Ref: I am Number Four (Final)

So what denotes a hero story? Generally?

-An oddity: some unfortunate kid who doesn't quite fit in

-Loss of a parent (or parents), family member, friend etc

-A set back

-An overcoming of said set back

-A love interest

-A villain

i.e Harry Potter, Avatar, Spiderman, Batman etc.

So what makes these stories different or special (as opposed to a retelling of the same story with different names) lies in the story's delivery or the characters themselves. By delivery, I mean the writing, the style, the voice of the author or character. By the characters themselves, I mean their nature (Harry is obviously very different from Peter Parker).

The issue I have then with I am Number Four is pretty obvious then no?

Alien teen trying to survive extermination from another alien race- that's okay, acceptable, new stuff.

Alien teen with super powers who falls in love at first sight with ex-cheerleader- uh. what?

Alien teen who has trouble reconciling the difference between the love he feels for the cheerleader and the real "love" he would feel for another alien girl- why is this starting to sound like a twilight knockoff?

Alien teen who's fighting evil and saving the planet, while in love with blonde cheerleader- ....

Alien teen who's alias is "John Smith"- what crap..

So obviously there's a lot of things that don't add up. John's supposed to be a teenager by human terms, he's only been on the earth for about 10 years, so that would make him like 15 human years. Yet his race is supposed to live upwards of 200 years, so wouldn't he in reality be like 7.5 years old? And "John Smith" really? Could you try harder to blend in? John Smith and Jane Doe are stereotypical, but if you're trying to evade an intelligent pursuer by blending in, that one dumb-ass choice.

Plus isn't it just weird that the author's writing himself in as a character?

But.. of course I can see the ups of this book if you're a pubescent preteen, who wouldn't want to read about average kids getting with the prettiest girl in town, who happens to be a blue eyed blonde ex cheerleader.

Maybe I'm just too old for this stuff now.

Final Rating:

First Thoughts: I am Number Four

Seeing as I am Number Four is coming out on the big screen not to long from now, I figured I'd sit down and actually do some leisure-reading for the first time in a long time.

Just a few amusing excerpts:

“Any day, John,” he reiterates. “If your fingers start to disappear, or if you start to float, or shake violently, if you lose muscular control or begin to hear voices even when nobody is talking. Anything at all, you call.”

"She’s shockingly beautiful with straight blond hair past her shoulders, ivory skin, high cheekbones, and soft blue eyes. Everyone seems to know her and says hello to her, and no one objects to her taking their picture"

“Do you know what you have?” he asks.

“Lights in my hands.”

He chuckles. “It’s called Lumen. You’ll be able to control the light in time.”

...

“Lumen,” he says. “You’re going to become resistant to fire and heat. Your hands come naturally, but we’ll have to train the rest of your body.” "

Sounds like your average teen drama, angst, super powers and evil murderers hurrah. Thus far, the characters have been flat, the narration, dry, and the plot, predictable but I'm only on chapter four so we'll see how it goes neh~.

Rating: