British author Anthony Horowitz writes the books he wishes he was reading at age 14, from the adventures of Sherlock Holmes to the daring tales of James Bond and teenage spy Alex Rider.
With Alex Rider Season Two streaming on IMDb TV starting on Friday, December 3, SPYSCAPE thought it was time for a deep dive into Horowitz’s wildly successful Alex Rider book series, in addition to several of Horowitz’s other famed novels.
First, however, a quick briefing to sketch out Alex’s backstory. He was recruited by MI6—the British equivalent of America’s CIA—when his uncle and guardian died in mysterious circumstances. The security service noticed Alex’s investigation into his uncle’s death and his espionage skills and pressured him into becoming a secret agent.
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British author Anthony Horowitz writes the books he wishes he was reading at age 14, from the adventures of Sherlock Holmes to the daring tales of James Bond and teenage spy Alex Rider.
With Alex Rider Season Two streaming on IMDb TV starting on Friday, December 3, SPYSCAPE thought it was time for a deep dive into Horowitz’s wildly successful Alex Rider book series, in addition to several of Horowitz’s other famed novels.
First, however, a quick briefing to sketch out Alex’s backstory. He was recruited by MI6—the British equivalent of America’s CIA—when his uncle and guardian died in mysterious circumstances. The security service noticed Alex’s investigation into his uncle’s death and his espionage skills and pressured him into becoming a secret agent.
Since then Alex has also worked for the CIA and the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, but his roots are firmly in England. For a 14-year-old Alex certainly knows how to pack in his share of adventure, so hang on for the ride! (Warning: A few spoilers ahead!)
STORMBREAKER (ALEX RIDER #1) -The authorities said Alex’s uncle Ian died in a car accident, but the bullet holes in the windshield suggest it’s a cover-up for something more. Alex soon discovers that his uncle was a spy for Britain’s top-secret intelligence agency, and now MI6 wants Alex to find those responsible for his uncle’s death.
POINT BLANK (ALEX RIDER #2) - An elite prep school for rebellious kids is tied to a series of mysterious deaths. As a result MI6 assigns Alex to go undercover as one of the juvenile delinquents at the wealthy boarding school, which feels more like a prison, to find out what’s really going on.
SKELETON KEY (ALEX RIDER #3) - Twice, young Alex has managed to save the world— and twice he has almost been killed doing it. But now Alex faces something even more dangerous: the desperation of a man who has lost everything he cared for—his country and his only son— and this man happens to have a nuclear weapon.
EAGLE STRIKE (ALEX RIDER #4) - Eagle Strike is the basis for the second season of the Alex Rider television series, so you don’t want to miss this bestseller. Sir Damian Cray is a philanthropist, peace activist, and the world’s most famous pop star—but he’s also a threat to the world. Can one teenager convince the world that the most popular man on earth is a madman bent on destruction before time runs out?
SCORPIA (ALEX RIDER #5)- Alex learns that his father may have been an assassin for Scorpia, the world’s most powerful terrorist organization. Now Scorpia wants Alex on their side, and Alex no longer has the strength to fight—that is, until he learns of a Scorpia operation known only as “Invisible Sword,” which will result in thousands of deaths.
ARK ANGEL (ALEX RIDER #6) - When kidnappers try to snatch a fellow patient from the hospital where Alex is recovering from a shooting, he knows he needs to stop them. But the boy he saves is no ordinary patient: He is the son of Nikolai Drevin, one of the richest men in the world who has been targeted by Force Three, a group of eco-terrorists.
SNAKEHEAD (ALEX RIDER #7) - When Alex crash-lands off the coast of Australia, the Australian Secret Service recruits him to infiltrate one of the ruthless gangs operating across Southeast Asia known as Snakehead.
CROCODILE TEARS (ALEX RIDER #8) - A charity broker con artist has raised millions of dollars in donations and invested them in genetically modified corn that has the power to release an airborne strain of a dangerous virus. The antidote? Alex Rider, of course.
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SCORPIA RISING (ALEX RIDER #9) - Scorpia likely killed Alex’s parents. They tried to con Alex into turning into a traitor. And now the terrorist organization is playing with fire in the world's most combustible land: the Middle East.
RUSSIAN ROULETTE (ALEX RIDER #10) - Every story has a beginning and every spy has their first mission. For Alex it involved the assassin Yassen Gregorovich, who left Alex orphaned and craving revenge. This is Yassen’s story. A journey down the darker path of espionage.
NEVER SAY DIE (ALEX RIDER #11) - After the events of Scorpia Rising Alex relocates to San Francisco to grieve the loss of a friend, when he receives a cryptic email. It is just three words long, but that’s enough to make Alex believe that his friend may be alive, so he boards a flight to Egypt.
NIGHTSHADE (ALEX RIDER #12) - Alex had hoped to go back to school and spend time with his friends, but he discovers an attack is being planned on London. Instead, the world’s greatest teen spy sets off to Gibraltar to battle a new criminal organization: Nightshade.
SECRET WEAPON (ALEX RIDER #13) - Secret Weapon expands Alex’s world with more pulse-pounding heroics including the invasion of a terrorist hideout in Afghanistan. The book contains a combination of new and previously published material.
Horowitz has written more than 50 novels including more than a dozen Alex Rider books. (Photo: Jack Lawson)
Author Anthony Horowitz isn’t just known for his teen spy novels, of course. He’s a prolific author of more than 50 books in addition to writing screenplays and executive producing the Alex Rider series. Horowitz has also turned his hand to horror fiction, and he’s been commissioned to write books about James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. Here are just a few of his many fascinating tales:
BLOODY HOROWITZ- A teen gang leader taken for a deadly ride by a car with a mind of its own... A boy haunted by a phantom cobra... A reality TV show pitting teens against grown-ups, with only one survivor… This collection of harrowing tales is sure to have you smiling in terrified pleasure.
THE HOUSE OF SILK - It is London in 1890 at 221B Baker Street and a fine art dealer named Edmund Carstairs visits Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson to beg for their help. He is being menaced by a strange man in a flat cap—a wanted criminal who seems to have followed him all the way from America.
MORIARTY - Moriarty explores what really happened when Sherlock Holmes and his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty tumbled to their doom at the Reichenbach Falls.
TRIGGER MORTIS - Bond is midway through his career and has won his battle with criminal mastermind Auric Goldfinger, but a whole new war is about to begin. With glamorous Pussy Galore by his side, Bond arrives home from America to the news that Smersh, the deadly Soviet counterintelligence agency, plans to sabotage an international Grand Prix.
FOREVER AND A DAY- A look at Bond's first assignment. It is the story of the birth of a legend in the brutal underworld of the French Riviera, taking readers into the beginning of James Bond’s illustrious career and the formation of his identity.
UPCOMING BOND NOVEL- We don’t know much about Horowitz’s third Bond novel, due out in 2022, but he has dropped a few hints: "The new book begins with the death of Scaramanga and Bond's return from Jamaica to confront an old enemy."
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