I Am Number Four Series Order | Pittacus Lore’s Lorien Legacies Books

I Am Number Four is a popular YA series known by millions around the world. But with so many books and novellas, you may be wondering about the best I Am Number Four series order.

This series is also known as the Lorien Legacies and there are two exciting ways to read these books. You can decide which I Am Number Four series order works best for you from the options below. But first let’s look a bit into the series and learn more about this franchise.

About the I Am Number Four Series

The author of the Lorien Legacies series is Pittacus Lore, which is a pseudonym for James Frey and Jobie Hughes. There are seven books in the main series, a spin-off series, and a sequel series.

The main series begins with the story of John Smith. An ordinary teenager by all appearances who is living in Paradise, Ohio with his guardian Henri.

However, unbeknownst to anyone, John is one of nine human-looking aliens that were brought to Earth at six years old. They look human and they act human, but they are far from ordinary. They are the superheroes of movies and comic books brought to life.

The nine children were brought to Earth to grow into their powers. They were then supposed to return to their planet Lorien to defeat the Mogadorians and regain control of their home. But now they’re being hunted.

Only six remain as they turn 15 years old and their powers develop, which is making it harder to remain hidden. The teenagers have also been protected by a charm, which only allows them to be killed in a particular order, by non-gifted guardians called Cêpan.

John is Number Four and he is next on their list.

I Am Number Four Series Order

#1 I Am Number Four Series Order – Novels Only

The Lorien Legacies series contains seven main novels and three sequels that you can read in the following order. If this is your first time reading the I Am Number Four series, you should begin by reading the original main series in full before moving onto the sequel series or the spin-off novellas. This will allow you to experience the world as the authors intended, and also avoid any potential spoilers.

The Original Lorien Legacies Series

1. I Am Number Four
2. The Power of Six
3. The Rise of Nine
4. The Fall of Five
5. The Revenge of Seven
6. The Fate of Ten
7. United as One

Lorien Legacies Reborn

1. Generation One
2. Fugitive Six
3. Return to Zero

#2 I Am Number Four Series Order with Novellas

The novellas are found in The Lost Files series paperbacks and The Legacies Chronicles series paperbacks. Here they are in the order you should read them.

1. I Am Number Four
2. Six’s Legacy – The Legacies
3. The Power of Six
4. Nine’s Legacy – The Legacies
5. The Fallen Legacies – The Legacies
6. The Rise of Nine
7. The Last Days of Lorien – Secret Histories  
8. The Search for Sam – Secret Histories
9. The Forgotten Ones – Secret Histories
10. The Fall of Five
11. Five’s Legacy – Hidden Enemy
12. Five’s Betrayal – Hidden Enemy
13. Return to Paradise – Hidden Enemy
14. The Revenge of Seven
15. The Fugitive – Rebel Allies
16. The Navigator – Rebel Allies
17. The Guard – Rebel Allies
18. The Fate of Ten
19. Legacies Reborn – Zero Hour
20. Last Defense – Zero Hour
21. Hunt for the Garde – Zero Hour
22. United as One
23. Generation One
24. Out of the Ashes – Trial by Fire
25. Into the Fire – Trial by Fire
26. Up in Smoke – Trial by Fire
27. Fugitive Six
28. Chasing Ghosts – Out of the Shadows
29. Raising Monsters – Out of the Shadows
30. Killing Giants – Out of the Shadows
31. Return to Zero

I Am Number Four Movie

The first novel in the I Am Number Four series order, I Am Number Four, was adapted into a film of the same name in 2011.

I Am Number Four starred Alex Pettyfer as the main character John Smith, alongside Timothy Olyphant as Henri, Dianna Agron as Sarah, and Teresa Palmer as Number 6.

While the film grossed $150 million at the box office worldwide, it received generally negative reviews and future film adaptations in the franchise were cancelled.

I Am Number Four Series Books Summary

Now that you know about all of the available reading material in this world, let’s dive into the books from the main series and the sequel series.

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Lorien Legacies Series Summary

1. I Am Number Four

Nine of us came here. We look like you, we talk like you, and we live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing.

Because we have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books — but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. We have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya.

They killed them all. I am Number Four, and I am next. 

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2. The Power of Six

I’ve seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he’s a mystery. But to me…he’s one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us. If we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us remaining.

We’re hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another…but our Legacies are developing, and soon we’ll be ready to fight.

Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I’ve been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six?

Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams. The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine. The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio — and failed.

I am Number Seven, one of six still alive, and I’m ready to fight.

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3. The Rise of Nine

Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I’d been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive. Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others.

I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we’re looking for the others — including John.

But so are they.

They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. They caught me in New York — but I escaped.

I am Number Six. They want to finish what they started, but they’ll have to fight us first.

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4. The Fall of Five

The Garde are finally together again, but do they have what it takes to win the war against the Mogadorians?

John Smith — Number Four — thought that things would change once the Garde found each other. They would stop running. They would fight the Mogadorians. And they would win.

But he was wrong. After facing off with the Mogadorian ruler and almost being annihilated, the Garde know they are drastically unprepared and hopelessly outgunned. Now they’re hiding out in Nine’s Chicago penthouse, trying to figure out their next move.

The six of them are powerful, but they’re not strong enough yet to take on an entire army — even with the return of an old ally. To defeat their enemy, the Garde must master their Legacies and learn to work together as a team. More importantly, they’ll have to discover the truth about the Elders and their plan for the Loric survivors.

And when the Garde receive a sign from Number Five — a crop circle in the shape of a Loric symbol — they know they are so close to being together again. But could it be a trap? Time is running out, and the only thing they know for certain is that they have to get to Five before it’s too late.

The Garde may have lost battles, but they will not lose this war. Lorien will rise again.

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5. The Revenge of Seven

The Garde have suffered an unbearable loss. Number Five has betrayed them. Eight is gone forever. Ella has been kidnapped. The others are now scattered.

In Chicago, John makes the unlikeliest of allies: Adam, a Mogadorian who turned his back on his people. He has invaluable information about Mog technology, battle strategies, and weaknesses. Most important, he knows where to hit them: Their command base near Washington, DC.

During the assault, however, John and Adam learn the unimaginable truth: It is too late. The Mogadorians have commenced their ultimate invasion plans.

With a front-row seat to the impending invasion, Ella finds herself in the hands of the enemy. For some reason she’s more valuable to them alive, and they’ll stop at nothing to turn her.

Meanwhile, Six, Nine, and Marina make their way through the Florida Everglades, hot on the trail of the traitorous Five. With the development of a new Legacy, Marina finally has the power to fight back — if her thirst for revenge doesn’t consume her first.

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6. The Fate of Ten

For years the Garde have fought the Mogadorians in secret, but now all of that has changed. The invasion has begun. If the Garde can’t find a way to stop the Mogs, humanity will suffer the same fate as the Lorien: Annihilation.

There is still hope. When the Elders sent the Garde to Earth, they had a plan — one the Garde are finally starting to understand. A group of the Garde traveled to an ancient pyramid in Mexico known to their people as the Sanctuary.

It was there they awoke a power that had been hidden within our planet for generations. Now this power can save the world…or destroy it. It will all depend on who wields it.

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7. United as One

The Mogadorians have invaded Earth. Their warships loom over our most populated cities, and no country will risk taking them head on. The Garde are all that stand in the way, but they’ll need an army of their own to win this fight.

They’ve teamed up with the US military, but it might not be enough. The Garde need reinforcements, and they’ve found them in the most unexpected place. Teenagers from across the globe, like John Smith’s best friend, Sam, have developed abilities.

So John and the others must get to them before the Mogs, because if they don’t their enemies will use these gifted teens for their own sinister plan. But after all the Mogadorians have taken from John — his home, his family, his friends, and the person he loves most — he might not want to put any more lives in danger. He’s got nothing left to lose, and he’s just discovered he has been given an incredible new Legacy.

Now he can turn himself into the ultimate weapon. So will he risk his life to save the world, or will he realize that power in numbers will save us all?

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Lorien Legacies Reborn Series Summary

1. Generation One

It has been over a year since the invasion of Earth was thwarted in Pittacus Lore’s United as One. But in order to win, our alien allies known as the Garde unleashed their Loric energy that spread throughout the globe. So now human teenagers have begun to develop incredible powers of their own, known as Legacies.

To help these incredible and potentially dangerous individuals — and put the world at ease — the Garde have created an academy where they can train this new generation to control their powers and hopefully one day help mankind. But not everyone thinks that’s the best use of their talents. And the teens may need to use their Legacies sooner than they ever imagined.

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2. Fugitive Six

The Human Garde Academy was created in the aftermath of an alien invasion of Earth. It was meant to provide a safe haven for teens across the globe who were suddenly developing incredible powers known as Legacies.

Taylor Cook was one of the newest students and had no idea if she’d ever fit in. But when she was mysteriously abducted, her friends broke every rule in the book to save her.

In the process, they uncovered a secret organization that was not only behind Taylor’s kidnapping but also the disappearance of numerous teens with abilities. It is an organization that has dark roots in the Loric’s past, untold resources, and potentially even a mole at their own school.

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3. Return to Zero

After the battle in Switzerland, the Fugitive Six find their allegiances torn, dividing them into two factions. Taylor, Kopano, and Nigel return to the Academy with Nine, but nothing is the same.

As fear and resentment of the Human Garde continues to grow, the United Nations decrees that all humans with Legacies must get inhibitors. So our heroes will have no choice but to rebel.

And with the Foundation still at large, Isabela, Caleb, and Ran have decided to join forces with their former foes Einar and Five to hunt them down. But when a new threat is revealed, the group may find itself painfully outmatched. Facing capture or annihilation from all sides, the only hope the Human Garde have for survival is to stand together once and for all to fight back against their true enemies.

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Final Thoughts on I Am Number Four Series Order

Now that you have the I Am Number Four series order, will you start reading the Lorien Legacies series? When you do, don’t forget to share with us how it’s going!

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