By Quentin Monasterial
Courier Staff Reporter/Columnist
Are you a fan of teenaged aliens who were sent here on Earth to hide from their rival species, of whom wiped out their entire population, and, upon realizing that the said species has followed them to Earth, are on the run for lives?
If you were a) able to follow that sentence and b) are intrigued by the scenario described in it, then you should consider picking up the book I Am Number Four, written by a man under the pen name of Pittacus Lore.
In the beginning of this novel, readers are introduced to a teenage boy who isn’t really a boy, because, by definition, to be a boy one must be a male human. Four (the 11 alien individuals sent to this planet have numbers as names) only satisfies half of this criteria; he descends from the planet Lorien.
Throughout the novel, readers follow Four as he and his guardian (each of the 11 Garde have a guardian) attempt to hide behind the facade of a normal life. Fortunately, the Lorien species anatomy and physiology are identical to that of a human’s, which is realistically unlikely. Unfortunately, however, the Mogadorians (their rival species) are still able to track them down regardless.
What does distinguish them from humans? Other than descending from another planet and being technologically and intellectually more advanced than the human race, not much. A small fraction of the population, known as Garde, have special abilities that set them apart from the common Lorien. These abilities are called Legacies, which range anywhere from telekinesis to weather manipulation to super strength.
Personally, this aspect of the series was the most appealing to me, because I’m always down for special abilities; I’ve been adamant about them since I was a young kid–I even believed I had a dormant power inside of me, waiting for physiological maturity to awaken. When I realized that these dreams were the kind meant to stay dreams, I grew to cherish novels that didn’t.
Anyway, the novel opens up with the assassination of number Three. To the Mogadorians’ dismay, they have to kill the Garde in order, thanks to a charm that was inexplicably cast upon the Garde at a young age as they were escaping the annihilation of their people. As long as they stay apart, this charm forces the Mogadorians to hunt them in order. This same charm links them; when each one dies, a scar is burned into the remaining Gardes’ leg.
When Four attains his third scar, he realizes that he is next. So he and his guardian, Henry, become even more vigilant. Inevitably, the Mogadorians find him.
Readers are forced to face them alongside Four, to endure sacrifice, danger, revelation and adventure. Love, friendship and family are principles that drive Four to endure the pain the Mogadorians have caused him. Despite this, I never really felt very connected to the Four. I didn’t dislike him, but I believe the mediocrity of the writing didn’t provide the novel with the zang it deserved.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed it; it was full of well-coordinated action scenes, thrilling suspense and a constant need to know more. The lore behind the Lorien is very intriguing (though their physiological identicalness to humans is very unlikely), and had me pining for more knowledge of them. The potential of this novel was far-reaching, but I feel that the author didn’t cultivate or tap into this potential very well.
What he lacks in execution, he makes up for in content. All in all, it is a decent read that is worth picking up if you have some extra time.
