I Am Number Four, by Pittacus Lore, HarperCollins, 440 pages, $19.99
Currently, I am Number Four has spent five weeks on The New York Times bestseller list in the children's books category. It was optioned by Steven Spielberg for Dreamworks, and the movie is already in production, due to be released in 2011. A Google search of the title displays websites that are almost entirely about the film. The obvious question is whether the book lives up to the hype.
The author, Pittacus Lore, is "Lorien's ruling Elder. He has been on Earth for the last 12 years, preparing for the war that will decide Earth's fate. His whereabouts are unknown." Unfortunately for this mysterious and reclusive author, a quick Google search reveals Pittacus Lore to be a writing duo: James Frey, (in)famous for his "memoir" A Million Little Pieces and debut author Jobie Hughes.
Even if the co-authors had been concealed, only the most gullible would believe that "Pittacus Lore" is a real person, since the Lorien of which he was ruling Elder was a peaceful planet populated by two kinds of people: the Garde, who develop superhero-like abilities, and the Cêpans, who act as guardians, educators and trainers. Lore narrates the story from the first-person point of view of 15-year-old John Smith, the eponymous Number Four. John is one of the nine Garde children who escaped Lorien with their Cêpans when their planet was invaded and destroyed by the evil Mogadorians.
Upon arrival on Earth, the group separates because of a charm that requires the pursuing Mogadorians to hunt them down in numerical order, provided none of them are together, which breaks the charm. The charm also automatically gives the surviving children a scar around the ankle when any of their number is killed. There is no explanation how the charm works or why it's better that they are killed in any order; the reader is expected to simply accept it.
Three refugees are dead. John is next. He and his Cêpan, Henri, flee a small town in Florida for a new small town in Ohio. There, John will acquire a girlfriend, Sarah, a friend, Sam, and a nemesis, Mark. He'll also attract a whole heap of Mogadorians for a showdown at the end of the novel.
According to Henri, the Loric have always been a presence on Earth, assisting the evolution of civilization. Many historical figures, including Julius Caesar, Isaac Newton, Thomas Jefferson and many of the Ancient Greek pantheon were the product of a Loric and a human parent. The inevitable question is: If there are other Loric on Earth, including Pittacus Lore, where are they and why aren't they helping out?
The premise is engaging and a prologue depicting the Mogadorians hunting the third refugee starts things off with a bang, but John's narration in present tense lacks immediacy. His detailed physical descriptions and explanations of places and characters drag down the tempo, and the slow pace nearly derails the plot-driven novel.
The reader's credulity suffers a wrenching sprain at the final battle with a contingent of Mogadorians. John nearly dies several times, but is saved by one lucky break after another. There is only so much one can take of certain death foiled at the last minute before it gets tedious. Parts of the battle seem cinematic, as if descriptions of scenes in the movie. The overall effect is of telling, not showing.
The characterization is also two-dimensional; characters are described physically down to their spiky gelled hair, but their personalities fall into stereotypes: perky ex-cheerleader, football jock bully, scrawny nerd. The adults don't fare at all well, lacking credibility or consistency as characters. None of them is particularly effective or in tune with what is going on around them, apart from Henri; they are painted props and nothing more.
On the surface, I am Number Four has a good premise that crumbles under scrutiny. It lacks the stark power of Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games trilogy, the spark of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books or the rich intensity of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series. Rather, I am Number Four seems manufactured according to a formula for teen appeal, resulting in a product that doesn't quite live up to its potential.
Donna Scanlon lives with her family in Marietta, Pennsylvania, a region not known for extraterrestrial refugees.