I am Number Four Series in Order

Pittacus Lore’s Lorien Legacies YA SF series begins with ‘I Am Number Four’. Harper Collins published the book in 2010 and it became a New York Times bestseller. There are seven novels and many more novellas in this collection. Lorien Legacies: The Lost Files is a collection of novels about the other Lorien survivors before they met Number 4.

Set after the death of another of his kind, the first book follows the titular figure Number Four. The Mogadorians nearly wiped off his people, the Loric. Nine youngsters and their keepers escape with a charm that prevents them from dying out of order. Number Four begins a new life in Paradise, Ohio, where he attempts to blend in. But it’s only a question of time before he is discovered.

The other Lorien Survivors have been living a bleak existence for years. The appearance of John demonstrates that they were not the only ones. He encourages them to defeat the Mogadorians.

While Number 4 was always the protagonist of the novels, the author introduced the other members of his crew in the next installments, with a number of dedicated POVs.

I am Number Four Series in order

I Am Number Four: The Lost Files

1. Six’s Legacy (2011)
2. Nine’s Legacy (2012)
3. The Fallen Legacies (2012)
4. The Search for Sam (2012)
5. The Last Days of Lorien (2013)
6. The Forgotten Ones (2013)
7. Hidden Enemy (2014)
8. Five’s Legacy (2014)
9. Return to Paradise (2014)
10. Five’s Betrayal (2014)
11. The Fugitive (2014)
12. The Navigator (2015)
13. The Guard (2015)
14. Legacies Reborn (2015)
15. Last Defense (2016)
16. The Legacies (2012)
17. Secret Histories (2013)
18. Rebel Allies (2015)
19. Zero Hour (2016)

Similar authors

• The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey follows Cassie, a teen trying to save her younger brother. It happens after Four waves of deadly alien attacks have left Earth in ruin.
• Gone by Michael Grant is centered on the fictional town of Perdido Beach. Here, every human over the age of 15 vanishes. See Gone Series in Order.
• James Dashner’s The Maze Runner centers on Thomas, a 16-year-old teenager with no recollection of life before the Maze and his companions. They have to survive a series of lethal tests and topple the corporation that runs them.

Most recommended books of the series

1. The Fate of Ten (Lorien Legacies, #6)  (4.31 Goodreads score)
2. United as One (Lorien Legacies, #7) (4.30 Goodreads score)
3. The Revenge of Seven (Lorien Legacies, #5) (4.27 Goodreads score)
4. The Fall of Five (Lorien Legacies, #4) (4.22 Goodreads score)
5. The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies, #3) (4.17 Goodreads score)

Awards

The series won the 2011 Isinglass Teen Read Award and the 2013 Iowa Teen Award for Young Adult series.

Latest releases in the series

The latest Lorien book was Return to Zero, a Reborn novella, published in 2020.

Movie adaptations of the books

The I Am Number Four movie was adapted from the first book in the Lorien Legacies series. It starred Alex Pettyfer, Teresa Palmer, and Timothy Olyphant.

Book summaries

Six’s Legacy (2011)

Number Six—when John meets her in I Am Number Four she’s strong, powerful, and ready to fight. But who is she? Where has she been living? How has she been training? When did she develop her legacies? And how does she know so much about the Mogadorians?

Nine’s Legacy (2012)

Number Nine—when John frees him from his cell in the Power of Xix, he’s ferocious, reckless, and ready to fight back. But being held captive changes a person—even a Lorien. See what Nine was like before his capture, and read about his dramatic escape from his point of view.

The Fallen Legacies (2012)

Before Number Four, there were One, Two, and Three. Until now we’ve only known that the Mogadorians caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. But all of that is about to change. . . .In I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Fallen Legacies, you’ll learn the true story behind these ill-fated members of the Garde. Before they were murdered by the Mogadorians, before Number Four was next, they were all just kids on an alien planet called Earth—discovering their powers, trying to stay hidden, and running for their lives.

The Search for Sam (2012)

No one has seen Sam Goode’s father, Malcolm, since he mysteriously disappeared years ago. Sam had always fantasized that he was abducted by aliens. But that was before he knew the truth: aliens do exist, and some of them seek to destroy our world. That was before he himself became another one of their captives. Now father and son are both missing. . . .But when a rogue Mogadorian named Adam, who now has Number One’s memories, decides the only way to make up for his past atrocities is to return home and infiltrate the Mogadorian stronghold, he’ll find the key to saving both Sam and Malcolm’s life.

The Last Days of Lorien (2013)

Sandor was tired of being a teenager, tired of going to school and obeying his teachers and playing by his parents’ rules. He enjoyed breaking the rules rather than following them. But when he makes one mistake too many, Sandor’s life takes an unexpected turn, and he is forced join the Lorien Defense Academy.Sandor had never believed in the crazy idea that Lorien needed to defend itself—Lorien was a peaceful planet, with no apparent enemies. But when Mogadorians suddenly attack, Sandor learns how real that threat was. Now Sandor is one of only a handful of Loric left alive, and the fate of Lorien is in their hands.

The Forgotten Ones (2013)

Adam helped Sam Goode and his father, Malcolm, escape the Mogadorian base in Dulce, New Mexico. Using the Legacy that One bestowed upon him, Adam sacrificed himself and brought the entire facility crumbling down on his head.Miraculously, Adam survives in one piece, and he also discovers something incredible that the Mogadorians had been hiding from the Garde. Separated from his allies, Adam sets out on a quest to find the one thing the Garde have been missing all these years, the very thing that could turn the tide in this war.

Hidden Enemy (2014)

After the Mogadorian leader is struck with a potentially fatal blow, it becomes uncertain who will step in for him and how the Mogs should proceed with their invasion of the planet. This power vacuum has wide-reaching ramifications. One Mog, who has been on a quest for redemption ever since she first let the Garde slip through her fingers, is given an unimaginable opportunity to make things right with the Beloved Leader. Another, who has an unquenchable thirst for blood, jumps at the opportunity to hunt down the human teens who have begun to develop Legacies. And the last Mog, who has been questioning everything since he crossed paths with Adam, is forced to decide once and for all where his allegiances lie. While the fate of the Mogadorian leader is unknown, the one thing that is for certain is that this war is coming to an end . . . and there can only be one side that wins.

Five’s Legacy (2014)

Before allying himself with the Mogadorians, before infiltrating the Garde, before committing the ultimate betrayal, Five was in hiding just like the others. But when his Cêpan dies, Five is forced to survive on his own. Eager to finally experience the world he was always kept apart from, Five soon gets involved with the wrong kind of people—the Mogadorians. In Five’s Legacy see how one of Lorien’s last hopes for survival became one of its most dangerous adversaries.

Return to Paradise (2014)

After Four leaves town to find the rest of the Garde, Mark is left behind to pick up the pieces. His school has been destroyed, his home burned down, and, worst yet, Mark now knows the horrifying truth: aliens live among us and some of them seek to destroy us. Even with the FBI tailing him and Sarah Hart, Mark tries to return to a normal life. But when Sarah goes missing, he knows he can no longer sit back and do nothing. His quest to find her will lead him to new allies and a startling revelation about the Mogadorians’ plan for invasion.

Five’s Betrayal (2014)

This sequel to I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Five’s Legacy finds Number Five entering the ranks of the Mogadorian army. The Mogs have convinced him that they will be the victor in their war for Earth, and Five decides he would rather be on the winning side. Realizing that the only thing that matters is his survival, Five allies himself with the sworn enemies of the Lorien and pledges to help the Mogs take down the very people he was meant to protect. Is he too far gone to be saved? Discover how Five became one of Earth’s and Lorien’s most dangerous adversaries and decide for yourself.

The Fugitive (2014)

A sequel to I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Return to Paradise, this novella picks up with Mark racing to Dulce, New Mexico, evading capture from both the Mogadorians and the FBI. On the road, his mysterious new ally—a fellow blogger from They Walk Among Us who Mark knows only by the screen name Guard—sends him a care package to help in his quest to find Sarah. Inside is a stack of cash, high-tech equipment, and some seriously advanced weaponry, all begging Mark to once again ask the question: Just who exactly is this guy? As Mark gets closer to tracking down Sarah, he also gets closer to discovering the identity of this enigmatic figure who seems to know so much about the Loric. When the truth about Guard is finally revealed, nothing will ever be the same.

The Navigator (2015)

Lexa was never part of the Elders’ plan. She had no idea the Garde children were being evacuated to our planet. But when the Mogadorian attack began, she used her expertise to get an old spaceship in a museum operational once more and became irrevocably entwined with the Garde’s fate. In addition to her friend, a pack of Chimæra, and a Cêpan named Crayton, her relic of a ship also carried Ella, the tenth Garde.With all of their Cêpans now gone, the Garde think they are the last of the Loric people. But they are wrong. They have forgotten all about the crew that brought them to Earth. Where have the pilots for both ships been all these years? And why haven’t they joined in the fight against the Mogs? In The Navigator, discover the truth behind their escape from Lorien and what happened to them after they arrived on our planet.

The Guard (2015)

A sequel to I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Navigator, this novella picks up with Lexa shortly after the Mogadorians raided her hideout and murdered her friend. Determined to get her revenge but knowing she can’t take the Mogs head on, Lexa goes in search of a weapon that just might help her do some real damage: the spaceship the Garde flew to Earth. The only problem is it’s under lock and key at a highly guarded base in Dulce, New Mexico.Lexa’s quest to retrieve the ship and track down the Garde has her cross paths with an ally of Pittacus Lore, come under fire from both the FBI and the Mogs, and team up with a headstrong teenager from Paradise, Ohio, by the name of Mark James. To get her secret weapon, Lexa will do whatever it takes. But as the Mogadorians begin their invasion, will it be enough to help save the Garde—and the world?

Legacies Reborn (2015)

At first, Daniela Morales thought the spaceship attacking New York City on the television was just part of some science fiction movie. Then the horrible truth became clear: it was happening in real life. Aliens do exist, and they were invading the planet.Unable to reach her mother, Daniela makes it her mission to get to her mom’s job downtown to find her. But with the city under fire, trying to make it from her apartment in Harlem to the Financial District proves nearly impossible—until Daniela makes an incredible discovery. When a squad of Mogs get the jump on her, she is somehow able to throw them across the street, using telekinesis. Daniela doesn’t know where this power came from or why she suddenly has it, but she is sure as hell going to use it. Aliens are tearing up her city and she’ll destroy every last one of them that gets in her way. But when she comes face-to-face with the Garde, will she be a friend or a foe?

Last Defense (2016)

When the Garde split up, heading off to New York City and Mexico, Malcolm decided to stay behind in Ashwood Estates, the Mog’s formerly hidden base located near Washington DC. He wanted to search the facility for anything that might help John Smith and the others stop the alien invasion. But once the spaceships descended, that plan went up in smoke.Before he gets a chance to come up with a plan B, armed soldiers storm the base. As one of the few humans who knows anything about Loric and their war with the Mogadorians, Malcolm is an invaluable asset—and they’ve been tasked with safely escorting him to the president’s secret bunker. With Mogs hot on their trail, though, it’ll be easier said than done. Luckily, Malcolm has some backup in the form of a Chimæra. But even if he makes it to his destination, will Malcolm be able to help what’s left of the government find a way to defeat the Mogs? Or will he be too late?

The Legacies (2012)

You know we’re out there, living among you.You know we’re waiting for our day to come.You have seen the power of our legacies.You know this is why they hunt us.You may think you know our stories.You are wrong.We each have our own story.We know the time has come to share them with you.Our legacies are your only hope.

Secret Histories (2013)

“You know our stories are true. You know why we fight. You must discover their secrets. You must learn from our mistakes. They are hiding, just like us. They plan to destroy your planet. They destroyed ours. We cannot let this happen again.

Rebel Allies (2015)

You know the invasion has begun.You know we are all that stands in their way.You think we are alone.You will see we have hidden allies.They think they have won.They are wrong.They do not have our power.They do not know the truth.We have a secret weapon.

Zero Hour (2016)

You know about the invasion of Earth, and the Garde who will do anything to stop it. Yet there is still so much to learn. The stories in Zero Hour will help you get the answers you seek, but only the Garde and their allies can save our planet.