orig = | ||
| | translator = | | translator = | ||
| | illustrator = | | illustrator = | ||
| | cover_artist = | | cover_artist = | ||
| | country = |
| country = United States | ||
| | language = |
| language = English | ||
| | series = ] | | series = ] | ||
| | subject = | | subject = | ||
| | genre = ]<br />] | | genre = ]<br />] | ||
| | publisher = ] | | publisher = ] | ||
| | pub_date = August 3, 2010 | | pub_date = August 3, 2010 | ||
| | english_pub_date = | | english_pub_date = | ||
| | media_type = Print (]) | |||
| | pages = 440 | | pages = 440 | ||
| | isbn = 0-06-196955-9 | | isbn = 0-06-196955-9 | ||
| Line 27: | Line 26: | ||
| | followed_by = ] | | followed_by = ] | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| ⚫ | '''''I Am Number Four''''' is a ] ] novel by ] (the ] of ] and Jobie Hughes) and the first book in the '']'' series. The book was published by ] on August 3, 2010, and spent seven successive weeks at #1 on the children's chapter of the ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Rich|first=Motoko|title=James Frey and Co-Writer Sell Series to HarperCollins|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/business/02frey.html|work=] |date=2 July 2009 |access-date=6 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=January 30, 2011 |title=Best Sellers |newspaper=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2011-01-30/chapter-books/list.html |access-date=January 23, 2011}}</ref> | ||
| ] bought the rights to the ] in June 2009; it was released on February 18, 2011, and was the first DreamWorks movie to be distributed by ] ]. | |||
| ⚫ | '''''I Am Number Four''''' is a ] ] novel |
||
| The novel is the first of a seven-book series.<ref>{{cite news |first=Mokoto |last=Rich |date=June 26, 2009 |title=James Frey Collaborating on a Novel for Young Adults, First in a Series |newspaper=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/books/27alien.html |access-date=November 27, 2010}}</ref> | |||
| ==Plot |
==Plot== | ||
| ⚫ | {{Long plot|date=November 2021}} | ||
| This follows the story of ], a 15-year-old alien from the planet Lorien, and Henri, his guardian ], as they run from the ], another alien race that is hunting John and eight other teenage Lorics residing on the planet Earth. These nine teens are members of the Garde, a group of Loric people gifted with special powers called "Legacies." Cêpans, who are also Loric, do not acquire Legacies and most often become protectors and mentors for young members of the Garde. The teenagers are protected by a spell or charm that only allows them to be killed in numeric order. The first three have been killed, and John is Number Four. | |||
| The first book of the "Lorian Legacies Series", "I am Number Four" centers on the conflict between two ] species: the ''Loric'' and the ''Mogadorians''. The Loric are classified into two factions: the ] known as the ''Cepân'' and the ] known as the ''Garde'', the latter of whom possess unique ] known as ''Legacies''. The story begins with a prelude that follows ''Hannu'' – the alias used by Number Three, one of nine Garde children who fled to Earth after their homeworld of ''Lorien'' was invaded. While residing in ], he is discovered and killed by Mogadorian assassins under the command of General Andrakkus Sutekh. | |||
| The book opens with the death of Number Three. Number Four is introduced under the alias Daniel Jones as he leaves Florida. Four has three circular scars which begin on his right outer leg, just above his ankle, and move upward along his outer calf. Each signifies the deaths of Numbers One, Two, and Three, and burn with blue fire when they appear. These scars are present on all the Lorien teenagers, and with each death, another scar appears. Henri, Four's Cêpan (guardian), tells him they are going to ]. Henri produces a new identity for Four, giving him the name "John Smith." | |||
| Most of the book is told in the first person by Number Four, who begins as ''Daniel Jones''. As the story opens, he and his guardian or Cepân, ''Henri'', learn of the death of Number Three and move to Paradise, Ohio, assuming a new identity as ''John Smith''. There, John befriends conspiracy theorist Sam Goode and "adopts" a dog identified by its name tag as "Bernie Kosar". He also meets and develops feelings for a fellow student, Sarah Hart, who is working as a photographer. Sarah's ex-boyfriend, football player Mark James, bullies and torments both John and Sam. | |||
| Tired of running, John says that he wants to begin to make a life for himself. Henri reminds him why they run, and the conversation ends. John begins to attend the local high school where he meets the beautiful Sarah Hart, a junior. He also meets her ex-boyfriend Mark James, who immediately begins to pick on John. John stands up to him, the first time he has ever stood up to anybody. | |||
| During a Halloween parade, Sam mentions that he knows about Mogadorians from a magazine, ''They Walk Among Us'', a revelation that alarms both John and Henri.<ref>book</ref> Later, Mark and his friends organize a nasty surprise during the haunted hayride: Sarah, John, and Sam are left stranded in the woods where Mark plans to beat up John. John uses his "legacies", which are akin to superpowers, to fend off his attackers and rescue Sarah. Sarah does not see John use his legacies in the darkness, so John emphatically warns Mark not to talk (or to let his friends talk) about what happened, or he will punish Mark severely if Mark or any of his friends talk. | |||
| During astronomy class, John's hands begin to hurt and glow. When John is back at his house, he realizes that his first legacy has arrived. After the Mogadorians' devastating attack on Lorien, the Nine are the only surviving Lorics with legacies - and each of the Nine is gifted with a different set of legacies (though they all have telekinetic powers). Henri tells John that his first legacy is Lumen, the ability to produce light from his hands, accompanied by a developing resistance to fire. Henri uses an oblong milky white stone to help John spread his resistance to fire and heat throughout his body. During this process John sees a vision of his last moments on Lorien when the Mogadorians attacked, while Henri narrates. | |||
| As the book progresses, Sarah and John's relationship develops. Henri trains John to use his legacies, now with an increasing sense of urgency. Henri becomes unsettled and tells John that it is not safe to stay in Paradise. He is also concerned as John is late in developing his telekinesis, a power that he will need to fight the Mogadorians. Later, it is revealed that Sam has seen enough to arouse his suspicions, but John allays them by bluffingly 'admitting' to being an alien. He finds out more about the magazine Sam reads by borrowing a copy. Sam speaks of his belief that his father has been abducted by aliens. | |||
| Henri and John have a special Loric chest that can only be opened by both of them together. (However, if Henri dies, John will be able to open it by himself.) Using artifacts from the chest Henri shows John a model of the galaxies where he can see how Lorien looked before the Mogadorians destroyed it and how it looks now, desolate and barren. The chest also contains a healing stone that heals all wounds inflicted on the body, but with conditions: the healing process is twice as painful as the injury itself, and the wound must have been inflicted with intent to harm. The stone must be used soon after the injury occurs. Also in the chest are several small pebble-like rocks, Lorien salt, that can be placed under the tongue for a burst of strength and relief from pain. The effects of the salt are rapidly diminished by the use of legacies. | |||
| Henri discovers where the magazine is printed and drives the two-hour car trip to Athens, Ohio, to find out more. John attends a ] with Sarah's family but worries about Henri, who does not answer his text messages. In his agitated state, John's telekinetic power manifests, though uncontrolled, and he leaves. He calls Sam for help, and they take Sam's father's long-unused truck and head for Athens, where they succeed in rescuing Henri who is taken captive. During the rescue, Sam is made fully aware of John's and Henri's alien secret, and John's legacies develop significantly. On their return, Henri insists they leave Paradise. John refuses, using his newfound powers to express his adamance, and Henri relents. | |||
| With the arrival of John's legacies, Henri begins to train him. John eventually learns to turn his lights on and off at will. John also makes his first real friend, Sam Goode, who believes in aliens. He also grows closer to Sarah. At a town Halloween party John, Sarah, Sam, and Sarah's friend Emily are ambushed by Mark and some of his football teammates. John, who is already tired of Mark's constant bullying, is enraged when they run off into the woods with Sarah. John chases the boys and finally confronts Mark and his friends, easily defeating all of them and freeing Sarah. Sam witnesses much of the ordeal and becomes wary of John, avoiding him for some time. | |||
| A few months pass during which John trains in the use of his legacies. Henri gradually relaxes as John becomes more adept. At a party at Mark's house, a major fire breaks out, trapping Sarah and forcing John to use his powers to save her. He then reveals his secret to Sarah, and they lie to the police and a reporter about what happened. Later on, John also lies to Henri, in order to not reveal how much he has told Sarah. | |||
| When John goes to Sam's house to talk to him, he threatens John with a gun but John convinces him he's not an alien so he leaves with a magazine on alien conspiracies. John is invited to a dinner at Sarah's house. Henri has gone to ] because he discovers an alien conspiracy magazine and goes to find out how they had gained information on Mogadorians and hasn't called John yet like he promised. So John calls Sam for help. Sams drives John to Athens, where they find Henri ambushed and captured inside the publisher's house. John's telekinesis legacy appears, and he uses it to save both Henri and Sam and escape the house as several Mogadorian scouts arrive. Henri tells Sam their whole story, and after seeing John use his telekinesis Sam accepts them for who they are. John's training intensifies until he is able to perform complex telekinetic feats with his clothes lit on fire. | |||
| But John's lies are revealed when a video is released on ]. Henri is furious and demands they leave immediately. John again uses his powers to stop him and desperately races to the school, knowing that Sarah is in danger. He finds Sarah, but the Mogadorians have already arrived. The Mogadorians have brought an enormous beast called Piken and smaller, but still deadly, creatures called Krauls. These creatures are sent to track and kill the Loric. John and Sarah are joined by Number Six (who has been looking for them since Three's death) and later by Henri, Mark, and Bernie Kosar ("the dog"). John sends Mark off, exhorting him to protect Sarah. A furious battle ensues, during which Six exhibits powers of invisibility and control of the weather, and Bernie Kosar is revealed to be a Chimæra, animals on Lorien who can shape shift. Sam arrives partway through the battle. | |||
| At a party at Mark's house, a fire starts, trapping Sarah on the second floor. John rushes in and saves her, revealing who and what he really is to her in the process. She still confesses her love for him, and John says he loves her too. He then proceeds to tells her everything about himself. At school the next day, John fears that he will have to leave, as people had seen him jump out of the window and reported it. Fortunately, the paper has no reference to his involvement in the fire. All seems to be going well when a fax arrives for John at the school saying "Are you Number Four?" John leaps through a window and rushes home to find Mark, who has realized the truth. He argues with Henri about why he did what he did, saying he wanted a normal life. He then frantically returns to the school to find Sarah when he realizes that the Mogadorians are on their way. | |||
| John kills a soldier, Bernie Kosar battles a Piken, and at key moments, John is helped by his Six, Sam and Mark, but in the end, they are depleted and weakened by numbers and power. Six is wounded and taken to relative safety by Sam. John uses an ability he was barely aware of to communicate with a beast brought by the Mogadorians and to turn it against them. Henri is killed, but before dying exhorts John to read a letter he left for him. John survives when Sarah kills the final scout with a knife and the Mogadorians are defeated, but John passes out. | |||
| John finds Sarah, but they encounter a Mogadorian scout, one of several who have closed in on the school. John kills it, but their escape route is blocked by two more Mogadorians until Henri and Mark arrive and kill the scouts. The four are then joined by a girl about John's age and John's dog, Bernie Kosar. The girl identifies herself as Number Six. John realizes that since he and Six have met, the charm protecting them from being killed out of order has now broken. Six replies that the war has begun and that they must fight. While the five companions make their way out of the school, John tells Mark and Sarah to go back and hide, as it isn't their fight. They do, and in the battle that ensues John confronts his first soldier, whom he kills. | |||
| John wakes to find himself in a motel, along with his friends and Bernie Kosar. Promising to return for Sarah, John leaves Paradise, along with Number Six, Sam, and Bernie Kosar. | |||
| John is wounded severely and is rescued by Henri as well as Sam, who realized what was happening and has come to help. John discovers his third legacy, the ability to communicate with animals and also finds out that bernie kosar is a chimaera, and convinces one of the Mogadorians' beasts to turn on its masters. In the chaos Henri is hit by a Mogadorian's energy blast and dies in John's arms. Before he passes away, he says, "Coming here, to Paradise, it wasn't by chance." | |||
| Waking up in a hotel room, John tells Sarah that he has to leave. Sarah accepts this and tells him she will wait for him. John replies in a similar fashion, saying his heart will always belong to her. Afterward, Henri's body is cremated. Sam agrees to go with John and Six as they prepare to leave in search of the other four Loric children. The novel ends with John telling Sarah he loves her and will come back and then he's leaving with Six, Sam and Bernie Kosar. | |||
| ==Characters== | ==Characters== | ||
| * Number 4 (John Smith): John Smith is the protagonist of the story. Each Loric can only be killed in order of their number. Number 1,2 and 3 have already been killed and John is next in line to be killed by the ''Mogadorians''. | |||
| {{Main|List of Lorien Legacies characters}} | |||
| * Sarah Hart: John's girlfriend, whom John develops extremely strong feelings for, and refuses to move to be with her and thus sacrifices himself and his race to be with her. | |||
| * Mark James: The ex-boyfriend of Sarah Hart and main antagonist and bully of John Smith and Sam Goode for the first part of the novel. | |||
| * Henri (Brandon): John's ''Cepân,'' teacher, from ''Lorien'', sent to help John learn to control his developing ''legacies'' and to protect him. | |||
| * Sam Goode: John's best friend. Sam's father went missing and is not "found" until later in the series. Sam is a sci-fi/alien geek. | |||
| * Mogadorians: A race of aliens responsible for killing the ''Loric'' and now hunting the 9. | |||
| * The 9: 9 Garde children sent away from ''Lorien'' at the time of the invasion in order to someday restore their planet, they each develop powers(''legacies''), and cannot be killed out of order as they are protected by an ancient and powerful spell. | |||
| * Bernie Kosar: A Chimæra (magical pet that can change between animals), who protects John. His preferred form is a Beagle. John is unaware of his Lorian past until very late in the book. | |||
| * Number 6: The only other Loric to appear in the first novel of the series. Number 6 risks breaking the Lorian spell that protects each Loric so they can only be killed in order to meet John. She only appears at the very end of the "I am Number Four" novel. | |||
| ==Reception== | |||
| *] - The narrator and fourth member of the Loric Garde | |||
| ''I Am Number Four'' has received mixed reviews. '']'' wrote, "If it were a Golden Age comic, this tale of ridiculous science, space dogs and humanoid aliens with flashlights in their hands might not be bad."<ref>{{Cite web|title = I AM NUMBER FOUR by Pittacus Lore {{!}} Kirkus Reviews|url = https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/pittacus-lore/i-am-number-four/|website = Kirkus Reviews|access-date = 2015-11-29|language = en-us}}</ref> The '']'' said, "There's genuine suspense…it's easy to get lost in the world of the sweet teen from another planet." '']'' reviewed it as, "Terrifically propulsive."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = I Am Number Four – Pittacus Lore – Hardcover|url = http://www.harpercollins.com/9780061969553/i-am-number-four|website = HarperCollins US|access-date = 2015-11-29}}</ref> '']'' wrote, "For those looking for an undemanding, popcorn-ready read, this 'guy—okay, alien—gets the girl and saves the world' adventure should do the trick."<ref>{{Cite web|title = Children's Book Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore|url = http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-196955-3|website = PublishersWeekly.com|access-date = 2015-11-29}}</ref> ] wrote, "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." ] reviewed it as, "Riveting."<ref name=":0" /> It was on the number one spot of the ] for 7 weeks and was on it for a total of 17 weeks. | |||
| *] John's Cêpan, Henri dies at the end of the novel. | |||
| *] A Chimaera from Lorien who has been following and protecting John and Henri ever since they came to Earth. | |||
| *] John's girlfriend from Paradise, Ohio. | |||
| *] John's best friend. | |||
| *] Sixth member of the Loric Garde, her Cêpan died three years before the novel begins. | |||
| *] Described as the 14-year-old Loric child who appears at the beginning of the book being chased by the Mogadorians in a jungle in Africa and is soon killed while running from the Mogadorians after they killed his Cêpan. | |||
| ==Film== | |||
| {{Main|I Am Number Four (film)}} | |||
| The film adaptation was released on February 18, 2011. It stars ] as John Smith/Number Four, ] as Sarah Hart, ] as Sam Goode, ] as Number Six, ] as Henri and ] as Mark James. The film scored a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, which said "It's positioned as the start of a franchise, but I Am Number Four's familiar plot and unconvincing performances add up to one noisy, derivative, and ultimately forgettable sci-fi thriller."<ref name="tomatoes">{{cite web | |||
| | url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_am_number_four/ | |||
| | title= I Am Number Four Movie Reviews | |||
| | publisher= ] | |||
| | work = Rotten Tomatoes | |||
| | accessdate= 2012-03-13 | |||
| }}</ref> The movie had a world-wide gross of $145,982,798 and a budget of $50 million, but still fell short of expectations.<ref name="LABox">{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/02/movie-projector-big-mommas-i-am-number-four-unknown.html|title=Movie Projector: 'I Am Number Four' to be No. 1 at holiday weekend box office |last=Fritz|first=Ben|last2=Kaufman|first2=Amy|work=]|publisher=]|date=February 17, 2011|accessdate=February 18, 2011}}</ref> | |||
| A DVD of the film was released on May 24, 2011. | |||
| ==The Series== | |||
| A Prequel was released '']'' on July 26, 2011. This book tells the story of Maren Elizabeth, Number Six on the Lorien Garde, along side her Cêpan, Katarina. The tale takes place before she meets up with number Four on the first book of the series. This novella is available on Apple’s iBookstore and Amazon's Kindle. | |||
| The sequel, '']'', was released on August 23, 2011. It follows the remaining Loric as they band together against the Mogadorians.<ref>{{cite web|last=Staskiewicz|first=Keith|title=See the trailer for 'The Power of Six,' the sequel to 'I Am Number Four'|url=http://shelf-life.ew.com/2011/08/02/the-power-of-six-trailer/|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|accessdate=6 October 2012}}</ref> | |||
| ==See Also== | |||
| *] | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
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| * {{Official website|http://www.iamnumberfour.co.uk}} | * {{Official website|http://www.iamnumberfour.co.uk}} | ||
| * {{Facebook|IAmNumberFourBook}} | * {{Facebook|IAmNumberFourBook}} | ||
| * {{Twitter |
* {{Twitter}} | ||
| {{Lorien Legacies}} | {{Lorien Legacies}} | ||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:I Am Number Four}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:I Am Number Four}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 11:48, 16 January 2025
2010 novel by James Frey This article is about the novel. For the film based on this book, see I Am Number Four (film). The American cover of I Am Number Four | |
| Author | Pittacus Lore (James Frey & Jobie Hughes) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Lorien Legacies |
| Genre | Young adult Science fiction |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication date | August 3, 2010 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 440 |
| ISBN | 0-06-196955-9 |
| Followed by | The Power of Six |
I Am Number Four is a young adult science fiction novel by Pittacus Lore (the pseudonym of James Frey and Jobie Hughes) and the first book in the Lorien Legacies series. The book was published by HarperCollins on August 3, 2010, and spent seven successive weeks at #1 on the children's chapter of the New York Times bestseller list.
DreamWorks Pictures bought the rights to the film in June 2009; it was released on February 18, 2011, and was the first DreamWorks movie to be distributed by Disney's Touchstone Pictures.
The novel is the first of a seven-book series.
Plot
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (November 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The first book of the "Lorian Legacies Series", "I am Number Four" centers on the conflict between two extraterrestrial species: the Loric and the Mogadorians. The Loric are classified into two factions: the overseers known as the Cepân and the guardians known as the Garde, the latter of whom possess unique abilities known as Legacies. The story begins with a prelude that follows Hannu – the alias used by Number Three, one of nine Garde children who fled to Earth after their homeworld of Lorien was invaded. While residing in Kenya, he is discovered and killed by Mogadorian assassins under the command of General Andrakkus Sutekh.
Most of the book is told in the first person by Number Four, who begins as Daniel Jones. As the story opens, he and his guardian or Cepân, Henri, learn of the death of Number Three and move to Paradise, Ohio, assuming a new identity as John Smith. There, John befriends conspiracy theorist Sam Goode and "adopts" a dog identified by its name tag as "Bernie Kosar". He also meets and develops feelings for a fellow student, Sarah Hart, who is working as a photographer. Sarah's ex-boyfriend, football player Mark James, bullies and torments both John and Sam.
During a Halloween parade, Sam mentions that he knows about Mogadorians from a magazine, They Walk Among Us, a revelation that alarms both John and Henri. Later, Mark and his friends organize a nasty surprise during the haunted hayride: Sarah, John, and Sam are left stranded in the woods where Mark plans to beat up John. John uses his "legacies", which are akin to superpowers, to fend off his attackers and rescue Sarah. Sarah does not see John use his legacies in the darkness, so John emphatically warns Mark not to talk (or to let his friends talk) about what happened, or he will punish Mark severely if Mark or any of his friends talk.
As the book progresses, Sarah and John's relationship develops. Henri trains John to use his legacies, now with an increasing sense of urgency. Henri becomes unsettled and tells John that it is not safe to stay in Paradise. He is also concerned as John is late in developing his telekinesis, a power that he will need to fight the Mogadorians. Later, it is revealed that Sam has seen enough to arouse his suspicions, but John allays them by bluffingly 'admitting' to being an alien. He finds out more about the magazine Sam reads by borrowing a copy. Sam speaks of his belief that his father has been abducted by aliens.
Henri discovers where the magazine is printed and drives the two-hour car trip to Athens, Ohio, to find out more. John attends a Thanksgiving dinner with Sarah's family but worries about Henri, who does not answer his text messages. In his agitated state, John's telekinetic power manifests, though uncontrolled, and he leaves. He calls Sam for help, and they take Sam's father's long-unused truck and head for Athens, where they succeed in rescuing Henri who is taken captive. During the rescue, Sam is made fully aware of John's and Henri's alien secret, and John's legacies develop significantly. On their return, Henri insists they leave Paradise. John refuses, using his newfound powers to express his adamance, and Henri relents.
A few months pass during which John trains in the use of his legacies. Henri gradually relaxes as John becomes more adept. At a party at Mark's house, a major fire breaks out, trapping Sarah and forcing John to use his powers to save her. He then reveals his secret to Sarah, and they lie to the police and a reporter about what happened. Later on, John also lies to Henri, in order to not reveal how much he has told Sarah.
But John's lies are revealed when a video is released on YouTube. Henri is furious and demands they leave immediately. John again uses his powers to stop him and desperately races to the school, knowing that Sarah is in danger. He finds Sarah, but the Mogadorians have already arrived. The Mogadorians have brought an enormous beast called Piken and smaller, but still deadly, creatures called Krauls. These creatures are sent to track and kill the Loric. John and Sarah are joined by Number Six (who has been looking for them since Three's death) and later by Henri, Mark, and Bernie Kosar ("the dog"). John sends Mark off, exhorting him to protect Sarah. A furious battle ensues, during which Six exhibits powers of invisibility and control of the weather, and Bernie Kosar is revealed to be a Chimæra, animals on Lorien who can shape shift. Sam arrives partway through the battle.
John kills a soldier, Bernie Kosar battles a Piken, and at key moments, John is helped by his Six, Sam and Mark, but in the end, they are depleted and weakened by numbers and power. Six is wounded and taken to relative safety by Sam. John uses an ability he was barely aware of to communicate with a beast brought by the Mogadorians and to turn it against them. Henri is killed, but before dying exhorts John to read a letter he left for him. John survives when Sarah kills the final scout with a knife and the Mogadorians are defeated, but John passes out.
John wakes to find himself in a motel, along with his friends and Bernie Kosar. Promising to return for Sarah, John leaves Paradise, along with Number Six, Sam, and Bernie Kosar.
Characters
- Number 4 (John Smith): John Smith is the protagonist of the story. Each Loric can only be killed in order of their number. Number 1,2 and 3 have already been killed and John is next in line to be killed by the Mogadorians.
- Sarah Hart: John's girlfriend, whom John develops extremely strong feelings for, and refuses to move to be with her and thus sacrifices himself and his race to be with her.
- Mark James: The ex-boyfriend of Sarah Hart and main antagonist and bully of John Smith and Sam Goode for the first part of the novel.
- Henri (Brandon): John's Cepân, teacher, from Lorien, sent to help John learn to control his developing legacies and to protect him.
- Sam Goode: John's best friend. Sam's father went missing and is not "found" until later in the series. Sam is a sci-fi/alien geek.
- Mogadorians: A race of aliens responsible for killing the Loric and now hunting the 9.
- The 9: 9 Garde children sent away from Lorien at the time of the invasion in order to someday restore their planet, they each develop powers(legacies), and cannot be killed out of order as they are protected by an ancient and powerful spell.
- Bernie Kosar: A Chimæra (magical pet that can change between animals), who protects John. His preferred form is a Beagle. John is unaware of his Lorian past until very late in the book.
- Number 6: The only other Loric to appear in the first novel of the series. Number 6 risks breaking the Lorian spell that protects each Loric so they can only be killed in order to meet John. She only appears at the very end of the "I am Number Four" novel.
Reception
I Am Number Four has received mixed reviews. Kirkus Reviews wrote, "If it were a Golden Age comic, this tale of ridiculous science, space dogs and humanoid aliens with flashlights in their hands might not be bad." The Chicago Tribune said, "There's genuine suspense…it's easy to get lost in the world of the sweet teen from another planet." Booklist reviewed it as, "Terrifically propulsive." Publishers Weekly wrote, "For those looking for an undemanding, popcorn-ready read, this 'guy—okay, alien—gets the girl and saves the world' adventure should do the trick." School Library Journal wrote, "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." The Horn Book reviewed it as, "Riveting." It was on the number one spot of the New York Times Best Seller list for 7 weeks and was on it for a total of 17 weeks.
References
- Rich, Motoko (2 July 2009). "James Frey and Co-Writer Sell Series to HarperCollins". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
- "Best Sellers". The New York Times. January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
- Rich, Mokoto (June 26, 2009). "James Frey Collaborating on a Novel for Young Adults, First in a Series". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
- book
- "I AM NUMBER FOUR by Pittacus Lore | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
- ^ "I Am Number Four – Pittacus Lore – Hardcover". HarperCollins US. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
- "Children's Book Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
External links
| Lorien Legacies by James Frey | |
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| Characters | |
| Books | |
| Film | |