Review: I Am Number Four

It's been said before, but the story behind this book is more interesting than the actual plot.  James Frey of A Million Little Pieces infamy is the "author" of the Lorien Legacies series.  I say "author" because he actually runs what my friend Talya and many others refer to as a sweatshop of writers who are cranking out stories for him. 

This book is okay...not great.  The film rights to the novel were purchased a year before the book was published, which is a pretty clear indication of what went wrong.  The book is specifically written to be turned into a movie, so it completely lacks the substance books should have.  I should have known what I was getting into upon seeing this on the inside cover:

"Number Four is a hero for the generation." - Michael Bay

Of course Michael Bay would like this.  It's full of unnecessary explosions, fires, and random backstory interjected as needed.  

The premise is interesting though.  A group of 9 children (referred to by numbers 1-9, hence this book's title) flee from the planet Lorien when it is defeated by the Mogadorians.  They escape to earth, but are still being hunted.  They have an enchantment placed on them so they can only be killed in numerical order and when one dies, a scar appears on the others' ankle.  Pretty neat? I thought so.  

But in trying to create the next Harry Potter-like craze, he completely fails.  The book tries too hard to reestablish the now well-known trio, create a Malfoy-enemy out of the high school QB, and it even throws in some significant scars for good measure.  But HP doesn't work because it's a formula (which I won't deny), it works because it has heart.  I am Number Four completely misses the mark.  It's scattered all over the place, there's no emotional grasp and again, Michael Bay endorsed it...so yeah.  It's entertaining for sure, but it's not going to become a huge phenomenon.  

If casting Dianna Agron as the female lead in the movie can't make this a popular series, then it's most likely going nowhere fast.  The sequel is supposed to come out in August of this year.  I'm a sucker for sequels so I'll probably read it at some point, but I'm not anxiously counting down the days like I've done for other books....aka Harry Potter.