Customer Reviews
alex rider - By: Sid Lynch, 12 Sep 2008 
This was a really fun book that I will recommend on to many readers, young & old alike. I had heard many good things about Anthony Horowitz & I was not to be disappointed. His pace of storyline is excellent & his characters are wonderfully developed. The villains are as colourful as any created by Ian Fleming & the background for the evil plot was well thought out. The actual diabolic plan & described results werein fact highly unrealistic, but that did not matter one iota to this gold nugget of a story. I read the entire bookin about three & a half hours & will be quick to go & find the subsequent volumesin the series.
weird - By: reading fool, 13 Aug 2008 
after hearing all the hype over this book & the fact they made it a movie, i decided to give it a try...
i have now read all the alex rider books & this seems to be the worst of them all
i think the gadgets ruined it...but maybe that is just me
Very enjoyable but could of been longer. - By: Philip Thompson, 13 Apr 2008 
I really enjoyed this book but found that it could of been fleshed out more as the premise was good & all the characters were interesting. As an adult reading it I could be missing out on the fact that its aimed at children & therefore a perfect length but Harry Potter is also meant for children & was much more detailed. I think as a whole the book was good & I would probably read anotherin the series but would hope for a more detailed storyin the next one otherwise I would give up reading any more.
Very cool book - By: Paul Everdark, 08 Jan 2008 
I picked up this book as an impulse, having heard about the series here & there. Am I glad I did! The Alex Rider series has that rare trait of making you itch to get your hands on the next book the second you've put one down.
The story starts pretty much from the word go, & within a chapter you're onto your first tense action scene. Whilst this is greatin many ways (no messing around, direct & fast), I felt as though I barely got to know Alex through the book, as there was a massive focus on what he goes through rather who Alex is, which is a bit sad, as I feel that if Horowitz spent just a few pages exploring Alex's personality, we'd have really felt for him more during his darker moments.
As a spy book, the mystery & clues all fit together nicely, & Alex is hardly invincible (he makes a lot of mistakes on the way, & is beat around a lot). Sometimes, though, it felt a bit annoying that Alex conveniently had all these skills he'd learned as a kid & with a few days training. He comes across as a bit talented for his own good now & then, & he is suprisingly hardened & indifferent to the horrors he goes through; he's only 14 after all!
So, with all of these negative comments, why have I given it 4/5 I hear you cry (or not)? Because of Horowitz's fantastic writing style. He keeps everything crystal clear & uncluttered, but still manages to be imaginative & descriptive. Not since Harry Potter have I read a book that so clearly makes you see all the characters & placesin your head.
I could recommend this book to practically anyone. It is one of those classic breeds of books that will leave you with only one hand to use for a few days whilst the other one holds this book up to your face. It has a wide appeal, & although it's classed as a book for teenagers, don't let this put off the older reader; it all gets quite serious later on. Gripping, exciting & addictive. I'm off to read the second one right NOW!
You get what you pay for - By: K. Chase-Rahman, 25 Dec 2007 If you buy this book you are probably looking for a teenage James Bond-type adventure. This book delivers pretty close to the mark, apart from the lack of any romantic interest. The style of writing is fairly mediocre (but you're not looking for great literature, are you?) & it is the samein structure as a typical Bond adventure - spies, English goodies, power crazed international baddies, fast paced action, fights, gruesome yet amusing deaths, loads of "I want one of those!" gadgets & plenty of "escape from certain death" situations for our hero, Alex Rider.
One note of caution; the character of Bond & his exploits are as far-fetched & fantastical as books like Harry Potter, but for some reason the Alex Rider books are treated as though they are somehow more "realistic" than Harry Potter. In fact, once you step into a world like Harry Potter's the excellent writing blots out reality & you find yourself "believing" all the things he does. Unfortunately the quality of writing & the plottingin this Alex Rider book is nowhere near capable of carrying you awayin the same way as a well written fantasy novel. Therefore, an intelligent reader who is not even looking for plot-holes will still find them a-plentyin these pages & might be slightly disappointed. But don't let that put you off - if you're looking for a teenage "Bond" style adventure this book gives you what you pay for & you won't find much betterin the bookshops.
