I am number Four - Book Review

I've just watched I am Number Four - the movie. While I realize that a lot of people hated it, I really liked it.

Sure, I realize that some points of the plot don't make sense, and that the whole story seems forced. But I still enjoyed the fights and the special effects.

That is when I decided to read the book. I mean, how frequently have I said that a movie was better than the book? Almost never.

Unfortunately, that book was one of those cases.

OK, pretending that the author is an alien trying to warn Earth is cute. But the mishmash of SF and fantasy really annoyed me.

For example, either they didn't explain it in the movie or I missed it - why are they being killed in sequence? The book explains - it is a charm that makes them invulnerable, unless they get the next one in the sequence. Oh.

Also, their superpowers. I would have hoped for the classic SF hand waving - the talents were bio engineered by a long lost tech by their ancestors (I'm thinking of Neal Asher and Jain tech here). But no, they suddenly started getting superpowers after they started treating their planet better - they are a gift from their planet. Aaaargh!

The final battle felt oh so more natural in the movie. In the book, the bad aliens move areas to a separate realm (for extra boring fights, as I understand). And they are so evil, their weapons eat the life forces of trees around them. And no, I'm not making this up.

Still, it is not completely bad. The rest of it is actually good, and I might even read others in the series. But I can't help but imagine that a different writer could have made this much more enjoyable.

I also reviewed the sequel to this book - Power of Six Review

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