Book #15: I am Number Four

Title: I am Number Four
Author: Pittacus Lore

I wonder if I would have liked I am Number Four better if it had fallen into my hands during a less intense time of my life. Right now, with the Whitney Awards, and books I'm reading for school, and books I'm reading on another area of interest (if you've been following the blog and connecting the dots you can probably figure out what that is, but I'm still too much in the superstitious "fingers crossed" stage to come out and say anything), that I'm really not doing a lot of reading that's purely for pleasure. But my good friend Blue busted through I am Number Four when she was flying for work a few weeks ago, and she dropped it off at my house because she knows I'm a sucker for a good read.

Unfortunately, I didn't think it was a good read. I'm not much of a sci-fi girl, so I'm not really a good judge, but the book read like it wanted to be a movie (and surprise, surprise, the movie version came out this week). I am Number Four tells the story of John, one of nine children sent from their planet Lorien along with a guardian for each when the planet was being destroyed by baddies from a third planet. Lorien and Earth are remarkably similar, and the life-forms look indistinguishable, but as these Lorien children reach puberty, they all develop special powers. Also, the baddies are out to get the Lorien kids, but they can only kill them in a certain order. Numbers Three dies in the novel's opening scenes, and John, arriving in Ohio after a decade of transient life, is Number Four.

There was too much butt-kicking and not enough character development (like, for example, how did the main baddie come over to John's side? The transformation seemed too swift). I could definitely see Ed and Bryce enjoying the movie, but when hardly believable sci-fi teams up with cheesy romance and overblown action, and it's all presented in a package of a fictional author, it's too much for me to swallow. Good thing it was a quick read. And know I know one movie I won't be rushing off to see.

(Sorry, Blue!)