Lorien Legacies

Lorien Legacies

Book covers of the first three books.
I Am Number Four The Power of Six The Rise of Nine
Author	Pittacus Lore (James Frey & Jobie Hughes)
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Young Adult, Science fiction fantasy
Publisher	HarperCollins
Published	August 2010-present
Media type	print (hardcover and paperback)

Lorien Legacies is a series of young adult science fiction books, written by James Frey and Jobie Hughes under the collective pseudonym Pittacus Lore.

I Am Number Four (published 2010) is the first book in the series, followed by The Power of Six (2011) and The Rise of Nine (released in August 2012) are the first three books in the series, of a proposed six. The books are published by HarperCollins.

Plot Overviews

Main Books of the Lorien Legacies Series

"I Am Number Four"

Main article: I Am Number Four

This follows the story of John Smith, a 15-year old alien from the planet Lorien, and Henri, his guardian 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 which works only when they stay apart. The first three have been killed, and John is Number Four. After a mishap in Florida, John and Henri move to Paradise, Ohio. While here, John falls for Sarah Hart, makes enemies with Mark James (the conflict is later resolved), becomes best friends with Sam Goode and finds and keeps a dog which he named Bernie Kosar. Eventually, Sam finds out John's secret but keeps it and is supportive of him. Sarah also finds out about John when he saves her from a fire in Mark's house, leaping out a two story window and coming out without a scratch. Near the end of the book, the Mogadorians find John and a battle happens at Black River High School. Number Six finds John before the battle starts and she along with John, Sarah, Sam, Henri, Bernie Kosar (who turns out to be a loric Chimaera who can turn into forms) and Mark fight against the Mogadorians. The Mogadorians lose the battle but Henri dies and Bernie Kosar gets badly hurt. Because the school is now destroyed and there are some dead bodies around town, the blame goes to John and Henri who are now suspected terrorists. John, Sam, Six and Bernie Kosar then go in search of the rest of the Garde so they can unite and defeat the Mogadorians before they take over Earth.

"The Power Of Six"

Main article: The Power of Six

The story is told by various members of the Garde: Number Four (John Smith), who is on the run with Sam, Six, and Bernie Kosar (aka Hadley, a Lorien Chimæra), and Number Seven (Marina), who's hiding at Santa Teresa, a convent in Spain. While John, Number Six and Sam try to stay ahead of the Mogadorians while searching for the other surviving Loric, Number Seven searches for news of John after his heroic battle at the school that came at the end of I Am Number Four.

The story starts out showing what life is like for Marina, and also how John, Six, Sam, and Bernie Kosar struggle to evade police searching for them. Marina starts to suspect the Mogadorians have discovered her, but believes the charm is what keeps them from attacking here. She keeps seeing the same Mogadorian watching her in various circumstances. A new 7 year old girl named Ella comes to the orphanage and Marina befriends her.

Elsewhere, John, Six, BK, and Sam escape police and are hiding again. John finally decides to open his Chest and he and the others examine its contents. John and Six are unfamiliar with almost all of the Chest's contents. When they open the Chest, it somehow notifies the Mogadorians of their location. Later that night, they attack the house. Six, John, Sam and BK all manage to make it out. Later John reads Henri's letter and finds out the Mogadorians have captured Sam's father. Sam remembers his father telling him of a secret Loric base in his backyard. They set off to find it. Meanwhile, Marina tries to convince her Cepan Adelina to open the Chest for her and take responsibility of her role to Marina with no avail. Ella finds the hidden Chest and while Marina and Ella go to retrieve it, three girls from the convent confront Marina. Marina fights them but Ella ends up breaking her arm. Marina discovers her healing legacy when she repairs Ella's arm. Later, Marina drugs Adelina and opens her Chest.

Elsewhere, Six, John, Sam and BK make it to Sam's house, where they unlock the well and discover his father's information base. The Mogadorians arrive and Six and BK are left fighting them while John and Sam find Sarah. Sarah calls the FBI on John and they arrest him, putting him and Sam in a prison near Washington DC. Also, Marina activates a communication device in her Chest and since the Mogadorians have hacked Six's, they now know where she is. Six, John, Sam and BK are looking at John's solar system model when they see the Marina's tracking device and hear her voice before the connection is dropped. In the prison, John is questioned and soon the Mogadorians arrive. Six is there and helps them escape, though very angry they left her during the battle at Sam's. The Mogadorians have stolen John's Chest. John, Six, And Sam all make it out of the prison without being attacked by the Mogadorians and form a plan. Six is going to Spain to help Marina, who she now understands is a member of the Garde, and Sam and BK and John are going to the Mogadorian's base in a hollowed out mountain near West Virginia.

Meanwhile, the Mogadorians catch up with Marina and Adelina as they try to escape. Adelina is murdered while trying to help Marina. The Mogadorian Marina has seen previously saves her life and explains he is not a Mogadorian but a Cepan of the tenth member of the Garde, who is Ella. He explains Ella took the second ship when the last elder, Loridas, sacrificed himself. The Cepan, named Crayton, Ella, who is actually eleven and can go between ages, using Loridas' aternus ability, Hector, a friend of Marina, and Marina try to escape to the lake where Crayton has a Loric Chimaera waiting to help them. Six arrives on the scene and helps Crayton, Ella, Marina and Hector fight. Hector is killed by a Mogadorian beast. They win the battle. Six makes plans with the others to find the other Garde and the rest of the Chimaeras with Marina, Crayton and Ella. Crayton says "This isn't the end. You are getting way too strong, winning too many battles for them to let up now. The ruler, Setrukus Ra, will be here soon."

Elsewhere, Sam and John use Xitheris, a Loric stone that transfers Six's legacies to them temporarily to sneak into the mountain and grab John's Chest, and another that was there. They run out of invisibility and soon the Mogadorians are fighting them. They open the prisons in the mountain base and free Nine, who helps them fight their way out, using the other Chest, which is his, to their aid. Sam gets caught and they escape without him, discovering he is captured too late. John is too injured to go back for him. Nine attempts to go back in with John, but John is wounded by the force field around the mountain. Setrakus Ra arrives and Nine is about to attack him when Ra hides in the base, Nine and BK unable to reach him. Nine and John and BK head north, with nowhere to go since the address for meeting Six was lost in Sam's pocket.

Lorics have special powers that vary with age, number and power called Legacies. John Smith's first Legacy was Lumen, which made his palms glow like a flashlight when he was in school in Ohio. Six, in "The Power of Six," which was the second book, has the ability to control, or have influence over, the weather and climatical changes. Although we do not have knowledge of many other Legacies, we know that Marina of the Seas could breathe under water; which is fitting, considering her name. She also has the ability to heal with her palms.

"The Rise Of Nine"

Main article: The Rise of Nine

The Rise of Nine is told from the first person perspectives of Number Four (John Smith), Number Six (Maren Elizabeth), and Number Seven (Marina). The story follows the characters as they continue attempting to evade their destruction.

Throughout the third installment of the Lorien Legacies, the current known members of the Garde are shown to be scattered around the world and placed in various locations. The current known members being Four, Six, Seven, Nine, and Ten, they all venture out trying to obtain certain clearance based on each of their missions.

At the end of The Power of Six, we know that Sam was being held captive within the Mogadorian base in West Virginia and that John and Nine had no way of getting to him. After that, they travelled around the place trying to sort out how to get Sam out of the cave. This, however, was only Four's intentions. He was constantly thinking and worrying about Sam's and Sarah's well-being, his best friend and girlfriend respectively. The longer Four spent with Nine, the longer he realised that he and Nine are both completely opposite people. Four has a soft-spot when it comes to his friends and the rest of the Garde, and constantly wanting to prevent injuries and wasted time. Nine, however, has a nack for running into things quickly without thinking them through. He has an arrogant nature but also a bit of big-brotherly love, which is what Four uncovers later on in the book, even after they have a fight on top of the John Hancock Center.

Meanwhile, Six, Seven, Ten, and Crayton flew on a plane at the beginning of the book, their destination being India, where rumors had spread about a resurrected god living in the Himalayas. Once they arrived in New Delhi, they were surrounded by armored vehicles with the number 8 painted on it. After agreeing to go with the unknown army, the four Loric were taken near the Himalayan mountains, but ended up being pursued and shot at by a group of elite people known as the Lord's Resistance. This group was sponsored by various wealthy and well-connected benefactors with guns, helicopters, and various armory that allowed them to attempt to kill the "resurrected god". During the first battle against the group, Marina's chest was open, which allowed Four and Nine to know their position back in America using the tablet that Four obtained in The Power of Six.

After a lengthy battle in the mountains against the Lord's Resistance, the four Loric were taken to the "resurrected god" by Commander Sharma where they were each tested to see if they were worthy to meet the god, which was later revealed to actually be Number Eight, a member of the Garde that had been hiding in the mountains for years. After obtaining his chest thanks to Marina, Eight took the others, excluding the Commander, to an underground cave that acted as a teleporter, which is one of Eight's Legacies. The Mogadorians arrived, Crayton was killed and the remaining four were forced to leave via the teleporter. However, Six wasn't directly connected to Eight, which was the only way of being teleported, and ended up in the desert of New Mexico, whilst the other three appeared just off the coast of Somalia.

Meanwhile, after their fight atop the John Hancock Center, Four and Nine ended up agreeing to go to New Mexico, based solely on information found on the tablet and also found in their visions of Setrakus Ra.

Meanwhile, Marina, Eight and Ella teleported to Stonehenge, where they were confronted by guards. Ella helped them by reducing her age until she was six years old, which is one of her Legacies. This helped them to teleport to New Mexico, where they traveled towards the mountains that Six mentioned telepathically to Ella earlier on.

Six was held captive within the Mogadorian base in New Mexico. After a short battle, Six was defeated by Setrakus Ra after he disabled her Legacies. He then paralysed her, covered her in granite, and suspended her from the ceiling of the cavern. In the meantime, the other five known Garde members (John, Marina, Eight, Nine, and Ella) met up and entered the Mogadorian base. John found Sarah held captive within the base and took her with them into the cavern where Six was trapped. During an ensuing battle, Six was rescued, Four obtained a new Legacy of healing, Eight was almost killed and every Mogadorian including Setrakus Ra disappeared. The book ends with every Garde member being together, excluding Number Five, and Six vowing that Setrakus Ra will not get away from them the next time.

It is also good to take note that Number Five is only mentioned a few times in the book. It is likely that Five is a girl and that she travels a lot throughout the books. In The Rise of Nine, Five was mentioned three times: once when she was travelling quickly north through South America, another when she was seen in the prophecy within the cave, and lastly when she was travelling via plane over the Atlantic Ocean.

The book was published in the United States on August 21, 2012 by HarperCollins and in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2012 through Penguin Books.

"The Return of Lorien"

The Return of Lorien depicts the Garde's battle to try and win over Lorien and defeat the Mogadorians. It is scheduled for release in August 2013.

The Lost Files: Supplemental Books

"I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Six’s Legacy"

This supplement details the history behind Number Six, showing where she had been living and how she developed her legacies.

"I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Nine's Legacy"

When John frees Number from his cell in The Power of Six, he’s ferocious, reckless, and ready to fight back. But being held captive changes a person — even a Loric. See what Nine was like before his capture, and read about his dramatic escape from his point of view.

In I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Nine’s Legacy, discover the story behind Nine. Before meeting John Smith, a.k.a. Number Four and before being held prisoner, Nine was hunting down Mogadorians in Chicago with his Cêpan, Sandor. What happened there would change Nine forever…

"I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Fallen Legacies"

Before Number Four, there were Numbers One, Two, and Three. Until now we've only known that the Mogadorians caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. But all of that is about to change…

In I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Fallen Legacies, you’ll learn the true story behind these ill-fated members of the Garde. Before they were murdered by the Mogadorians, before Number Four was next, they were all just kids on an alien planet called Earth — discovering their powers, trying to stay hidden, and running for their lives.

"I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Legacies"

I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Legacies, released on July 24, 2012, is a paperback edition of the three previously released Lost Files novellas—Six’s Legacy, Nine’s Legacy, and The Fallen Legacies. Originally published as individual e-books, this is the first time they will be available in print.

"I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Search for Sam"

I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Search for Sam, will be released on December 26, 2012.

"I Am Number Four: Eight's Origin"

I Am Number Four: Eight's Origin is a short story which is only able to be read on the Lorien Legacies website and ebook. It was put on the website as part of the countdown to The Rise Of Nine on August 13, 2012. It is described as "an exclusive, never-before-seen peek into Number Eight’s past".

Main Characters

Main article: List of Lorien Legacies characters

• John Smith aka Number Four - The narrator of the first book. He also narrates half of the second book. He is the fourth member of the Loric Garde. His legacies are Lumen (the ability to light up his hands, be impervious to fire, and set his body on fire), telekinesis, and animal telepathy. He gains ability to heal sickness and injuries in The Rise of Nine.
• Number Six - sixth member of the Loric Garde who accompanies John throughout this book and evolves to become his other romantic interest. Her legacies are element control, telekinesis, and invisibility.
• Henri/Brandon - John's Cêpan. He dies in the first book while in battle at the school.
• Sam Goode - John's best friend and Six's other love interest who accompanies John and Six in the second book.
• Marina - The narrator of half the second book. She is the seventh member of the Loric Garde. She finally meets Six at the end of the book. Her legacies are breathing underwater, telekinesis, night vision, super speed and healing.
• Adelina - Seven's Cêpan. She dies during the battle in the convent with the Mogadorians to save Marina.
• Ella - Marina's best friend. She is the tenth member of the Loric Garde who has the ability to change her apparent age and has telepathy.
• Crayton - Ella's unofficial Cêpan (she was too young to be officially assigned a Cêpan). He accompanies Six, Marina, Ella, and Hector during battle at end of second book with Mogadorians. He then dies after saving seven and eight's chests in a loric cave on top of a mountain in India.
• Héctor Ricardo - Marina's only human friend. He dies at the end of book 2 during the battle at the lake.
• Nine - Joins the battle at the end of the second book after being saved by Four/John Smith. Not a lot known yet, but has powers related to anti-gravity, animal telepathy, super hearing, super speed, and power transference (he is able to temporarily give his powers to another person).
• Sarah Hart - John's girlfriend from Paradise, Ohio. She is suspected to have called the FBI on him when he goes to visit her in book two, but in book three, is found to be innocent.
• Eight - Found by Six, Marina, Ella and Crayton in India. Besides having super strength and telekinesis he can teleport and shapeshift. Marina's love interest.
• Setrákus Ra - Mogodarian Leader. Setrákus is twenty feet tall with tanned with short hair and a chiseled jaw. Can shapeshift and often takes the form of humans/gardes. He has the ability to suck the garde powers.

Critical reception

Reception to the series has been mostly positive. The first two books in the series have both achieved New York Times Bestseller status, with I Am Number Four spending seven weeks in the Children's Section at #1.

Film adaptation

Main article: I Am Number Four (film)

In 2009 DreamWorks Pictures bought the rights to I Am Number Four and released the movie on February 18, 2011. The movie was the first DreamWorks film to be distributed by Disney's Touchstone Pictures and received generally negative reviews from critics, with review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes giving a score of 32% based on 156 reviews. The movie had a world-wide gross of $145,982,798 and a budget of $50 million, but still fell short of expectations.

Plans for any future installments for the series has been shelved. Director D. J. Caruso confirmed that he would like to direct a sequel, but in an interview with MTV Hollywood Crush Lore has stated that any questions or requests for a sequel should be directed to producer Michael Bay.

External links

• The Lorien Legacies official site