Alex Rider

Official Alex Rider Logo

Alex Rider is the name of a popular series of spy novels written by British author Anthony Horowitz. Six books have been published to date. The books revolve around an orphan teenager, Alex Rider, being recruited by MI6 to be sent out on various missions. The first book, Stormbreaker, was first released in the United Kingdom in 2000 and has been made into a major motion picture. The books are published by Walker Books Ltd in the UK and by Puffin in the United States. Rider is often referred to as something of a youthful James Bond.

Character

Alex is described as a good-looking 14-year-old with blond hair and brown eyes that "looked like they'd seen too much" (though not especially until after his first few missions). He is exceptionally well-built, and is fluent in several languages, including French, German and Spanish (in the film, he knows Japanese rather than Spanish). His deceased uncle, Ian Rider, who was an MI6 agent disguised as a banker to Alex, trained Alex his whole life to be his successor, although Alex did not realise this until after Ian's death. Despite coming face-to-face with many criminals and having personally witnessed many murders and other deaths, Alex still does not possess a killer's instinct, and never kills unless in self-defence; however, he has personally killed or been responsible for many of the deaths of the criminals he battles for this reason. It was never Alex's intention to become a spy, however, questions surrounding his uncle's death and a fearless instinct lead him to be recruited by MI6. In addition to being employed by MI6, he has done two missions for the CIA, Skeleton Key and Ark Angel. Arguably, Alex could also be considered a vigilante as well; this was exemplified in Eagle Strike, which he undertook almost completely by himself. Alex was told his parents, John and Helen Rider, were killed in a plane crash when he was a baby. In the film adaptation of Stormbreaker, he is played by Alex Pettyfer.

Overview

Each book chronicles one of Alex Rider's missions. Each first chapter so far in the series has started with someone, usually a rich or influential person, being assassinated, usually brutally and uniquely. Alex usually ends up being sent on missions semi-voluntarily, performing acts of vigilantism that force MI6 to cover it up and interrogate him, shortly thereafter sending him on a mission.

The books' villains all have a reputation as especially cruel and evil. They usually have elaborate plots, to benefit to either themselves or a greater evil cause.

The books

Stormbreaker

Book 1: Stormbreaker (2000)

The book begins with Alex Rider learning of the death of his uncle and adopted parent, Ian Rider. After Rider uncovers the true cause of his uncle's death - he saw the car, which was riddled with bullets - MI6 reveals that his uncle was a MI6 agent. They blackmail Rider into helping them out. Rider investigates a wealthy businessperson named Herod Sayle. Sayle has released a new computer called Stormbreaker and is giving every school in the United Kingdom a free one, all in exchange for a British citizenship. MI6 is suspicious. Rider soon uncovers the real plot - to kill every British schoolchild, as each Stormbreaker unit is loaded with lethal smallpox. Rider manages to stop him in time.

Point Blanc

Also known as "Point Blank" in the United States

Book 2: Point Blanc (2001)

When billionaires Michael J. Roscoe, weathly businessman, and Victor Ivanov, a high-ranking Russian admiral are murdered, MI6 begins investigating. Both men sent their sons to an exclusive academy in the French Alps called Point Blanc. MI6 blackmails Rider into investigating the incidents by becoming a student at Point Blanc. Rider soon uncovers a plot wherein the director of the school, Dr. Hugo Grief, kidnaps the real children and replaces them with his clones, surgically altered to look exactly like their real counterparts. After Rider escapes, he joins in with an invading SAS force to liberate the school and free the hostages.

Skeleton Key

Book 3: Skeleton Key (2002)

In the third Alex Rider book, Alex is invited by MI6 to be a ball boy at Wimbledon, to investigate a strange break-in in which nothing was stolen. On the assignment, he meets a ball girl named Sabina Pleasure and becomes good friends with her. She also shows romantic interest in him. Despite MI6's confidence, Alex discovers that the Big Circle, a Chinese Triad gang, is rigging the games by drugging the contestants . Alex foils their plans, but becomes a target for assassination. After an unsuccessful attempt, MI6 and the CIA tell him that he should go out on a vacation to Skeleton Key, an island off the coast of Cuba. They promise him two weeks in the sun and say he is only needed so two CIA agents Troy and Turner can successfully enter the country for a simple spying mission.

Soon after they arrive, Alex discovers some frightening truths. After finding a Geiger counter in a Game Boy, he finds out that the CIA agents are looking for a nuclear bomb. An old Russian general, Alexei Sarov, bought some weapons-grade uranium. The CIA agents attempt to infiltrate his palace but are killed, and Alex is taken prisoner. There he finds out that Sarov wants to adopt him, because Alex resembles Sarov's late son, who died during the 1979 Afghanistan war. Shortly after Alex is captured, the Russian president arrives at Sarov's palace for an informal vacation.

Sarov soon reveals his plans: depose the president, set off the bomb in a nuclear submarine shipyard in Murmansk, spread chaos throughout the world, and reunite the USSR. Alex is taken by plane to the submarine yard with Sarov and his men. On the way there, Alex activates a stun grenade and attempts to escape. However, an arrogant security guard named George Prescott stops him from calling the police. Conrad, Sarov's right-hand man, kills Prescott and they continue to Murmansk.

When Prescott grabbed the phone, he didn't hang it up. Although the police believed Alex's talk was a hoax, they alerted MI6 when they heard Conrad kill Prescott. MI6 subsequently alerted the Russian authorities. The Russians pull together an army to take the submarine yard and prevent the bomb from going off. While the soldiers are fighting Sarov's men, Alex throws the keycard away, rendering the nuclear bomb useless. Sarov, who sees Alex throw the card away, approaches him with the pistol. After Alex says he would rather die than be adopted, Sarov shoots himself. Alex is badly shaken up by the incident. At the end of the novel, Sabina invites him on a holiday to France.

Eagle Strike

Book 4: Eagle Strike (2003)

Alex's adventure starts when he sees Russian contract killer Yassen Gregorovich while vacationing in France. However, Yassen — working for villain Damian Cray — has been sent to blow up the house Sabina Pleasure's family is renting. Everybody survives, but Sabina's father, Edward, is badly hurt. Alex is now back into the spying game, and he begins investigating Damian Cray. Some initial research yields that he is a multi-billionaire pop star that has spent thousands of dollars on his new video game console, the Gameslayer.

Alex goes to Paris, then to Amsterdam. Cray puts Alex into a life-size version of his first Gameslayer game. Alex escapes and returns to London, where he finds that Sabina Pleasure has been kidnapped and will be released for the ransom of a USB drive. Alex attempts to gain the release of Sabina in exchange for the chip, but Cray outmanuvers him and keeps both Sabina and Alex close by.

Cray creates a decoy with a burning Boeing 747 about to crash land that is "full" of harmful nerve gas. During the confusion that arises, Cray, Yassen, Henryk (Cray's Dutch pilot), and Sabina and Alex (unwillingly) take over Air Force One, since the President is in England. Here, Cray reveals the full extent of his plans. He plans to launch nuclear weapons at several drug plantations in order to eradicate the drug trade. Cray plugs in the USB drive and launches the missiles at the world. (In real life, this would be impossible as the President can only order strikes-the US Military must carry them out.)

Once on board, Cray orders Yassen to kill Alex and Sabina. Yassen refuses, so Cray kills him. Cray then shoots Alex, so Sabina attacks Cray, who overpowers her and prepares to kill her. Alex gets up (he was wearing the bulletproof jersey Smithers gave him) and pushes Cray out the window, where the villain is sucked into one of the engines, forcing Air Force One to crash land. Henryk, the pilot, is so nervous that he crashes the plane and dies himself.

Before he dies, Yassen reveals to Alex that his father was a killer like himself, and Alex needs to go to Venice and find Scorpia to find his destiny. "Go to Venice, find Scorpia, find your destiny"

Scorpia

Book 5: Scorpia (2004)

This book is about Scorpia, a terroism force that strikes like a scorpion - always dangerous and deadly. Meanwhile, Alex Rider, acting on Yassen's advice, goes to Venice with his friend Tom. He meets up with Scorpia, where they reveal that MI6 assassinated his father. He decides to join Scorpia, following in his father's footsteps, and is first job is to kill Mrs. Jones. This attempt is thwarted; however, Scorpia has another threat, a weapon which they dub Invisible Sword. Alex and the British government piece together the details and send Alex, once again, to stop the plan from execution.

Ark Angel

Book 6: Ark Angel (2005)

The book revolves around a mysterious terrorist force called Force Three. They are an eco-terrorism group, killing all those who stand in their way. It is soon revealed that Force Three was merely invented by a rich Russian named Nikoli Drevin. He is also helping finance the construction of Ark Angel, a project to build a hotel in space. However, Alex Rider soon discovers that Ark Angel is actually a carefully planned plot to destroy Washington, D.C., and must move quickly to stop it from happening.

Snakehead

This book has yet to be released but Anthony Horowitz revealed some details about the seventh installment on his personal website. He says he plans to travel to Australia, Thailand and Lombok, making them probable locations for the book. He also noted that past characters would return but that new characters such as the Australian Secret Service personnel and "a Chinese gangster" would appear. Since Alex received a letter from Sabina Pleasure in Ark Angel, saying she might visit him on Christmas, it is considered likely that she will make an appearance in the book.

The video game

Game Boy Advance cover of the game

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker is the video game adaptation of the 2006 movie, Stormbreaker. Gameplay included combat, stealth missions and the ability to drive vehicles and use gadgets to advance in the game. Main mission briefings will come from MI6 officials, Alan Blunt and Mrs. Jones. Also included is an array of minigames by weapon inventor Smithers. There was also be an MI6 training camp mode for players to test out their skills. It was released on July 7, 2006 for Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance.

Characters

Alex Rider

Alex is a fourteen-year-old schoolboy. He was born on January 13. He normally goes to Brooklands School in London, England, but his education has been interrupted several times for MI6 missions. He has a friend named Tom who knows about Alex's MI6 life. He also has a love interest, Sabina Pleasure. Due to his espionage missions, however, his relationship with her has been rocky (especially when terrorists blow up her French holiday home).

Because his parents and uncle have died, Jack Starbright takes care of him.

Rider has no close relatives. His uncle, Ian Rider, was killed in Stormbreaker. Scorpia killed Alex Rider's parents, John and Helen, with a plane bomb. Scorpia thought that John Rider was a Scorpia agent, but killed him and his wife when they found out that he was actually working for MI6. Alex was not on the plane; he had an ear infection and stayed behind with a nanny.

Rider's set of successful missions were not unknown by his enemies, especially Sarov, who seems to have a complete file on him. As the series progresses, Alex becomes noticely better skilled at spying, to the point that he chases enemies by himself with no prompting by MI6.

In the Stormbreaker film, Alex Rider is played by Alex Pettyfer.