Review: I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies, #1) By: Pittacus Lore (AKA, James Frey)

Title: I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies, #1)
Author: Pittacus Lore (AKA, James Frey)
Publisher: HarperCollins, 448 Pages (August 3rd 2010)
From: the Publisher, Thank You!

Synopsis: 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 y...more 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.

Review: 4 Stars - I Am Number Four By: Pittacus Lore - aka James Frey - is a thrilling sci-fi story that once I picked up, I found it hard to put down. With characters that you’ll remember long after reading and a whirlwind plot that’ll leave you ready for more, Lore/Frey has created an alien series that many will enjoy and love.

Throughout the book we learn about John Smith – Number Four – and how he and eight other children and their guardians came to earth. With their planet and its entire people lost to a war with the evil Mogadorian race, the Nine and their guardians fled to Earth to hide in hopes that someday they will be able to return to their home planet of Lorien and rebuild.

With the nine children connected, each given a number as a name - they can only be killed in numerical order, so when John gets his third scar, it’s a warning that he’s next on the Morgadorian list. Being in constant danger John and Henri, his “Keeper” or Cepan must move from place to place to not only stay alive, but to help keep the other five alive as well.

I found myself eager to learn more about the aliens and the planet Lorien. Lore/Frey does a pretty good job of painting a picture of a foreign world that was easy to imagine. With visions of the past laced throughout the book, it was not only significant for John, Henri and their character growth, but also for understanding just who and what this humanoid alien race was all about.

John and his struggles to understand his people and his planet and to learn more about the powers or Legacies he begins to develop. just added so many layers to an already likeable character. And Henri and his want and need to teach and protect John shined through making Henri appear more as a father to John and then anything else. And I can’t forget to mention Bernie Kosar. He may have been a little dog and companion to John, but he was such a key character throughout that it takes you until almost the very end to see just what this dog was made out of. I wish I had a dog like Bernie.

All in all, the writing was smooth, the characters likable and the story highly entertaining. The twists and turns from the first to the last few pages, and boy what a last few pages those where, made me extremely eager to read the next installment. I, for one am more then looking forward to finding out just what happens next for Number Four and the other aliens still left alive and hiding in plain site on earth. Enjoy!

FTC Disclaimer: I did not pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this review.