Fourteen-year-old super spy Alex Rider swings back into action in Point Blank, the second in the thus-far six-book series written by Anthony Horowitz. This time he’s matched against a South African madman, Dr. Grief, and his sadistic second-in-command, Mrs. Stellenbosch, who run an elite school high in the French Alps for trouble-making teenagers.
For those who may not know who Alex Rider is, he was dragged into the spy business by his uncle’s murder in the first book, Stormbreaker. Alex lost his parents in a tragic accident that hasn’t quite been explained, then raised by his uncle Ian, who Alex thought was a bank manager and led a very quiet, sedate life.
However, in that life Ian Rider also managed to see to it that Alex was raised very independently, taught how to drive, scuba dive, shoot, and fight in martial arts. As well as learning several languages. Looking back on his life at one point in the first book, Alex came to the surprising conclusion that he’d basically been trained to become a spy.
But not at 14.
In the first book, Alex was lured by Blunt, the taskmaster of MI6, the spy agency, and Mrs. Jones, his assistant, into avenging his uncle’s murder. When he’d turned them down, they’d blackmailed him by telling him they would send him away to foster care instead of staying with Jack Starbright, his live-in keeper. Alex had reluctantly gone along with the opportunity to go on a mission. After a few weeks of intensive training, Alex went out into the field and proved himself to be a natural spy and survivor.
After that mission, though, Alex told Blunt and Mrs. Jones that he never wanted to be a spy again.
Point Blank opens up with the exciting scenes readers have come to expect from Horowitz. A friend of Blunt’s is murdered by a mysterious assassin known as The Gentleman, and the murder is made to look like a tragic accident. Before the man had died, though, he’d brought a matter to Blunt’s attention: a special school for boys of wealthy parents that promised to correct those boys’ bad behavior.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
2 - Katie McNeill
this sounds good too. and it got picked up by Advance.net, that's fantastic! congrats!
3 - eli
storm breaker is so cool! so is all the alex rider books. They are my total favourite. Every single one deserves a 10/10
4 - Darci
wow!!! the alex rider movie is soooo awesome! i love it, they r the only books i will actually read, matter of fact i am gonna read all the books!!! but ne way i love them, they r sooooo good and very intertaining!!
5 - sara
hmm.. is there a 2nd movie coming soon?
6 - none
cool
7 - Miley
omg, does Alex Roder actually Die in Scorpia??????????????????????/
8 - hodgey
Yea.....alex rider is awsome.....im doing a book review ....on this and this book review relly helps.....good work Mel Odom....lol i dont no u but yea....he doesnt die in scorpia does he....theirs another book aye?
any way thanks
hodgey
9 - Zap999999999
Darci
wow!!! the alex rider movie is soooo awesome! i love it, they r the only books i will actually read, matter of fact i am gonna read all the books!!! but ne way i love them, they r sooooo good and very intertaining!!
I would think you'd get some good grammar from reading these books. Anyway awesome books. Violent(my personal favorite quality of a book ☻)good vocabulary, good length , everything good in books. Just dosent match up to artemis fowl.
10 - danzo
alex rider rocks!he is so in my top 5.
my top 5 are james bond{1},alex rider{2},artimes
fowl {3},need for speed games{4},action films{5}
11 - Joe
I never knew they had a movie. Alex doesn't die in Scorpia and the next book Ark Angel is reallly gooood! I think they are even publishing a new book called Snakehead.
12 - unknown???
I hated this review who ever made it sucks
From you suck
13 - jenna
hello i have never been on this site i agree with all of u lot, im fourteen yr old girl still reading the books since yr 7 or 8 ?? And they are all good endings well done anthony horowitz... no alex does not die in scorpia
and yes there is a new book called Snakehead which i just finished reading and it was brilliant ....woooooo go horowitz books lol oh an for those who haven't yet seen stormbreaker movie its a must lol ....
girls u will love Alex Pettyfer cos hes gorgeous lol haha
14 - Garett Ford
I think his books are awosme and I think I am A genious
15 - Christopher Rose
Yes, except at spelling...
16 - ayse kiran
ur book was soooooooooo like crapreeeeeeeeeee no afence lossssser
17 - alex
YALL ARE A BUNCH OF GEEKS
18 - omg
That book was like soooooooo coool. i mean like it was the perfect book and i love it like rocks my socks off and i am like sooooo lovin it right now. well anyway, i cant wait for the next one, i like just want to sooooooo eat him up that little hunk of spy. well like goodbye and like i sooooo want to see you again and like kiss you. i like soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo love you! alex rider, you are all man and like sooooo totally all mine!
19 - Brett
this book was out of this world im going to read all of Anthony Horowitz
20 - TRAVIS
I AM DOING A BOOK REPORT BECUASE THIS BOOK IS AWSOME LOL YOU ALL ARE COOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
21 - bbj
cool book, ay
22 - isaac
i have to read this review for a book report but who cares
23 - daniel
SSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOO COOL BEST BOOK EveR!im going to read all of them!!!!!!!!woo hoo rock on!
24 - Bob
waht genre is point blank realistic fiction
25 - Blah
i read Point Blank and it was absolutely awesome and action packed but as soon as i started stormbreaker i read up to like page 20 and sounded so repetitive to Point Blank.