Secret Weapon (Alex Rider)

Product Information

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. 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. Anthony has written over 40 books including the bestselling teen spy series Alex Rider, which he adapted into a movie that was released worldwide in 2006. 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. 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.

Rupert Degas's narrations are marked by his versatile and emotive voice, creating a captivating and enjoyable listening experience.

This is the latest book in the Alex Rider series and is my second favourite, with Scorpia being my first choice. All the stories in this collection are set when Alex is 14, before the worst of his tangles with Scorpia and his own deranged clone, Julius Grief. This collection of thrilling adventures features familiar and new assailants from the best-loved world of Alex Rider, and also includes three never-before-seen stories.

Ever since MI6 recognised his potential, Alex Rider has constantly been thrust into the line of danger. 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.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. 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!

Secret Weapon is the book that Alex Rider’s fans have to thank for the continuation of the young spy’s highly entertaining adventures. There is lots of adventure from the very start of the story, with plenty of action to keep me entertained.

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. I thought the book had a really good plot line, with the stories being set in lots of different places. The title story, Secret Weapon, pits Alex against someone from his past, a dangerous drug dealer with a grudge against the boy who was responsible for him ending up in prison. 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.