The Power of Six

     “Never lose faith in yourself, and never lose hope; remember, even when this world throws its worst and then turns its back, there is still always hope.” In The Power of Six, by Pittacus Lore, hope is a main theme. It's not just hope, but the idea that hope always exists, and that hope can overcome anything. It might be surprising that hope is such a key element, because action adventure/science fiction novels don’t always focus on something so simple. But don’t be fooled. This book isn’t simple at all. It all started with the destruction of Lorien. 9 garde and 9 cêpan escaped- the 9 garde are being hunted by the Mogadorians and killed. The garde are the warriors, and the cêpans are their guardians and their trainers.

             One of the main characters, John Smith, is one of the garde. He is considered a felon and is trying to develop his legacies on the run. He is one of the 9 garde, and he is number 4. He has so much going on in his life, from his cêpan Henri dying, to him having mixed feelings about Sarah and Six. Sarah was John’s girlfriend, who he was forced to leave in Paradise and he can’t contact her in anyway. Then there’s Sam, John’s best friend. Another big focus in John’s life is his chests. These chests came from Lorien, and they hold the keys to keep their legacies, or their powers coming

            John and Six are on the run with Sam. They have to stay away from the Mogadorians and the police. It gets very complicated, but they still have the times to stop and train. Along the way, John and Six’s relationship begins to grow, and John begins to wonder what will happen to his relationship with Sarah. When John and Six go on a walk, it doesn’t help clear up the fog. They become very close, and they almost kiss. John is very confused, and to clear up the confusion he decides to go see Sarah. While in Paradise, the Mogadorians attack them, and everything gets complicated.

            There is also the problem of Number 7. Her name is Marina, and her problems are much different then John’s. She had been in Spain for the last 11 years, because her cêpan has become convinced that Lorien is no longer important. The garde are supposed to move around often, but Adalina, her cêpan, refuses to leave the Catholic orphanage in which they have taken refuge. Marina is forced to teach herself about her legacies, and she has to learn everything on her own.

            Truth be told, this book is slow. It seems like this book inches along, and it seems like everything is stretched out much too long. The Power of Six is not the best book, and it doesn’t have many surprises. The entire book seemed like it was laid out at the beginning. It doesn’t go in the direction it should. This book has the potential to be a very good story, and it has very good points. The author just didn’t tie them together in the way they should be tied together. This book definitely isn’t as good or as suspenseful as I am Number Four. The first book in this series seemed much more interesting and it kept my attention for much longer. The Power of Six dragged on and didn’t move well. If they had to be compared, I am Number Four is definitely the better book.

            This is not the greatest book. It isn’t the worst, because it has good ideas, but it seemed that the author didn’t know what to do with the ideas. It is very slow paced and Pittacus Lore can and should do better. All in all, The Power of Six is a boring book that didn’t hold my attention well.

B.