‘I am Number Four’ Pittacus Lore

Hi folks! Welcome back 🙂

This weeks novel was ‘I am number four’ by Pittacus Lore. Now I’ll be very honest, I normally    despise sci-fi novels but this one wasn’t as scary and technical as I thought it was going to be. This is almost completely because it’s more of a teenage novel, but I admit that I was completely lulled into the adventure so it can’t be that bad! I should probably point out that ‘Pittacus Lore’ is not the real author. It is merely a nom de plume, so luckily there was no unfortunate child who was christened ‘Pittacus’, though I’m sure it could happen! The authors who collaborated on this book are really James Frey (A Million little pieces)* and Jobie Hughes.

We discover that Pittacus Lore is in fact an elder of an alien race known as the Lorien (possibly a nod to JRR Tolkien?). Now bear with me, this gets a little technical. A decade before the story begins the Lorien race was virtually wiped out by aliens called the Mogadorians. During a huge battle with the Mogadorians, the Lorien managed to save nine young Garde (Warrior Loriens, who have special powers) and their Cêpan (Trainers) by sending them off in their last spaceship to Earth. The planet Lorien was completely destroyed and a decade later the surviving nine are now being hunted down on Earth. providing the nine remain apart they are protected by a charm which means they can only be killed in numerical order. As the blurb reads ‘they killed number one in Malaysia, number two in England, and number three in Kenya. I am number four’. And it is here where the story begins.

 In 2010, number four goes by the name of John Smith. He wasn’t always John Smith, in fact he’s a different person every few months, as he and his Cêpan Henri are constantly moving from town to town in order to live undetected from the Mogadorians. One sunny night in Florida, John is at a boat party and the Lorien symbol on his leg begins to burn. It burns whenever one of the nine are killed and he now knows that the first three are dead. He’s next on the hit list. He and Henri move again this time to Ohio, and for the first time John makes proper friends who get caught up in his battle for survival as number four.

The novel’s concept is relatively simple once you get your head around the complicated alien names. It’s very easy to read because it is aimed at a younger more teenage audience. However, in a lot of ways the simpler descriptive language at times makes the concept much easier to follow and doesn’t make the structure of the novel too dense. The story is set when the nine Garde’s are beginning to grow up. John is not only faced with the maturing of his Lorien Legacies or powers (in his case the power to withstand fire, and ability to talk to animals), but also the daily trials of being a teenager. It is in Ohio where John meets his first girlfriend Sarah. The mystery and tension of the concept is complemented greatly by the normality in which John finds himself, and makes John character relatable and accessible despite being an alien! John discovers both his alien and teenage life with as much confusion and then understanding as the reader. He is as shocked as us when his hands suddenly start to glow on his first day at school, and this makes the story much more absorbing for us readers who don’t feel like complete outsiders as in many sci-fi stories.

For John, being prepared for battle and to leave at any moment to flee an evil alien race is very ordinary, and it is keeping to the routine of daily life he finds the most challenging. John never usually tries to make friends as he knows he may need to leave at any time, however in Ohio he meets girlfriend Sarah and tries his best to preserve as much normality as he can so he can stay with her. Trouble is, now that the Mogadorians are hunting number four, his life is more dangerous and complicated than ever before. Normal life as we all know it becomes an awakening for John and something worth fighting for.

For John’s new alien obsessed friend Sam and the lovely Sarah, normality is something they are far too used to. Especially in a town with only a population of 5000 people. As they both become closer to John they realise he is different, with the help of unexplained events such as, say, John miraculously saving Sarah from a house fire without receiving as much as a scratch! They also go through an awakening with John as it is revealed to them that life does exist away from Ohio and even the Earth, and it starts with their new (alien) friend.

The story’s climax results in a predictable clash with the Mogadorians who eventually find John, their number four. It is a real question of fight or flight for John who has sacrificed his anonymity and safety by remaining too long in Ohio. He may have friends, but he now also has a battle to contend with. Like Harry, Ron and Hermione, and also Lyra and Will Parry, who have gone before them, only by uniting in friendship and courage do John, Sam and Sarah make it to the end of the tale alive.

The story has a very open ending, and after putting the book down I wasn’t surprised to see that Frey has penned its sequel ‘The Power of Six’  which will be hitting bookshelves in the not too distant future. And after reading ‘I am number four’ I think I will definitely be buying a copy, as the blurb is equally as intriguing as its predecessor:

‘They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed. I am Number Seven. One of six still alive. And I’m ready to fight’. Sounds good!

As I pointed out in the beginning, I rarely warm to any form of science fiction (except the X files, but come on, it’s the X files!) so I was surprised how addicted I became to this adventure, especially when I found it was written by Frey*! I’m pretty sure the fact it appealed to me is down to the fact that it was very ‘youthfully’ written shall we say. However you shouldn’t be put off by that, despite its simplicity in places it doesn’t mean that any grown-up like myself (ahem) wouldn’t enjoy it as well!

My rating: ****

My next read is ‘Room’ By Emma Donoghue

Nats xx

'Pittacus Lore' James Frey

*I will in the future blog about James Frey (same author) and his book ‘A million little pieces’. It might shed some light on his need for using a pseudonym! Watch this blog! N x