Man, my free time is diminishing by the second. I always want to blog, but then it just never happens. Now, I'm playing catch-up. In March, I read "The Power of Six" which is the sequel to "I am Number Four."
It did not disappoint me. It was a really good book, just like the first one. I think one of my favorite things about the books is that they are quick, easy reads and they are good. "The Power of Six" deepens the plot in the book series and introduces the reader to several more of the Garde (main characters from the planet of Lorien). Sam Goode is still my favorite character and he remains part of the main story line. He is such an ackward guy and he says the funniest things. I was sad that he never found his dad in this book, but I am pretty sure that we may see that reunion, or at least some closure, in the next book. HUGE cliffhanger... By the end of the book, there were so many new characters and it was moving so fast that it was really hard to keep up with everything. I am excited for "The Rise of Nine" which is set to come out in August. Besides all out war, I have no idea what to expect. I'm excited to read it.
I was talking to some coworkers about the series and came across some interesting information about the author, who is listed under a pseudonym, Pittacus Lore. Apparently it is a collaboration between James Frey and Jobie Hughes. James Frey is an award winning and well-known author. He is also closely connected with controversy. A previous project that he had authored became extremely popular when Oprah picked it for her book club. It was a memoir, focusing on his (James') stuggle with drugs and other various problems. After it won many awards, it was found and proven that he had embellished many of the events of his memoir. He changed them so much that one can hardly say that it was even true anymore. He was dropped from his publisher, Oprah hated on him, readers were ticked off, lawsuits came out.
Now, fast forward a few years... More controversy. It is said that James Frey preys on college students and exploits them for their talents. Enter Jobie Hughes, who was a student at some school. Approached by James Frey with an idea, Jobie Hughes signs a deal with Frey to write the book for a very small fee, something like $250.00. He is then entitled to a defined percentage of all the proceeds from the book, movies, etc... The catch is that he has no rights to the book, he cannot tell anyone he wrote the book (unless he is given permission by Frey's self-owned publishing company). A breech of contract would result in astronomical fines. According to reports, Hughes became less than pleased with the contract (probably after he realized how successfull the book is/would be) and filed a lawsuit. It was settled outside of court, with no published documents. After the second book, "The Power of Six," was finished, Hughes walked away from the project and he will not participate in the final 4 books. I read in another report that he actually walked away halfway through the second book. Either way, it will make this next book very interesting.
I'm not sure how I feel about Frey's behavior and his morals, but I think it is interesting to know the history of the author. I also think it will be interesting to see how the third book differs from the other books and how it changes the direction of the unfinished series.
Next book..... "The Infinite Atonement"
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