They're a team, Alpha Force. They train together, and they pull together, and they get results. That's because this book is written by Chris Ryan, real life ex-SAS hero, holder of the Military Medal,and a man who knows the real value of working as a team.
There are five of them - two girls and three boys - and they've all got their specialities, so they can cover a lot of ground between them. Amber isthe navigator and Li practises martial arts and free climbing, while Alex leads with survival skills, Paulo is a medic, and Hex is the techno-wizard.
One message that comes out of this book loud and clear is that no-one just happens to be brilliant - you have to work for it. And this team train together hard. That's what they're doing when this story opens. They're in Zambia competing in an extreme sports contest, and tough though it is, it is just the beginning:
Paulo looked into the darkness. There was enough undergrowth to provide several lions with plenty of cover, even in broad daylight. Then, in the beam of his torch, a mere five metres away, he saw a lioness.
She was completely still, like a picture taken in mid stride, front paw lifted. she was gazing at the group intently. Paulo tried flicking the torch beam back and forth across her eyes. She didn't flinch, but stared back. Paulo could see the texture of her nose, the outline of her mouth like a rim of black leather, the way her sandy fur faded to white on her muzzle, the open jaws that revealed a red flash of tongue and the jagged outline of teeth.
Chris stood up. Paulo swiftly moved his torch away from the lioness so that Chris wouldn't see her - he was bound to panic. 'Sit down, Chris,' he said. 'There's nothing there. Come on, guys, let's make a bit of noise.'
Cool, or what?
Well, they're in the Luangwa National Park, so they're bound to brush up against the ivory poachers sooner or later. The poachers are ruthless killers, of man and beast, so obviously Alpha Force are going to see what they can do...
Want to know how they get on? It's all in the book.
If you enjoy all-action adventure I think you'll love this.
What can I read next?
If you enjoy meeting Alpha Force have a look at some of the other titles in the series:
- Survival
- Rat-Catcher
- Desert Pursuit
- Hostage
- Red Centre
- Blood Money
Hunted is set in an African national game reserve, which reminds me of this enjoyable story by Geoffrey Malone:
Of course, if you really enjoy action adventures, you should have a look at the Alex Rider books by Anthony Horowitz:
Or, similar in spirit but also different, have a look at this one by Eoin Colfer, if you haven't already come across it. There's a team of kids operating in this one too:
Also, the Bookchooser has found these books with a similar profile:
- The Pack by Tom Pow (Score: 93%)
- The Lastling by Philip Gross (Score: 93%)
- Why the Whales Came by Michael Morpurgo (Score: 89%)
- The Snow-Walker's Son by Catherine Fisher (Score: 89%)
- The Empty Hand by Catherine Fisher (Score: 89%)
Alpha Force 6: Hunted features in these lists: