Tagged: anthony horowitz
Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz
(Cover picture courtesy of Better World Books.)
Working as a secret agent for Britain’s most exclusive agency, Alex Rider thinks he’s seen it all. He’s been shot at by international terrorists, stood face-to-face with pure evil, and saved the world—twice. All before his fifteenth birthday. But Alex is about to face something more dangerous than he can imagine: a man who’s lost everything he cared for—his country, his son—a man who has a nuclear weapon, and will stop at nothing to get his world back. Unless Alex can stop him first…
I’ll just come out and admit right now that Skeleton Key is my favourite Alex Rider book. It’s not that the plot was more exciting or anything like that—it was the villain. I absolutely love my villains and when there is a good villain in a story, it just improves my overall enjoyment of the book. General Alexei Sarov is one of the great villains that I didn’t have room to include in my list, despite the fact he comes in a very close 6th.
As usual, the plot of Anthony Horowitz’s book moves along at a fast pace that will keep readers turning pages at a furious speed. I can also vouch for Horowitz’s accuracy in his research, particularly in Alex’s scuba diving scene. As a scuba diver, I can say with confidence that this is one of the only completely accurate diving scenes in mainstream fiction. Just like in all of his novels, the effort Horowitz puts into research really shines through in his writing.
Truly, the only place where his writing falls flat is his characterization. It is by no means terrible, but it does not hold up to his fast pacing or his great research. General Sarov is a great villain, however Alex falls flat for me. He seems a little too perfect, especially since he’s saving the world at the age of only fourteen. Despite this little flaw, Skeleton Key is an excellent book.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz
(Cover picture courtesy of Infinitas Bookshop.)
When an investigation into a series of mysterious deaths leads agents to an elite prep school for rebellious kids, MI6 assigns Alex Rider, fourteen-year-old reluctant spy, to the case. Before he knows it, Alex is stuck in a remote boarding school high atop the Swiss Alps with the sons of the rich and powerful, and something feels wrong. Very wrong. These former juvenile delinquents have turned well-behaved, studious—and identical—overnight. It’s up to Alex to find out who is masterminding this evil plot, before they find him. The clock is ticking—is Alex’s luck about to run out?
You honestly can’t accuse Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series of being completely original. In fact, it has a few allusions to James Bond, which anyone who has watched Octopussy can tell you. Smithers, the man who supplies all of Alex’s gadgets, was named after the man in Q’s makeshift office in India during that movie. The plots of the books take elements from James Bond movies, but Horowitz never strays anywhere near plagiarism. In fact, he puts his own spin on the familiar franchise.
Alex Rider is not a great character by any stretch of the mind, but he is not a complete cardboard cutout either. He really doesn’t want to put his life on the line again after the events of Stormbreaker, but is once again manipulated into spying for MI6. This time, the stakes are even higher and Alex is in more danger than ever before. Anthony Horowitz keeps his descriptions at just the right length to convey this concept and creates an aura of suspense throughout the novel. Really, this is a book that deserves its place at the top of YA literature for boys. It’s basically a less violent, less sexual James Bond series for young male readers.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
(Cover picture courtesy of Book County.)
They told him his uncle Ian died in a car accident. But fourteen-year-old Alex Rider knows that’s a lie, and the bullet holes in his uncle’s windshield confirm his suspicions. But nothing prepares him for the news that the uncle he always thought he knew was really a spy for MI6—Britain’s top-secret intelligence agency. Recruited to find his uncle’s killers and complete Ian’s final mission, Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, with no way out.
The first thing you need to know is that the Alex Rider series is basically a James Bond series for teenage boys. And you know, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There are very few YA novels aimed at young boys, but Anthony Horowitz is a good writer that has tried to tap into this market. The James Bond movies depict a cold, calculating, womanizing super-spy while the Alex Rider series depicts a young boy who wants nothing more than to have a normal life. What stops Alex from becoming a true Gary Stu despite all of his talents is that he really, really does not want to be a spy.
Alex is a decent enough character, but he seems a little too perfect for my liking. He accomplishes a lot of amazing things because his uncle trained him all his life to be a spy, but he is still a bit perfect for a fourteen-year-old boy. He is admittedly a bit of a cardboard cutout, although Alex does improve as the novel progresses. The other characters like Herod Sayle, Alex Blunt and Mrs. Jones are very obviously cardboard cutouts, but what do you expect from an action book?
The plot is fast-paced and exciting, Anthony Horowitz’s writing is excellent and Alex Rider is an interesting character. I think Stormbreaker is a bit clichéd and predictable, but it was written to appeal to a completely different audience. It can be a bit violent, so I would recommend it for ages 12+.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
My Favourite Heroes
While there is no shortage of heroes in history and adult fiction, strong male leads are increasingly difficult to find in the YA genre. Most young adult fiction is written by women for women, but there seems to be a growing trend in YA novels geared toward teenage boys. With writers like Rick Riordan, Eoin Colfer and Anthony Horowitz topping bestseller lists, one can only hope that soon boys will get the representation they deserve. Here is a list of my favourite YA heroes, in descending order.
1. Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.
You probably knew Harry Potter would feature somewhere on this list, didn’t you? Well, there are many reasons the most famous character in YA literature is my favourite hero, not the least of which is the fact that the Harry Potter series was one of the first YA series I read. Perhaps I am biased, but I can also justify my choice. No matter how many horrible things happen to him, no matter how awful things get, Harry perseveres. He does things 99% of teenagers would not be capable of doing; he shows courage he never knew he had. But he is not perfect and his friends are usually there to help him through the tough times. Harry is a flawed hero, which makes him my favourite. Continue reading