Review of 'I am Number Four'

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

“John Smith” is only the latest in a string of identities held by an escapee from a distant planet, Lorien who is hiding out on planet Earth. He is a “garde” who is just coming into his “legacies” - special powers that develop in childhood such as invisibility and inflammability. His keeper “Henri” has been assigned to protect John from the Mogadore - a race that seeks to find and kill the nine garde who escaped. John is number four. The garde must be killed in order so after the third is killed - resulting in a ring that burns into John's right ankle - John knows they are closing in on them. But he is not yet fully prepared - his legacies are not yet fully established - they will not be able to protect him. The Mogadore are ruthless and will stop at nothing…

A fun and fast-paced novel that keeps the reader interested throughout as the story unfolds. What exactly is going on? Told from the perspective of John we understand his loneliness and his feelings particularly when he finally finds love. But how can someone fall in love when they are never in one place for very long? Easy to read and hard to put down. Perhaps a bit too easy to read…a bit more depth would have been good. It also seems to me to be “sequel bait” with the way it ends…

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2013-05-13

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 2010