Book review

Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz (2005)

Book six in the Alex Rider series

Alex Rider. He's back:

In truth, he should have been dead. Alex Rider had been hit by a bullet fired from a .22 rifle from a distance of almost seventy-five metres. The sniper had been aiming for his heart - and if the bullet had found its target, Alex would have had no chance of surviving. But nothing is certain - not even murder. A tiny movement had saved his life.

So he's recovering in hospital. But that doesn't stop him from getting tangled up in a business so serious that both MI6 and the CIA are keen to keep him in place, and provide a little support:

"Eavesdropping," he went on. "Part of your brief is to listen to anything interesting that Mr Drevin may be saying, and for that you'll need this." He brought out a slim white box with a set of headphones. Alex picked it up. It was an iPod. At least, it looked like one. "This uses microwave technology," Smithers explained. "Point the screen at anyone up to fifty metres away and listen through the headphones. You'll hear every word they say..."

OK. So that's easy then. All Alex Rider has to do is accept the multi-millionaire Mr Drevin's offer of hospitality in return for befriending his son, Paul Drevin. And keep his eyes and ears open. Quite why that should lead to kidnap, several attempts on his life, imprisonment in a burning tower block, adeath-defying race across theAtlantic Ocean, without a boat, and a brief introduction to space travel, I'll leave for you to discover, but you can be sure he gives as good as he gets:

One of the women shook her head. "I don't understand. Who is Alex Rider?"
"He's no ordinary kid. And let me say straight off that this is to go no further than this room. What I'm telling you is classified - but it seems we're in a need-to-know situation." He paused. "Alex is an agent working with MI6 Special Operations."
A mutter of disbelief travelled round the table.
"But, sir..." the woman protested. "That's crazy. He can't be more than fifteen years old."
"He's fourteen. And you're absolutely right. Trust MI6 to come up with an idea like this. But it's worked. Alex Rider is the nearest thing the Brits have to a lethal weapon."

I love these books!Heart-stopping action? Yep. Just about humanly possible? Maybe. Nail-biter of a read? Definitely.Get it today!

What can I read next?

It's a series. Read the first one first, to see how he gets the job:

  • Stormbreaker
  • Point Blanc
  • Skeleton Key
  • Eagle Strike
  • Scorpia
  • Ark Angel

If Alex Rider is your kind of hero, have a look at this fast moving contemporary story by Andy McNab and Robert Rigby:

Or have a look at the activities of Alpha Force, written by Chris Ryan:

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