About the Author

Anthony Horowitz is a popular and prolific children's writer, whose books now sell in more than a dozen countries around the world. He has won numerous prizes for his books which include "Point Blanc" (shortlisted for the 2001 Children's Book Award), "Skeleton Key" (Winner of the Red House Children's Book Award) and "Scorpia". Anthony also writes extensively for TV. He lives in north London.

Reviews

This book will entertain any young teenager, in fact anyone will find the sharp writing and the cliff-hanging chapters an engrossing page turner worthy of any book collection.
*The North Devon Journal*

From the sheer joy I can remember getting from reading that book in particular, I’d have to chose it above any other as my favourite book of all time.
*Stoke On Trent Sentinel*

Crackling with suspense and daring, this is a fabulous story, showing that a bit of guts will take you a very long way.
*Guardian*

Readers will cheer for Alex Rider, the 14-year-old hero of British author Horowitz's spy thriller (the first in a projected series). When his guardian and uncle, Ian, is mysteriously killed, Alex discovers that his uncle was not the bank vice-president he purported to be, but rather a spy for the British government. Now the government wants Alex to take over his uncle's mission: investigating Sayle Enterprises, the makers of a revolutionary computer called Stormbreaker. The company's head plans to donate one to every secondary school in England, but his dealings with unfriendly countries and Ian Rider's murder have brought him under suspicion. Posing as a teenage computer whiz who's won a Stormbreaker promotional contest, Alex enters the factory and immediately finds clues from his uncle. Satirical names abound (e.g., Mr. Grin, Mr. Sayle's brutish butler, is so named for the scars he received from a circus knife-throwing act gone wrong) and the hard-boiled language is equally outrageous ("It was a soft gray night with a half-moon forming a perfect D in the sky. D for what, Alex wondered. Danger? Discovery? Or disaster?"). These exaggerations only add to the fun, as do the creative gadgets that Alex uses, including a metal-munching cream described as "Zit-Clean. For Healthier Skin." The ultimate mystery may be a bit of a letdown, but that won't stop readers from racing through Alex's adventures, from a high-speed bike chase to a death-defying dance with a Portuguese man-of-war. The audience will stay tuned for his next assignment, Point Blanc, due out spring 2002. Ages 10-up. (May) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

This book will entertain any young teenager, in fact anyone will find the sharp writing and the cliff-hanging chapters an engrossing page turner worthy of any book collection. * The North Devon Journal *
From the sheer joy I can remember getting from reading that book in particular, I'd have to chose it above any other as my favourite book of all time. * Stoke On Trent Sentinel *
Crackling with suspense and daring, this is a fabulous story, showing that a bit of guts will take you a very long way. -- Julia Eccleshare * Guardian *