Alex Rider
Encyclopedia
Alex Rider is a series of spy novels
by British author Anthony Horowitz
about a 14-15 year old spy named Alex Rider
. The series is aimed primarily at young adults. Nine novels have been published to date, as well as three graphic novels, three short stories and a supplementary book. The first novel, Stormbreaker
, was first released in the United Kingdom in 2000 and was adapted into a motion picture
in 2006. A video game
was released in 2006, based on the film. The novels are published by Walker Books
in the United Kingdom. They were first published by Puffin
in the United States, but have also been published more recently by Philomel, also an imprint of Penguin Books. The graphic novels are published by Walker in the United Kingdom, and by Philomel in the United States.
, and world domination.
Little does Alex know, he is soon whisked into Scorpia where he discovers his dark side. Alex meets one of the leaders of Scorpia, Julia Rothman, who is in charge of a terrible weapon that would instantly kill thousands of innocent London schoolchildren in a matter of seconds. He tries to destroy this weapon high above London, and is shot by a Scorpia sniper outside the MI6 headquarters at the end of the novel, which leads to the beginning of the next book in the series, Ark Angel
.
, Alex is rudely interrupted by an assassination attempt that nearly kills Sabina's father. The culprit is soon revealed to be corrupted rescue agency called "First Aid". Alex must now embark on a mission to stop their next money-making scheme, involving a terrible man-made drug epidemic.
to Greece. Their plan includes the laying of a false trail to Cairo, killing Alex, and blackmailing London into returning the Marbles. MI6 falls for the trap and Alex is sent to Cairo, where, unbeknown to Alex, Scorpia is pulling the strings.
was instead released as the eighth book, in November 2009. According to the acknowledgements at the end of Scorpia Rising, Horowitz still plans to release Yassen.
saying "Horowitz will grip you with suspense, daring and cheek- and that's just the first page!...Prepare for action scenes as fast as a movie!". Clearly Alex Rider has been a very sucessful series. The Daily Telegraph
says "The perfect hero.. genuine 21st century stuff.", www.coolreads.co.uk said "Furious fast paced!". The audiences have been very positive giving it 5 or 4 stars. Sunday Times says it "Brings a new meaning to the phrase 'Action Packed'." Independent on Sunday says "Every bored schoolboys fantasy, only a thousand times funnier, slicker and more exciting...genius.." and Financial Times
reporting "Addictive pacey novels". Daily Express
says "Adults as well as kids will be hooked on the adventures of Alex Rider...Harry Potter with an attitude" and finally Books for Keeps concluding "An ingenious, fast paced action-adventure." There you have it, critical acclaim for Alex Rider!
, many other book series by British authors aimed at young readers and featuring teenage spies as their main characters have been published, notably A. J. Butcher
's Spy High
, Joe Craig
's Jimmy Coates
, Charlie Higson
's Young Bond
, Robert Muchamore
's CHERUB
& Henderson's Boys
, Sam Hutton's Special Agents, Andy McNab
& Robert Rigby
's Boy Soldier
and Chris Ryan
's Alpha Force & Code Red. While it is unknown how much Anthony Horowitz
's books have influenced the writing and publishing of these books, one can safely speculate that the success of the Alex Rider books contributed to some extent to the commissioning and/or acceptance of some/all of these book series by publishing houses.
Spy fiction
Spy fiction, literature concerning the forms of espionage, was a sub-genre derived from the novel during the nineteenth century, which then evolved into a discrete genre before the First World War , when governments established modern intelligence agencies in the early twentieth century...
by British author Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Craig Horowitz is an English novelist and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series and has written over fifty books. He has also written extensively for television, adapting many of Agatha Christie's...
about a 14-15 year old spy named Alex Rider
Alex Rider (character)
Alex Rider is a fictional character, and the protagonist and title character of the popular Alex Rider novel series by British author Anthony Horowitz...
. The series is aimed primarily at young adults. Nine novels have been published to date, as well as three graphic novels, three short stories and a supplementary book. The first novel, Stormbreaker
Stormbreaker (novel)
Stormbreaker is the first novel in the Alex Rider series by British author Anthony Horowitz. It was released in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2000 and in the United States on 21 May 2001...
, was first released in the United Kingdom in 2000 and was adapted into a motion picture
Stormbreaker (film)
Stormbreaker is a 2006 British spy film based on Anthony Horowitz's novel of the same name, the first novel in the Alex Rider series. It stars newcomer Alex Pettyfer as the teenage spy alongside actors Mickey Rourke and Bill Nighy...
in 2006. A video game
Alex Rider: Stormbreaker
Alex Rider: Stormbreaker is a video game based on the 2006 film Stormbreaker, which in turn was an adaptation of the original novel. It was released on 7 July 2006 in the UK, and 25 September 2006 in the USA...
was released in 2006, based on the film. The novels are published by Walker Books
Walker Books
Walker Books is an independent British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker.The success of their Where's Wally? series enabled them to expand into the American market, starting a sister company called Candlewick Press in 1991.Amelia Edwards, co-founder of Walker Books,...
in the United Kingdom. They were first published by Puffin
Puffin Books
Puffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
in the United States, but have also been published more recently by Philomel, also an imprint of Penguin Books. The graphic novels are published by Walker in the United Kingdom, and by Philomel in the United States.
Stormbreaker
Alex, the main character, is recruited by the British secret service after discovering his uncle's assasination.Point Blank
Point Blanc ( originally Point Blank in North America) was published in 2001. Alex investigates Dr Hugo Grief, a South African scientist who runs Point Blanc, an academy in the French Alps. Dr Grief is replacing the sons of rich, influential people with clones of himself, which have been modified to look like the boys themselves, through plastic surgery, so that he himself will be in these positions of power. It's a matter of life and death for Alex, who must escape from the academy and find a way down the very snowy slope, without getting himself killed.Skeleton Key
Skeleton Key was published in 2002. After foiling a Triad plot to fix the 2001 Wimbledon tennis tournament, Alex is in grave danger of assassination. Forced to leave the country, MI6 sends him on a mission to Cuba with two CIA agents (one of which believes that he is useless), where he is the only one of the three to survive. He encounters a former Soviet general, Alexei Sarov, with plans for a nuclear holocaust, starting at the Russian nuclear submarine base in MurmanskMurmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
, and world domination.
Eagle Strike
Eagle Strike was published in 2003. Damian Cray, a world-famous pop star, hopes to destroy the world's drug-making countries by hijacking the United States' nuclear arsenal. Suspicious of him, Alex takes Cray on without the help of the skeptical MI6. Cray releases a state-of-the-art games console called the 'Gameslayer'. Its first game, 'Feathered Serpent', is much more than it seems. Alex finds the Sloterdijk factory near Amsterdam in Holland and makes an important discovery. He battles the real-life reconstruction of 'Feathered Serpent' at the factory, before being captured by Cray himself. At the end of the novel, whilst refusing to shoot and kill Alex, Yassen Gregorovich is murdered by Cray. However, Cray meets a gruesome end.Scorpia
Scorpia was published in 2004. Following the advice of the assassin Yassen Gregorovich, Alex tries to find the criminal organization "Scorpia" to find out the truth about his father.Little does Alex know, he is soon whisked into Scorpia where he discovers his dark side. Alex meets one of the leaders of Scorpia, Julia Rothman, who is in charge of a terrible weapon that would instantly kill thousands of innocent London schoolchildren in a matter of seconds. He tries to destroy this weapon high above London, and is shot by a Scorpia sniper outside the MI6 headquarters at the end of the novel, which leads to the beginning of the next book in the series, Ark Angel
Ark Angel
Ark Angel is the sixth book in the Alex Rider series written by British author Anthony Horowitz. The book was released in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2005 and in the United States on April 20, 2006.- Plot summary:...
.
Ark Angel
Ark Angel, published in 2005, follows Alex's second mission for the C.I.A. He investigates Nikolei Drevin who builds a hotel in outer space called "Ark Angel". Drevin secretly tries to destroy Washington D.C., the capital of the U.S.A and targets the Pentagon, hoping to destroy files on him that the U.S. have acquired. Alex Rider has to fight for his life in this great Alex Rider novel.Snakehead
Snakehead was published in 2008. Taking place immediately after Ark Angel, the novel sees Alex recruited by ASIS, Australia's secret service, to infiltrate a Snakehead organisation by posing as an Afghan refugee. Alex meets his godfather, Ash (Anthony Sean Howell), and confronts the organization Scorpia for the second time.Crocodile Tears
Crocodile Tears was published in 2010. While taking a vacation with Sabina Pleasure in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Alex is rudely interrupted by an assassination attempt that nearly kills Sabina's father. The culprit is soon revealed to be corrupted rescue agency called "First Aid". Alex must now embark on a mission to stop their next money-making scheme, involving a terrible man-made drug epidemic.
Scorpia Rising
Scorpia Rising, the ninth and final novel, was published on 21 March 2011. In the book, Scorpia is hired to return the Elgin marblesElgin Marbles
The Parthenon Marbles, forming a part of the collection known as the Elgin Marbles , are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures , inscriptions and architectural members that originally were part of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens...
to Greece. Their plan includes the laying of a false trail to Cairo, killing Alex, and blackmailing London into returning the Marbles. MI6 falls for the trap and Alex is sent to Cairo, where, unbeknown to Alex, Scorpia is pulling the strings.
Future
Originally, Yassen was to follow Snakehead as the eighth book, and would be the final Alex Rider novel. However, Horowitz rethought this idea, following negative responses during school visits. Crocodile TearsCrocodile tears
Crocodile tears are a false or insincere display of emotion such as a hypocrite crying fake tears of grief. The phrase gives its name to crocodile tears syndrome, an uncommon consequence of recovery from Bell's palsy where faulty regeneration of the facial nerve causes sufferers to shed tears...
was instead released as the eighth book, in November 2009. According to the acknowledgements at the end of Scorpia Rising, Horowitz still plans to release Yassen.
Novels
- StormbreakerStormbreaker (novel)Stormbreaker is the first novel in the Alex Rider series by British author Anthony Horowitz. It was released in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2000 and in the United States on 21 May 2001...
(4 September 2000) - Point BlancPoint BlancPoint Blanc is the second book in the Alex Rider series, written by British author Anthony Horowitz...
(3 September 2001) (entitled Point Blank in the United States) - Skeleton KeySkeleton Key (novel)Skeleton Key is the Third book in the Alex Rider series written by British author Anthony Horowitz. The book was released in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2002 and in the United States on April 28, 2003.-Plot:...
(8 July 2002) - Eagle StrikeEagle StrikeEagle Strike is the fourth book in the Alex Rider series written by British author Anthony Horowitz. The book was released in the United Kingdom on September 4, 2003 and in the United States on April 12, 2004.-Chart performance:-Plot:...
(7 April 2003) - Scorpia (1 April 2004)
- Ark AngelArk AngelArk Angel is the sixth book in the Alex Rider series written by British author Anthony Horowitz. The book was released in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2005 and in the United States on April 20, 2006.- Plot summary:...
(1 April 2005) - SnakeheadSnakehead (novel)Snakehead is the seventh novel in the Alex Rider series written by British author Anthony Horowitz. The book was released in Australia on 28 September 2008, in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2007, and in the U.S. on 13 November 2007. The title comes from the name given to Asian gangs involved in...
(31 October 2007) - Crocodile TearsCrocodile tearsCrocodile tears are a false or insincere display of emotion such as a hypocrite crying fake tears of grief. The phrase gives its name to crocodile tears syndrome, an uncommon consequence of recovery from Bell's palsy where faulty regeneration of the facial nerve causes sufferers to shed tears...
(12 November 2009) - Scorpia Rising (21 March in Australia/22 March 2011 in the US/31 March in the UK)
Supplementary books
- Alex Rider: The GadgetsAlex Rider: The GadgetsAlex Rider: The Gadgets is a short factbook by Anthony Horowitz, author of the Alex Rider series. It was released on 3 October 2005 in the UK, published by Walker Books. The book shows blueprints of the gadgets that Alex, the novel's 14-year-old protagonist, has used.The first released edition...
(17 October 2005) - Alex Rider: The Mission Files (6 October 2008)
Short stories
- Alex Rider: Secret WeaponAlex Rider: Secret Weapon"Alex Rider: Secret Weapon" is a short story by British author Anthony Horowitz.Like Horowitz's Alex Rider series, it is about a fourteen-year-old boy named Alex Rider, who is a spy for MI6 against his will.Secret Weapon is canon...
(9 February 2003) - Alex Rider: Christmas at GunpointAlex Rider: Christmas at GunpointAlex Rider: Christmas At Gunpoint is a short story by British author Anthony Horowitz. It features the protagonist of Horowitz's Alex Rider series, a young boy named Alex Rider who is forced to become an agent for MI6....
(1 January 2007) - Alex Rider: Incident in NiceAlex Rider: Incident in NiceAlex Rider: Incident in Nice is a short story by British author Anthony Horowitz.It was published in The Times newspaper on 9 November 2009. It is part of the Horowitz's Alex Rider series, featuring the teenage MI6 agent Alex Rider...
(9 November 2009) - Alex Underground
- Resistance to Interrogation, an extra chapter in Stormbreaker
Films
- StormbreakerStormbreaker (film)Stormbreaker is a 2006 British spy film based on Anthony Horowitz's novel of the same name, the first novel in the Alex Rider series. It stars newcomer Alex Pettyfer as the teenage spy alongside actors Mickey Rourke and Bill Nighy...
(21 July 2006) (retitled Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker in the United States)
Reception
So far Alex Rider has recieved critical acclaim with Guardian newspaper calling it "Explosive,thrilling action packed". It also sold 12 million copies in total for the entire series. Horrowitz was prasied with Daily Mirror commenting "Horrowitz is pure class, stylish but action-packed...being James Bong in miniatureis way cooler than being a wizard." and The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
saying "Horowitz will grip you with suspense, daring and cheek- and that's just the first page!...Prepare for action scenes as fast as a movie!". Clearly Alex Rider has been a very sucessful series. The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
says "The perfect hero.. genuine 21st century stuff.", www.coolreads.co.uk said "Furious fast paced!". The audiences have been very positive giving it 5 or 4 stars. Sunday Times says it "Brings a new meaning to the phrase 'Action Packed'." Independent on Sunday says "Every bored schoolboys fantasy, only a thousand times funnier, slicker and more exciting...genius.." and Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
reporting "Addictive pacey novels". Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
says "Adults as well as kids will be hooked on the adventures of Alex Rider...Harry Potter with an attitude" and finally Books for Keeps concluding "An ingenious, fast paced action-adventure." There you have it, critical acclaim for Alex Rider!
Influence
In the years following the release of StormbreakerStormbreaker (novel)
Stormbreaker is the first novel in the Alex Rider series by British author Anthony Horowitz. It was released in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2000 and in the United States on 21 May 2001...
, many other book series by British authors aimed at young readers and featuring teenage spies as their main characters have been published, notably A. J. Butcher
A. J. Butcher
Andrew James Butcher is the English author of the futuristic teen spy series, Spy High. A.J., who taught English at both Poole Grammar School and Parkstone Grammar School, in Poole, Dorset, and currently teaches at Talbot Heath School in Bournemouth, Dorset took a sabbatical from his teaching...
's Spy High
Spy High
Spy High is an English book series by A. J. Butcher about a high school for secret agents in training. It is divided into two series. The first series, consisting of six novels, are about Bond Team as a whole...
, Joe Craig
Joe Craig
Joe Craig is an English writer, children's novelist and musician.He is best known for the Jimmy Coates series of books, which is sometimes compared to the work of Jack Heath or Anthony Horowitz , and described in several reviews as 'The Bourne Identity for kids'.-Biography:Craig was born and grew...
's Jimmy Coates
Jimmy Coates
Jimmy Coates is a series of children's books written by the English author Joe Craig.. The books have been published in many countries around the world but were never widely available in the United States....
, Charlie Higson
Charlie Higson
Charles Murray Higson , more commonly known as Charlie Higson - also Switch - is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer...
's Young Bond
Young Bond
Young Bond is a series of five young adult spy novels by Charlie Higson featuring Ian Fleming's secret agent James Bond as a young teenage boy attending school at Eton College in the 1930s...
, Robert Muchamore
Robert Muchamore
Robert Kilgore Muchamore is an English author, most notable for writing the CHERUB and Henderson's Boys novels.-Prior to writing:...
's CHERUB
CHERUB
CHERUB is a series of young adult spy novels, written by the English author Robert Muchamore, focusing around a division of the British Security Service named CHERUB, which employs minors, predominantly orphans, as intelligence officers...
& Henderson's Boys
Henderson's Boys
Henderson's Boys is a series of young adult spy novels written by English author Robert Muchamore. The series follows Charles Henderson, the creator of the fictitious CHERUB organisation...
, Sam Hutton's Special Agents, Andy McNab
Andy McNab
Sergeant ‘Andy McNab’ DCM MM is the pseudonym of an English novelist and former SAS operative and soldier.McNab came into public prominence in 1993, when he published his account of the failed Special Air Service patrol, Bravo Two Zero for which he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in...
& Robert Rigby
Robert Rigby
Robert Rigby is a musician, playwright and author.Rigby began his career as a journalist, then spent several years in the music business as a songwriter and session musician. In 1978 independent label Flight released a single by Robert and the Following year Fusion Records released Robert's "Let...
's Boy Soldier
Boy Soldier Series
Boy Soldier is a series of novels written by Andy McNab with the cooperation of Robert Rigby. It tells the story of a boy named Danny Watts and his grandfather Fergus, apparently a rogue ex-SAS soldier....
and Chris Ryan
Chris Ryan
Sergeant ‘Chris Ryan’ MM is the pseudonym of a former British Special Forces operative and soldier turned novelist...
's Alpha Force & Code Red. While it is unknown how much Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Craig Horowitz is an English novelist and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series and has written over fifty books. He has also written extensively for television, adapting many of Agatha Christie's...
's books have influenced the writing and publishing of these books, one can safely speculate that the success of the Alex Rider books contributed to some extent to the commissioning and/or acceptance of some/all of these book series by publishing houses.
External links
- Official website of the books
- Archive of Official website of the film by Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Official Penguin website of the books