Book Review of “I Am Number Four” by Pittacus Lore

A predictable story that hits every cliche

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Yonathan Diaz, staff writer

“Mrs. Hart is standing at the door with Henri. She tells me I should look for her daughter at school, that maybe we could be friends” (Lore, chapter 3).

The moment I read this small blip of Arial script, my mind instinctively rejected the information. This is not a well-written and nuanced work of science fiction. Rather, it’s a power fantasy with “alien” lazily slapped over a teenage human with unexplained powers and the charisma of a one-ply roll of government-issued toilet paper.

The main character meets a “hot” female who is regarded as either being “nice” or “not like other girls.” The story takes place in “an average but small high school” with clearly defined friend groups of singular traits and a “bully” who everyone hangs out with because… because of…Ummm…hmmm.

OH YES! I forgot the inevitable “comedic” best friend who will be put in mortal peril to be used for “character development” or drive the “plot.” There will also be a “threat” that will forever loom above the copy-and-pasted, I mean, original characters that will do nothing but appear once to uproot the main character’s current pace of life and appear for a second time at the “gripping climax” to build a foundation for more money, I mean, a loyal continuation of the story. I was hoping the upcoming chapters wouldn’t continue down this road, but I lost that hope. The book has already revealed the love interest, the bully, the “average high school,” and the loyal parent who tries their best but will die in a few chapters for “character development.”

Other than that, fun read.