Two updates this time because Chapter 7 is a lot more interesting than these two. -Hadri
CHAPTER FIVE
Before getting back to Four’s really bad first day of high school, let’s talk about high concept for a bit. Putting aside the pop-Nietzschean philosophy infecting this thing, the reason this book got written (and why it got a film made out of it) is how easy it is to explain. It would go something like this:
- An alien teenager comes of age at a typical American high school and uses his alien powers to fight bad guys who killed his family.
It has all the fittings of high school lit: the socially outcast but relatable protagonist, the awkward but loyal sidekick best friend, the Jerk Jock antagonist, the perfect girlfriend with a lot of Hart. Oh, and there’s some really bad aliens out there too.
It’s so perfectly structured like a Michael Bay movie it practically bleeds orange and blue. So far we’ve had an action-prologue that sets up the conspiracy theory and the first act that upsets the protagonist’s normal life with new powers and a girl. If the rest of the book is also just like the movie, it’s gonna stay pretty close to that three-act formula. Given that the movie was made by a D.J. Caruso/Michael Bay team-up Four was probably supposed to be played by Shia LeBoeuf, but they got his hunkiness Alex Pettyfer instead. At least that means we didn’t have to see Quinn Fabray kiss Sam Witwicky.
On with the recap.
Four’s meltdown gets a lot of attention at Paradise High:
- “What a freak”“Does he even go to school here?”“I hope so, he’s cute.”“What do you think he was doing in the darkroom to make his face so red?”
No comment. I can’t make jokes about this forever.
Henri is so proud that Four has started to grow his Legacies, and Four just really can’t wait to kick some Mogadorian ass.
Henri tells Four they’re finally going to open the Intricately Carved Loric Chest, which gets him all excited. Then he gets depressed because now he knows he’ll never get treated like a NORMAL BOY™ at school. Finally, he realizes his cell phone is missing, which is going to be our plot point for the next few chapters.
CHAPTER SIX
Henri explains that Four’s new power is called Lumen, which makes him fireproof and also turns his hands into flashlights. Four whines a lot about how he thinks this power is useless, and I also have to question why he doesn’t seem to know much about Legacies when he’s had a whole lifetime for Henri to educate him about this stuff. Which is, you know, part of Keeper’s job. Another strike against Henri, who is literally just too paranoid to function.
But the real reason is because the writer is lazy and doesn't want to find a better way to explain all this to us.
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