EXCLUSIVE: A Hefty ‘I Am Number Four’ Excerpt Is Now Online
Posted 7/26/10 1:18 pm ET by Adam Rosenberg in News
I read “I Am Number Four” a few weeks ago and it was a delightful experience. There’s been a rush on to find the next “Harry Potter,” the next “Twilight,” the next big ongoing adult-and-child-friendly literary series, and here we have one of the strongest contenders I’ve seen. “Number Four” shifts away from the fantasy seen in “Potter” and “Twilight,” looking instead to another genre which is particularly well-suited to epic storytelling: science fiction. The tale is credited to author Pittacus Lore, an alien life form who, along with a small group of others, escaped the destruction of his homeworld by a malevolent race, the Mogadorians.
Like “Harry Potter,” “I Am Number Four” succeeds by slowly introducing you to its unique universe, learning about the lost planet of Lorien and its culture through the eyes of a young man who escaped the destruction. The first book (oh yeah, it’s a series) ends with some key questions answered, but many new ones raised. It hits stores on August 3, with an adaptation starring Alex Pettyfer arriving in theaters early next year.
The first nine chapters, roughly 20% of the book, have been dropped into a PDF for a quick and easy download at this link. Just right-click (or Ctrl-click on a Mac) and select Save Target As to capture the file.