I started reading Alex Rider back in the eighth grade. That was 2003. It’s been eight years of following the reluctant teenage spy, (The author, Anthony Horowitz, has been working on them for ten.) and now it’s finally time to say goodbye.
Scorpia Rising throws Alex back into the Spy world after months of freedom, just when he was getting used to normal life. As usual MI6 manipulates Alex into doing their bidding, totally unaware of Scorpia’s sinister plans. This is the third time Alex is taking on Scorpia, and they have something to prove.
There’s something magical about the way Horowitz writes that grips you from the beginning. I sat down with the book on Tuesday afternoon and finished in the early hours of Thursday morning. Having to force yourself to stop and go read some boring text books in between is akin to torture.
As usual Horowitz has done his research. This time Alex is thrown into the heart of Egypt as the popular author brings the city to life in sparkling detail. It’s also topical, using real world events and tensions to bring a sense of reality to the story.
As promised, Horowitz is ending the series as Alex turns 15, and with a promising future. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some absolute shockers in the story, including the truth about Smithers, MI6’s gadget genius, who joins Alex on his final mission.
The beauty of these books is that they feel like a movie, playing out scene by scene, holding you in suspense and throwing curve balls. The disappointment that was the 2006 film will haunt me for ages. How can you take a book that screams to be made into a film and turn it into a joke? I look forward to some genius director turning this series into the gritty action packed movies it deserves someday. Until then, we have something better, our imagination.
Review
Whenever the general stupidity of humankind plays out there are always casualties. Whether it be other humans, the planet or the beautiful animals that inhabit this earth, the list of casualties for our greed, ignorance and arrogance is never ending. Taking the initiative and doing what he can to correct some of our idiocy is Lawrence Anthony.
