The Power of Six

The Power of Six is a young adult novel by Pittacus Lore, the joint pen name of authors James Frey and Jobie Hughes. First published in 2011, it is the second book in the science fiction series The Lorien Legacies and the sequel to I Am Number Four. The Power of Six was followed by five more books and another five-book spin off series titled The Lost Files. Centering around a battle between good and evil on an interplanetary scale, it follows the story of nine children from the planet Lorien, who are sent to Earth along with their guardians (called Cepans) when their home planet comes under assault from the ruthless Mogardorians. These nine children, endowed with special powers from their elders, are raised on Earth. There, they develop their abilities and hope one day return to their planet and reclaim their birthright. Exploring themes of teen alienation, legacy, destiny, xenophobia, and colonialism, The Power of Six continues the story of I Am Number Four and received mixed but overall positive reviews. Although it was criticized for a lack of character development, it was praised for its fast-paced storytelling and exciting action scenes. Although I Am Number Four was adapted into a major motion picture released in 2011 directed by DJ Caruso and starring Alex Pettyfer, the sequel was cancelled.

The narrative of The Power of Six is split between the story of Number Four, the star of the first novel, and a new character called Number Seven. Number Seven is known as Marina in her current Earth disguise and lives in a Spanish convent and orphanage with her Cepan, Adelina. Adelina has fully assimilated into life on Earth, living as a nun and convincing herself that Lorien and the Mogadorians are just fairy tales. While Adelina is dedicated to serving God, Marina has begun to understand the Legacies she inherited from her planet. She discovers that she has telekinesis, can breath underwater, and has a healing touch. She finds a cave nearby and carves it out into a hiding place that she uses for storing food and honing her skills. Each of the Legacies knows what has happened to the others, because when one is killed, a scar on the others' bodies. The scars on Marina’s ankle reveal to her that One, Two, and Three are already dead. They can only be killed in order, and Marina knows that they must stay apart as a result. However, she continues to train, knowing that their ancient enemies are coming from them and aiming to pick them off one at a time.

Meanwhile, in America, Number Four - better known as John - is traveling with his best friend Sam Goode, Number Six (whose earth name is Maren) and Four's Chimaera, Bernie Kosar. They fought off a group of Mogs in Ohio and barely escaped with their lives, although John’s Cepan Henri was killed in the battle. Six lost her own Cepan, Katarina, years earlier. Now they are running from both the Mogadorians and their police, who want to question them about the Ohio battle. They make their way to West Virginia, where they learn that the Mogs have hollowed out a large mountain. Six was captured there a while back, and was only able to escape after her power of invisibility developed. Before she escaped, she drew a map of the area, and they now draw on the map to find the Loric chests that the Mogs took from their planet. Those chests contain their Inheritances, the tools necessary to finish off the Mogs and reclaim their planet.



However, before they can make their way to the chests, Six begins to hear a psychic distress call from Spain. Knowing one of them is in trouble, she feels compelled to head there. Meanwhile, John, Sam, and Bernie attempt to enter the Mogs’ mountain to capture the chests on their own. The two groups, now divided, face battles of life and death. Six heads to Spain and is able to team up with Marina, as well as Number Ten, who is better known as Ella. They’re able to beat back the Mogs, while John and Number Nine team up to rescue two chests and escape. However, John is forced to make the painful choice to leave Sam behind in the Mogadorian base, unable to save both her and the chests. Although they’re battered and forced to retreat, the survivors are able to escape and regroup, seeking out the rest of their allies and make plans to defeat the Mogadorians. The battle to take back Lorien continues.

Pittacus Lore is a joint pen name for the group of authors behind The Lorien Legacies. They include James Frey, a successful former memoirist whose wildly successful memoirs A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard were later recalled due to inaccuracies and fabrications. He reinvented himself as CEO of Full Fathom Five, a multi-platform media company that engineers young adult franchises, and also wrote the successful 2008 novel Bright Shiny Morning. He partnered with authors Jobie Hughes and Greg Boose on The Lorien Legacies, which became a best-selling series.