I often do not read science-fiction books as I usually prefer reading fiction. However, I consider this book as “brain candy”, a break from reality and I finished the book in about four days. The book accompanied me to the gym, work and at home. I can not wait to get my hands on the next book by Pittacus named, ” The Power of Six “, due out on August 23, 2011.
As you begin to read the first few pages, there are dramatic events which give you a clue of how these people have to live…constant hiding and blending. A guardian is murdered and a teenager jumps out the window and runs for his life at speeds faster than humans. He escapes through the jungle and clears a large ravine that is humanely impossible to jump over. On the other side, the teen believes he is safe and takes a breath as he could not believe he was able to make a large jump. As he stands up, he is choked and thrown on the ground. A sword is thrust into his body killing him. He is number Three.
At approximately the same time, thousands of miles away, another teen is enjoying a boat party. John is in a conversation with a girl that he takes a liking to and all of a sudden a painful, glowing ring appears near his ankle. This is his third ring and the girl begins to scream. He says goodbye and jumps in the water and swims to shore. He runs home and informs Henri of the incident and they hastily begin to pack their belongings as they must leave town right away. All forms of identification are burned. They get into the vehicle and after many miles on the road, stop by a roadside diner to for supper. Henri reviews the map and decides the next place they will call home. The map has criss-crossed lines indicating how many times they have had to move. They are headed to Ohio. John is number Four .
John and Henri have to stay on the run and keep a low profile. It’s a way of life that they both understand, but at times it can become a burden. John is unable to make long term friends and always feels like an outsider. The Mogadorians are beings that track them down in numeric order, all nine of them, to kill. John and Henri had to escape their previous planet, Lorien, because these beings pillaged their planet and the Loriens were threatened with extinction. Nine children were sent to the nearest life-sustaining planet, Earth, and are the future hope for Lorien…and Earth. The Mogadorians intend to use Earth’s resources for their own selfish military means, and then search for the next life-sustaining planet. The Mogadorians plan to kill all of them as soon as possible before their powers or Legacies develop and are able to fight back. What they don’t know is that there is safety in numbers and humans are able to fight back with the help of John and another teen with Legacies.
Towards the end of the book, an incident blows their cover and John and Henri have no time to run. Now John and Henri have decided that there is only one thing left to do.
