Secret Weapon (Alex Rider)

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From a routine visit to the dentist that turns into a chase through the streets of London, to a school trip with a deadly twist, no day has ever been ordinary for the teenage super-spy.

Without telling you the ending, you will be surprised about how it ends and you will certainly want to read more books by this author! For fans of the series, Secret Weapon is an excellent and varied collection, showcasing Alex’s talents and problem-solving abilities, interspersed with some rare domestic moments, including his huge fear of dentists!Well, it was when Walker Books asked me to polish some pre-published short stories that I realized I’d rather missed my reluctant teenaged spy. The Man with Eleven Fingers starts with a rare glimpse into what Alex was like when his housekeeper – and later his closest friend – Jack Starbright first arrived in a house in Chelsea to help look after a truculent seven-year-old, then moves onto the case of Freddy ‘Fingers’, a man on trial for a massive case of embezzlement. The story contains all Horowitz’s trademark ingenuity when it comes to planning and plotting and, as usual, showcases Alex’s own abilities to the full, as does the final story in the collection, Spy Trap, in which Alex ends up in a secretive hospital, treated by people who claim to be looking after him following a car accident, but he quickly has his doubts about their motives. An essential collection of seven explosive Alex Rider stories by number one bestselling author, Anthony Horowitz. And Alex’s concerns about some dubious chocolate bars lead to one of the few times he actually contacts Mrs Jones and Alan Blunt of MI6 of his own accord.

In Alex in Afghanistan, he has to undertake a perilous journey that only someone of his age – and size – would be able to accomplish, but despite all the promises, nothing is ever simple where his missions are concerned. This book was good because I enjoyed finding out more about the character of Alex Rider and his determination to solve problems in a fearless way. Anthony Horowitz announced in March 2016 that he will be publishing a collection of Alex Rider short stories. The book contains three new adventures as well as the previously published stories, and in writing those, Horowitz realised that there were still more tales he could tell, and so the series continued, and in a very satisfactory manner, too, proving that follow ups aren’t always a mistake.This variety kept me interested and entertained although I would say that I prefer the format of a full length story than the shorter stories as you can get into them more. After the traumatic events of Scorpia Rising, it looked very much like Alex had finally been allowed to go back to the life of an ordinary boy, moving to the States to live with his friend Sabina Pleasure and her parents.

The young spy is less traumatised, and there is a lighter tone to some of the stories, such as the delightfully entertaining Tea with Smithers, which provides some insights into the behind the scenes life of MI6’s gadget inventor, Q to Alex’s Bond. It wasn’t going to be enough for a whole book, so I’m writing the other half as a sort of novella to give it the paper-length it needs – and I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I am, but it’s actually going very well. The story points up how Alex was trained by his uncle, himself a spy in the employ of MI6, from a very early age to follow in what was effectively a family profession.Ever since MI6 recognised his potential, Alex Rider has constantly been thrust into the line of danger. It demonstrates a cynical willingness to exploit a young boy, and shows that, in essence, Alex’s whole relationship with Ian Rider was based on a series of lies, a hard lesson for him to learn and an even harder one to look back on, although there is an alternative explanation that maybe Ian was simply giving his nephew the skills needed to survive if Ian ever accidentally brings his work home.

Ever since MI6 recognized his potential, Alex Rider has constantly been thrust into the line of danger. For Alex Rider fans or readers who enjoy short action adventure stories this book contains a collection of seven explosives stories about teen action hero Alex Rider.

This is the latest book in the Alex Rider series and is my second favourite, with Scorpia being my first choice. If you are under 16, please obtain your parent/guardian’s permission before submitting or ask your parent/guardian to submit on your behalf.