I Am Number Four

This article is about the novel. For the feature film based on this book, see I Am Number Four (film).

I Am Number Four
Book Cover
Author(s)	Pittacus Lore
Language	English
Series	Lorien Legacies
Genre(s)	Young Adult Science fiction
Publisher	HarperCollins
Publication date	3 August 2010
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	440
ISBN	0061969559
Followed by	The Power of Six

I Am Number Four is a young adult science fiction novel by Pittacus Lore (a pseudonym for James Frey and Jobie Hughes) and the first book in the Lorien Legacies series. The book was published by HarperCollins on August 3, 2010,^[1] and spent 7 straight weeks at #1 on the children's chapter of The New York Times Best Seller list.^[2]

Touchstone Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures bought the rights to the film in June 2009; it was released on February 18, 2011. The novel is the first of a proposed six-book series.^[3]

Plot summary

This follows the story of John Smith, a 15-year old alien from the planet Lorien, and Henri, his Cêpan, as they run from the Mogadorians, another alien race that is hunting John and eight other teenage Lorics residing on the planet Earth. These nine teens are members of the Garde, a group of Loric people gifted with special powers called "Legacies." Cêpans, who are also Loric, do not acquire legacies and most often become protectors and mentors for young members of the Garde. The teenagers are protected by a spell or charm that only allows them to be killed in numeric order. The first three have been killed, and John is Number Four.

The book opens with the death of Number Three. Number Four is introduced under the alias Daniel Jones as he leaves Florida. Four has three circular scars which begin on his right outer leg, just above his ankle, and move upward along his outer calf. Each signifies the deaths of Numbers One, Two, and Three, and burn with blue fire when they appear. These scars are present on all the Lorien teenagers, and with each death, another scar appears. Henri, Four's Cêpan (guardian), tells him they are going to Paradise, Ohio. Henri produces a new identity for Four, giving him the name "John Smith."

Tired of running, John says that he wants to begin to make a life for himself. Henri reminds him why they run, and the conversation ends. John begins to attend the local high school where he meets Sarah "Hart," a blonde junior. He also meets her ex-boyfriend Mark James, who immediately begins to pick on John. John stands up to him, the first time he has ever stood up to anybody.

During astronomy class, John's hands begin to hurt and glow. When John is back at his house, he realizes that his first legacy has arrived. After the Mogadorians' devastating attack on Lorien, the Nine are the only surviving Lorics with legacies - and each of the Nine is gifted with a different set of legacies (though they all have telekinetic powers). Henri tells John that his first legacy is Lumen, the ability to produce light from his hands, accompanied by a developing resistance to fire. Henri uses an oblong milky white stone to help John spread his resistance to fire and heat throughout his body. During this process John sees a vision of his last moments on Lorien when the Mogadorians attacked, while Henri narrates.

Henri and John have a special Loric chest that can only be opened by both of them together. (However, if Henri dies, John will be able to open it by himself.) Using artifacts from the chest Henri shows John a model of the galaxies where he can see how Lorien looked before the Mogadorians destroyed it and how it looks now, desolate and barren. The chest also contains a healing stone that heals all wounds inflicted on the body, but with conditions: the healing process is twice as painful as the injury itself, and the wound must have been inflicted with intent to harm. The stone must be used soon after the injury occurs. Also in the chest are several small pebble-like rocks, Lorien salt, that can be placed under the tongue for a burst of strength and relief from pain. The effects of the salt are rapidly diminished by the use of legacies.

With the arrival of John's legacies, Henri begins to train him. John eventually learns to turn his lights on and off at will. John also makes his first real friend, Sam Goode, who believes in aliens. He also grows closer to Sarah. At a town Halloween party John, Sarah, Sam, and Sarah's friend Emily are ambushed by Mark and some of his football teammates. John, who is already tired of Mark's constant bullying, is enraged when they run off into the woods with Sarah. John chases the boys and finally confronts Mark and his friends, easily defeating all of them and freeing Sarah. Sam witnesses much of the ordeal and becomes wary of John, avoiding him for some time.

When John goes to Sam's house to talk to him, he threatens John with a gun but John convinces him he's not an alien so he leaves with a magazine on alien conspiracies. John is invited to a dinner at Sarah's house. Henri has gone to Athens, Ohio because he discovers an alien conspiracy website and goes to shut it down and hasn't called John yet like he promised. So John calls Sam for help. Sams drives John to Athens, Ohio, where they find Henri ambushed and captured inside the publisher's house. John's telekinesis legacy appears, and he uses it to save both Henri and Sam and escape the house as several Mogadorian scouts arrive. Henri tells Sam their whole story, and after seeing John use his telekinesis Sam accepts them for who they are. John's training intensifies until he is able to perform complex telekinetic feats with his clothes lit on fire.

At a party at Mark's house, a fire starts, trapping Sarah on the second floor. John rushes in and saves her, revealing who and what he really is to her in the process. She still confesses her love for him, and John says he loves her too. He then proceeds to tells her everything about himself. At school the next day, John fears that he will have to leave, as people had seen him jump out of the window and reported it. Fortunately, the paper has no reference to his involvement in the fire. All seems to be going well when a fax arrives for John at the school saying "Are you Number Four?" John leaps through a window and rushes home to find Mark, who has realized the truth. He argues with Henri about why he did what he did, saying he wanted a normal life. He then frantically returns to the school to find Sarah when he realizes that the Mogadorians are on their way.

John finds Sarah, but they encounter a Mogadorian scout, one of several who have closed in on the school. John kills it, but their escape route is blocked by two more Mogadorians until Henri and Mark arrive and kill the scouts. The four are then joined by a girl about John's age and John's dog, Bernie Kosar. The girl identifies herself as Number Six. John realizes that since he and Six have met, the charm protecting them from being killed out of order has now broken. Six replies that the war has begun and that they must fight. While the five companions make their way out of the school, John tells Mark and Sarah to go back and hide, as it isn't their fight. They do, and in the battle that ensues John confronts his first soldier, whom he kills.

John is wounded severely and is rescued by Henri as well as Sam, who realized what was happening and has come to help. John discovers his third legacy, the ability to communicate with animals, and convinces one of the Mogadorians' beasts to turn on its masters. In the chaos Henri is hit by a Mogadorian's energy blast and dies in John's arms. Before he passes away, he says, "Coming here, to Paradise, it wasn't by chance."

Waking up in a hotel room, John tells Sarah that he has to leave. Sarah accepts this and tells him she will wait for him. John replies in a similar fashion, saying his heart will always belong to her. Afterward, Henri's body is cremated. Sam agrees to go with John and Six as they prepare to leave in search of the other four Loric children. The novel ends with John telling Sarah he loves her and will come back and then leaving with Six and Sam.

Characters

Main article: List of Lorien Legacies characters

John Smith / Number Four

John Smith is the protagonist of the novel, and Number Four in the sequence protecting the nine Loric children living and hiding on Earth. He is 15 years old, and is described as being a fit, young man with blond hair. He has three circular scars on his right ankle, signifying the three dead Loric children, and a scar similar to the pendant all the Loric children wear, signifying the charm that protects them. John falls in love with high school junior Sarah Hart. John also befriends Sam Goode.

John is a Garde, a Loric who possesses certain gifts and abilities that help him protect others and himself. These gifts, or Legacies, begin to appear throughout the novel. At the end of the novel, his Legacies are:

• Telekinesis — All Lorien Garde have this power, developing it when they get their first Legacy, or soon after.
• Lumen — The ability to produce heat and light from his hands and a resistance to heat and fire which is spread over the exterior of his body (Meaning that he can't be burned but could still die from smoke inhalation).
• Animal Telepathy — The ability to communicate with animals. He discovered this legacy last, near the end of the book despite it being his first, happening before the timeline of the book.
• Precognition - (this was not mentioned in I Am Number Four and not officially stated in The Power of Six, but it is insinuated). In The Power of Six, he sees six walking through snow with a group of unfamiliar people, which happens at the end of the book. We later learn this is 7 (Marina), 10 (Ella), 10's sort of Cepan (Crayton), and 7's friend (Hector) because this scene occurs at the end of the book.
• Enhancement - All Garde possess enhanced physical strength, speed, reflexes, endurance and durability.

Henri

Well over 40, he is the Cêpan of John, or Number Four. He had a wife and a child on his home planet of Lorien, but he left them to protect John when Lorien was destroyed. He is John's caretaker and also trains and teaches him as his legacies form. He went by Brandon for some amount of time before adopting the name Henri. He is like a father to John since he was forced to leave his family behind on Lorien as well. Henri dies at the end of the book, trying to protect John from the Mogadorians.

Hadley / Bernie Kosar

Bernie Kosar is a Chimaera from Lorien who has been following and protecting John and Henri ever since they came to Earth. In Florida, Bernie appeared to John several times as a gecko; while in Paradise, he took the form of a beagle. Bernie is named after a former NFL quarterback. Bernie's name on Lorien however, as revealed by John's visions of his home, was Hadley. John is unaware of Bernie's true nature (although Henri knew all along) until he transforms into a giant beast during the battle with the Mogadorians at the high school.

Sarah Hart

John's girlfriend. Sarah is portrayed as an intelligent and beautiful teenage girl with blond hair. Originally a cheerleader, she dated Mark James, the school's quarterback. After her parents sent her away for the summer, she got into photography and decided upon her return to quit the cheerleading squad and end her relationship with Mark. She is passionate about photography and animals. After John uses his abilities to save her from a fire and a fall, she learns his true nature.

Sam Goode

John's best friend. Sam is a devoted believer in aliens and alien conspiracies, believing that aliens abducted his missing father, this is due to the fact his farther studied extra terrestrial life, and Sam is following in his footsteps. He first suspects what John is, after they are attacked on the Haunted Hayride by Mark and his friends, but isn't explicitly told until after he sees John fight the three men in Athens who write the alien conspiracy magazine They Walk Among Us. He is seen as a gangly kid with glasses, though they are not his—he explains to John that they belonged to his father, and he is trying to see through his father's eyes. During the battle against the Mogadorians, Sam saves John's life by killing one of the soldiers and also saves Number Six by carrying her back to his truck after she was injured. He decides to accompany John and Number Six away from Paradise.

Number Six

The only other Loric child in the novel apart from Four/John. In the movie adaptation, she tells Sam sarcastically that her name is Jane Doe, but in the book, this is not mentioned,the sequel The Power of Six reveals that she was once called Maren Elizabeth. Six is described as having long dark hair, olive-toned skin, hazel eyes, high cheekbones, a wide mouth, and two inches shorter than Four/John. Her Cêpan Katarina died three years before the novel begins. She is a Garde, as are all the other Loric children. Six's Legacies are:

• Telekinesis — Like John, she can move objects with her mind. It is not told how developed her strength is.

• Invisibility — Six can make herself invisible. She manages to sneak around outside the school despite the numerous Mogadorians outside. Six can turn people invisible just by touching them; however, this is limited to only a couple of people. John's grandfather had this power.

• Elemental Manipulation — Six can control the four basic elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. She can apparently mix these powers together, shown when she makes a storm appear in the final fight.
• Enhancement - All Garde possess enhanced physical strength, speed, reflexes, endurance and durability.

Number Three

The 14-year-old Loric child who appears at the beginning of the book being chased by the Mogadorians in a jungle in Africa and is soon killed while running from the Mogadorians after they killed his Cepan.

• Enhancement - All Garde possess enhanced physical strength, speed, reflexes, endurance and durability. Three used it to jump over the ravine in the book.

It is unknown what logger legacies he had, or rather if three had other legacies yet.

Number Seven

Another Loric child who is not know of until, "The Power of Six", where She is living in Spain with her stubborn Cêpan, who has turned away from her past, and choses to take refuge in Christ. It's not until Marina (Number 7) finds herself tormented with the thought of being watched and followed by The Mogadorians that Adelina (Cêpan) comes to her sensess and starts to take on the role of Marina's Cêpan. Sadly, Adelina dies, trying to protect Marina only hours later from an invasion of the church/orphanage by mogadorians.

• Healing - Seven possesses healing abilities that apply on plants, animals, and humans. At extreme, she can heal life threatening wounds and diseases.
• Breathing under the water
• Telekinesis — Like John, she can move objects with her mind. It is not told how developed her strength is.
• Enhancement - All Garde possess enhanced physical strength, speed, reflexes, endurance and durability. Although we have yet to see this in action.
• Night Vision- can see in the dark

Number Nine

A loric child of whom John and Sam find in a raide of a Mogoadorian laire, in search of finding John's chest. They stumbled upon him by pure chance when the laire was in chaos. Not much is known about him yet.

• Zero gravity - he has the ability to run/walk up walls and ceilings
• Animal Telepathy - The ability to communicate with animals.
• Enhancement - All Garde possess enhanced physical strength, speed, reflexes, endurance and durability. Although we have yet to see this in action.

Film

Main article: I Am Number Four (film)

The film adaptation was released on February 18, 2011. It stars Alex Pettyfer as John Smith/Number Four, Dianna Agron as Sarah Hart, Callan McAuliffe as Sam Goode, Teresa Palmer as Number Six, Timothy Olyphant as Henri and Jake Abel as Mark James. The film scored a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, which said "It's positioned as the start of a franchise."

The DVD was released on 20th of June and has made $144 million since.

Sequels

The sequel, The Power of Six, was released on August 23, 2011. It follows the remaining Loric as they band together against the Mogadorians.^[4]

On 17 August 2011, Pittacus Lore announced the title of the third book, The Rise of Nine, which will be released in August 2012.^[5]

References

1. ^ "I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore". HarperCollins Publishers. 2010. http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Am-Number-Four/?isbn=9780061969553?AA=index_authorIntro_36872. Retrieved November 26, 2010. 
2. ^ "Best Sellers". The New York Times. January 30, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2011-01-30/chapter-books/list.html. Retrieved January 23, 2011. 
3. ^ Rich, Mokoto (June 26, 2009). "James Frey Collaborating on a Novel for Young Adults, First in a Series". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/books/27alien.html. Retrieved November 27, 2010. 
4. ^ "DVDs, CDs and Books - Aug. 23, 2011". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 23 August 2011. http://www.lvrj.com/neon/dvds-cds-and-books-aug-23-2011-128231873.html?ref=873. Retrieved August 21, 2011. 
5. ^ "Pittacus Lore announced next book in the I Am Number Four series". Zoozle News. 18 August 2011. http://www.zoozle.co.za/news/?article=2011-10-18-pittacus-lore-announced-next-book-in-the-i-am-number-four-series. Retrieved August 18, 2011. 

External links

• Official website
• I Am Number Four on Facebook
• I Am Number Four on Twitter