Review: Return to Zero by Pittacus Lore

The kids at the Earth Garde Academy just can’t catch a break. Just when they return from a dangerous mission, before the grime and blood has even been washed off, there’s a new threat; this time, from within their own ranks. When the Academy’s controlling body attempts to replace the leadership and implant Inhibitor Chips into the brains of all the students, it’s no surprise that there’s an uproar. With factions forming between the students and staff, and the uncertainty of who to trust seem to push the Academy to tipping point, all hope seems lost. Luckily for the Garde, and for the reader, it’s at this moment that John Smith – Number Four himself – arrives to help. With him is something none of the Garde have seen before – a repentant Mogodorian, seeking tot rain among the Academy’s students.

Return to Zero is the third installment of a second series of books by Pittacus Lore. You’d think with so many books before it, there’d be precious little to fill another volume. You’d be wrong. The idea of Legacies (or superpowers, for those not in the know of Lore’s linguistics) adds infinite possibilities to the series’ narrative – each new book features previously unheard-of powers, adding a richness and unpredictability to the world of our teenage heroes. This time round, there’s the idea of a body-snatching religious extremist to content with. Never a dull moment when Lore is involved.

Despite the new characters and situations introduced in this book, it is also the first of the new series to fully bring us back to the characters of the first series, giving it a warm nostalgia and feeling of coming home. Frustratingly, the questions which remained unanswered at the end of the last book, such as the whereabouts of key characters from the first series of books, are still lingering - there are hints that these will be addressed in the next book. Yes, you read that correctly, there’s more waiting to be done! However, that’s not really a problem for those of us with patience – Return to Zero still has enough action and intrigue to keep even the most critical fan entertained.

So if planet-hopping adventures bolstered by aliens, superpowers, and teenage angst are your jam, this book (and the series as a whole) promises to be right up your alley. If you’re not a fan of these various themes and quirks, you’re just difficult to please. Do yourself a favour and read them anyway.

Return to Zero by Pittacus Lore is published by Penguin Random House.