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Alex Rider #13
Nightshade Revenge
The world’s bestselling teenage spy takes on a new and daring mission.
This much-awaited new book in the bestselling Alex Rider series continues Alex’s fight against the deadly assassins encountered in the last book, Nightshade. Alex still has unfinished business with this sinister group made up of brainwashed children, not least trying to reunite MI6 chief Mrs Jones with her long lost son and daughter. The adventure takes us deep into the life-changing world of augmented reality, where even Alex will struggle to succeed against the technology. With daring chase scenes, a brilliant immersive gaming sequence, and a nail-biting final showdown, this new adventure brings the world’s best-loved teen superspy his biggest challenge yet.
This much-awaited new book in the bestselling Alex Rider series continues Alex’s fight against the deadly assassins encountered in the last book, Nightshade. Alex still has unfinished business with this sinister group made up of brainwashed children, not least trying to reunite MI6 chief Mrs Jones with her long lost son and daughter. The adventure takes us deep into the life-changing world of augmented reality, where even Alex will struggle to succeed against the technology. With daring chase scenes, a brilliant immersive gaming sequence, and a nail-biting final showdown, this new adventure brings the world’s best-loved teen superspy his biggest challenge yet.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2023
188 people are currently reading
1941 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Horowitz
345 books20.9k followersAnthony Horowitz, OBE is ranked alongside Enid Blyton and Mark A. Cooper as "The most original and best spy-kids authors of the century." (New York Times). Anthony has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider books, he is also the writer and creator of award winning detective series Foyle’s War, and more recently event drama Collision, among his other television works he has written episodes for Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. Anthony became patron to East Anglia Children’s Hospices in 2009.
On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...
On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
September 9, 2023
Although Alex Rider (who recently turned sixteen) has aged by only two years since his first spy mission, the Alex Rider series (at twenty-three years of age) is now quite a bit older than the boy himself. Horowitz’s unchanging books have remained a resolute constant in an evolving world; I can remember reading them when the idea of being fourteen years old sounded so terribly grown up and far away — I used to look up to Alex, then he became my peer, now I’m twice his age. However, irrespective of the changes which have taken place within me since the boy spy was first contracted by MI6 way back in the year 2000, I’ve remained glued to his ridiculous albeit thrilling stories: I have a static attachment to them, an attachment that remains joyously oblivious to my life’s continuously metamorphosing backdrop. Come what may, I guzzle down every new Alex Rider release as soon as it becomes available, and, come what may, I always will do (so long as Horowitz continues to write them). They link me to the past in ways not easy to articulate but which I imagine you will nonetheless understand.
Don’t get me wrong, with the possible exceptions of book five: Scorpia (2004), and book seven: Snakehead (2007), I don’t think any of the Alex Rider books are particularly “good” books, so to speak: Horowitz is a writer who works to a formula, a formula which has remained largely unaltered since book one. And while he has great fun playing around tweaking the ingredients of his recipe, I come to each successive instalment fully aware that his latest book will be the exact same book I’ve read many times before. Nightshade Revenge is no different: You read it knowing which scene, which trope, which cliché is coming next, and the only differences between it and the twelve books which precede it are found in its character’s names, its individual string of exotic locations, and the particulars of its outlandish MacGuffin. These things are essentially just part of a transparent mask which does its best to hide Horowitz’s re-instated core.
You might have thought, therefore, that over the course of twenty-three years I’d have tired of having this same repetitive trick pulled on me thirteen books in a row, but, in all honesty, I haven’t. Like a mosquito to a lamp, these last two days I’ve found myself sucked into Alex’s world once again. Nightshade Revenge is no better or worse than most other Alex Rider books for it is the exact same book as most other Alex Rider books. To me, that is its appeal: I come back to it because its familiarity makes me feel comfortable and safe, like returning to my favourite seat in the local coffee shop time and time again. Nightshade Revenge is a determined revelation of two-star prose, unspectacular in every sense. It hits just the right spot.
Don’t get me wrong, with the possible exceptions of book five: Scorpia (2004), and book seven: Snakehead (2007), I don’t think any of the Alex Rider books are particularly “good” books, so to speak: Horowitz is a writer who works to a formula, a formula which has remained largely unaltered since book one. And while he has great fun playing around tweaking the ingredients of his recipe, I come to each successive instalment fully aware that his latest book will be the exact same book I’ve read many times before. Nightshade Revenge is no different: You read it knowing which scene, which trope, which cliché is coming next, and the only differences between it and the twelve books which precede it are found in its character’s names, its individual string of exotic locations, and the particulars of its outlandish MacGuffin. These things are essentially just part of a transparent mask which does its best to hide Horowitz’s re-instated core.
You might have thought, therefore, that over the course of twenty-three years I’d have tired of having this same repetitive trick pulled on me thirteen books in a row, but, in all honesty, I haven’t. Like a mosquito to a lamp, these last two days I’ve found myself sucked into Alex’s world once again. Nightshade Revenge is no better or worse than most other Alex Rider books for it is the exact same book as most other Alex Rider books. To me, that is its appeal: I come back to it because its familiarity makes me feel comfortable and safe, like returning to my favourite seat in the local coffee shop time and time again. Nightshade Revenge is a determined revelation of two-star prose, unspectacular in every sense. It hits just the right spot.
September 14, 2023
Teenage spy Alex Rider returns in another hugely entertaining adventure from author Anthony Horowitz.
Horowitz is a big fan of James Bond (& has written three superb Bond novels himself) & it's nice to see him slip in a few amusing references to the film & novel versions of Diamonds Are Forever. For a Young Adult novel Nightshade Revenge has a perfectly crafted plot & there are an endless amounts of brilliantly staged action sequences. All in all it's over 300 pages of pure escapist fun.
Horowitz is a big fan of James Bond (& has written three superb Bond novels himself) & it's nice to see him slip in a few amusing references to the film & novel versions of Diamonds Are Forever. For a Young Adult novel Nightshade Revenge has a perfectly crafted plot & there are an endless amounts of brilliantly staged action sequences. All in all it's over 300 pages of pure escapist fun.
February 28, 2024
Overall Rating : B
Don't know if I'm getting to old for this series or it's just gone on for too long but it just didn't hit as good as the other ones. But I am committed to this series and Alex Rider no matter what.
Don't know if I'm getting to old for this series or it's just gone on for too long but it just didn't hit as good as the other ones. But I am committed to this series and Alex Rider no matter what.
Read
September 26, 2023I want to rate this book 5 stars but the ending ? What the fuck was that I’m literally crying. I hate it so much.
September 30, 2023
Mild Spoilers Included
I am sad... this series will forever be my favourite - I just didn't expect endofseriesitis to apply but alas this is just another time when the last book is so bad in comparison to the other books.
This book just felt bland, the scene that was the most interesting when Alex is in the game and it didn't even come close to the exciting scenes from other books in this series.
Like that scene in general is very similar to the Feathered Serpent scene from Eagle Strike but it was even more similar to season 2 of the Alex Rider TV show and that would've been forgivable if that scene was fleshed out in the slightest, but it wasn't and so it didn't feel like there was any tension.
Also SO many plot points from the previous book had been dropped, the microphones in the molars telling the numbers what to do (like they were mentioned briefly but not explained why they weren't still in use)
The biggest plot thread (for me) is how the heck did they deal with the fact that Alex's face was everywhere on the news as a wanted terrorist!?!? Like everyone at his school would've seen that! Most Alex rider books can keep the 'monstor of the week' format and don't need this explanation as MI6 kept Alex out of the news reports and very few people would've actually seen Alex... But not so in this case and I want an explanation!!!!
It was also interesting that Nightshade are basically just the lackies, in both books they have been working for someone else, what's funny is that they seemed more involved in the plan in Nightshade than they were in the plan from this book. I'm not sure why we didn't get a book specifically where they are the main villains, we didn't need the twist villain.
It just seemed like there were a lot of ideas that didn't mesh together well - hostage then nightshade then AR, then western? Without much time to develop any points very well. And that meant that there were some things that just felt like they weren't quite resolved.
Which made the end such a cop out. Everything was too easy, the numbers turning on nightshade for basically no reason or no lead up, the CIA director that was resolved in one sentence, Sabina is moving back to London just because (like the Pleasures had no reason to be in this book) the fact that Smithers came back again for basically no reason other than to say 'hes fine, this is fan service' heck I'm surprised that they DIDN'T have include ' Blunt is living his best life and he's super sorry for the things he did here's payment to go to college'... Like come on 🙄
"Once this is over I am going to stop" - when something the author is thinking ends up in the book... 😅 though unfortunately this really makes me feel like we should've stopped after Scorpia Rises. Never say die wasn't great and although nightshade was really good, with this as a follow-up and conclusion, I would've taken the cliff hangeresk ending of Alex going to live in America over this anyway... heck he even tried to do the same thing - kill off a 'loved' character... well I didn't really get any chance to care for this character so I didn't care and also as we saw from never say die he could just be resurrected and it'll be fine so it didn't make me feel nothing.
Okay rant over... though I'm still mad
I am sad... this series will forever be my favourite - I just didn't expect endofseriesitis to apply but alas this is just another time when the last book is so bad in comparison to the other books.
This book just felt bland, the scene that was the most interesting when Alex is in the game and it didn't even come close to the exciting scenes from other books in this series.
Like that scene in general is very similar to the Feathered Serpent scene from Eagle Strike but it was even more similar to season 2 of the Alex Rider TV show and that would've been forgivable if that scene was fleshed out in the slightest, but it wasn't and so it didn't feel like there was any tension.
Also SO many plot points from the previous book had been dropped, the microphones in the molars telling the numbers what to do (like they were mentioned briefly but not explained why they weren't still in use)
The biggest plot thread (for me) is how the heck did they deal with the fact that Alex's face was everywhere on the news as a wanted terrorist!?!? Like everyone at his school would've seen that! Most Alex rider books can keep the 'monstor of the week' format and don't need this explanation as MI6 kept Alex out of the news reports and very few people would've actually seen Alex... But not so in this case and I want an explanation!!!!
It was also interesting that Nightshade are basically just the lackies, in both books they have been working for someone else, what's funny is that they seemed more involved in the plan in Nightshade than they were in the plan from this book. I'm not sure why we didn't get a book specifically where they are the main villains, we didn't need the twist villain.
It just seemed like there were a lot of ideas that didn't mesh together well - hostage then nightshade then AR, then western? Without much time to develop any points very well. And that meant that there were some things that just felt like they weren't quite resolved.
Which made the end such a cop out. Everything was too easy, the numbers turning on nightshade for basically no reason or no lead up, the CIA director that was resolved in one sentence, Sabina is moving back to London just because (like the Pleasures had no reason to be in this book) the fact that Smithers came back again for basically no reason other than to say 'hes fine, this is fan service' heck I'm surprised that they DIDN'T have include ' Blunt is living his best life and he's super sorry for the things he did here's payment to go to college'... Like come on 🙄
"Once this is over I am going to stop" - when something the author is thinking ends up in the book... 😅 though unfortunately this really makes me feel like we should've stopped after Scorpia Rises. Never say die wasn't great and although nightshade was really good, with this as a follow-up and conclusion, I would've taken the cliff hangeresk ending of Alex going to live in America over this anyway... heck he even tried to do the same thing - kill off a 'loved' character... well I didn't really get any chance to care for this character so I didn't care and also as we saw from never say die he could just be resurrected and it'll be fine so it didn't make me feel nothing.
Okay rant over... though I'm still mad
September 17, 2023
Now I do appreciate that I was a child when I was reading the original Alex Rider books, but I remember them being so good with quite high stakes and really scary moments of dramatic tension. When Alex is sent to kill Mrs Jones in Scorpia, when Alex finds out his godfather betrayed his parents or when he is forced to watch Jack blown up in Scorpia Rising. They were always full of high tension, even if they could be a bit goofy at times.
Nightshade Revenge seems like such a step down from the high bar that the previous books set. The action set-pieces always seem farcical and nobody ever seems to be in much detail. The villains all dress up as cowboys or monks and it makes it quite hard to be scared of them. I think Horowitz slightly botched bringing Alex back for a second run - maybe a more mature Alex might have worked better, an aged-up protagonist for an aged-up readership. But instead we just get a weaker story with a weaker grand finale than we got years ago. A sad 1 star.
Nightshade Revenge seems like such a step down from the high bar that the previous books set. The action set-pieces always seem farcical and nobody ever seems to be in much detail. The villains all dress up as cowboys or monks and it makes it quite hard to be scared of them. I think Horowitz slightly botched bringing Alex back for a second run - maybe a more mature Alex might have worked better, an aged-up protagonist for an aged-up readership. But instead we just get a weaker story with a weaker grand finale than we got years ago. A sad 1 star.
April 24, 2024
How is Alex Rider getting stupider as he gets older? Multiple times it seemed like he could barely grasp basic stuff. This one was quite stretched out and hectic to reach: way too much explanation of brands of models of equipments (knowledge, which barely effects the story) and dragged out action sequences, the end of which, is fairly obvious.
Giving it 2 stars only for the sake of nostalgia.
Giving it 2 stars only for the sake of nostalgia.
Want to read
September 9, 2023i was sooo looking forward to this, after reading nightshade but i've read some of the reviews and accidentally gotten spoilers abt the ending... BRO WHY WOULD YOU MAKE ALEX END UP WITH SABINA LIKE THATS SO LAST YEAR AND TEHY LITERALLY USED TO BE ADOPTIVE SIBLINGS AND LIKE SHES JUST NTO SUITABLE FOR HIM, ALEX COULD GET LITERALLY ANYONE HE WANTED WHY HERRR EW. and i read the excerpt, it's kinda funny how there's such a big plothole right from the start,, i guess this will probably be the worst book in the series :( at least there's s3 to look forward to?? but i still love the other alex rider books tho <3
October 20, 2023
I still really love these.
September 12, 2023
Alex Rider is back again for his next mission in Nightshade Revenge. The super spy has recently turned sixteen and is trying to focus on his upcoming GCSEs, but once again the world needs saving. Nightshade are back and looking for revenge and they have Alex set in their sights.
It's not the most original storyline - as other reviewers have pointed out, Anthony Horowitz has found a formula that works for these books and so Nightshade Revenge is, in a way, rather predictable. The sinister group Nightshade are clearly the new 'Scorpia', and Alex is obviously the only person in the entire world who can stop them... because, well, of course. Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I've actually been enjoying the more recent books because they seem a little less formulaic, or at least the beginning of each book does anyway. The same is true of this one. Instead of being immediately recruited by MI6, Alex is on his own again because Nightshade have kidnapped his best friend, Tom Harris. After this, however, the book becomes a pretty normal, pretty predictable Alex Rider mission.
And I still absolutely loved every second of it.
I've been reading this series for years. Back when I was younger than Alex, I thought he was the coolest protagonist with the most dramatic adventures, and I found it difficult to put the books down once I'd started reading them.
I was also always rather jealous of Alex's ability to come up with the perfect one-liners and witty comebacks on the spot. Now, a little over a decade later, I'm still rather jealous of that!
I've grown up with this series, and these books were such a large part of my childhood, so, obviously, naturally, that means I have no choice but to carry on reading them. It's a strange one - on the one hand, every time a book ends, I hope that Alex will get to leave the world of espionage behind him and finally attend school for longer than a term at a time, but equally, whenever a book gets released I'm always so happy to return to his adventures, his world and its characters.
So anyway, back to Nightshade Revenge...
Initially, I was a little bit worried it would be too similar to Eagle Strike by focusing on another gaming system, but I still enjoyed it - and, to be fair, Eagle Strike was always one of my favourite books, so *shrugs*
Despite the predictability and occasional messiness of the plot, I loved every moment reading this book and meeting the characters again. It did feel like Horowitz was playing a game of bingo at points, in seeing how many old characters he could include in one book! The same goes for references to earlier books! The ending felt a little like a goodbye to the characters , but that remains to be seen. We thought Alex's story had finished before, and yet he still returned!
I've loved returning to Alex and his adventures over the last couple of days, and I know I was not the only one. Nightshade Revenge was a crazy ride of nostalgia and clichés, but I enjoyed every second of this new adventure.
It's not the most original storyline - as other reviewers have pointed out, Anthony Horowitz has found a formula that works for these books and so Nightshade Revenge is, in a way, rather predictable. The sinister group Nightshade are clearly the new 'Scorpia', and Alex is obviously the only person in the entire world who can stop them... because, well, of course. Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I've actually been enjoying the more recent books because they seem a little less formulaic, or at least the beginning of each book does anyway. The same is true of this one. Instead of being immediately recruited by MI6, Alex is on his own again because Nightshade have kidnapped his best friend, Tom Harris. After this, however, the book becomes a pretty normal, pretty predictable Alex Rider mission.
And I still absolutely loved every second of it.
I've been reading this series for years. Back when I was younger than Alex, I thought he was the coolest protagonist with the most dramatic adventures, and I found it difficult to put the books down once I'd started reading them.
I was also always rather jealous of Alex's ability to come up with the perfect one-liners and witty comebacks on the spot. Now, a little over a decade later, I'm still rather jealous of that!
I've grown up with this series, and these books were such a large part of my childhood, so, obviously, naturally, that means I have no choice but to carry on reading them. It's a strange one - on the one hand, every time a book ends, I hope that Alex will get to leave the world of espionage behind him and finally attend school for longer than a term at a time, but equally, whenever a book gets released I'm always so happy to return to his adventures, his world and its characters.
So anyway, back to Nightshade Revenge...
Initially, I was a little bit worried it would be too similar to Eagle Strike by focusing on another gaming system, but I still enjoyed it - and, to be fair, Eagle Strike was always one of my favourite books, so *shrugs*
Despite the predictability and occasional messiness of the plot, I loved every moment reading this book and meeting the characters again. It did feel like Horowitz was playing a game of bingo at points, in seeing how many old characters he could include in one book! The same goes for references to earlier books! The ending felt a little like a goodbye to the characters , but that remains to be seen. We thought Alex's story had finished before, and yet he still returned!
I've loved returning to Alex and his adventures over the last couple of days, and I know I was not the only one. Nightshade Revenge was a crazy ride of nostalgia and clichés, but I enjoyed every second of this new adventure.
February 27, 2024
Commute audiobook, thoroughly enjoyed
September 25, 2023
I'M SO DISAPPOINTED, what a HORRIBLE ending.
I can't believe Freddy died..... it was so unnecessary.......
I can't believe Freddy died..... it was so unnecessary.......
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2024
A. Horowitz writing about America: a beautiful, amazing place, with amazing scenery, full of hope and promise.
A. Horowitz writing about Americans: the worst people you will ever meet in your life. Genuinely so stupid. Will try to torture or murder you at the slightest provocation. Avoid interaction at all costs!!!!!
Nightshade Revenge continues the grand Alex Rider tradition of putting Alex in Situations. This boy has been in so many situations - so many, in fact, that you can tell Horowitz is really scraping the bottom of the barrel to find something that Alex *hasn't* done before. This time his enemy is a cabal of evil thirteen year olds, which is pretty funny. Alex also hangs out in the Bay Area but attends neither a Giants game nor a Warriors game - disappointing! The Presidio gets a glowing review. Portola Redwoods State park gets a shout out. Tech bros get made fun of. Alex is forced to wear a dumb costume by a bad guy (I need to reread the series and see how many times this happens- it's a lot). If you're familiar with the Bay Area it's kinda neat, otherwise a distinct whiff of end-of-seriesitis haunts the story.
A. Horowitz writing about Americans: the worst people you will ever meet in your life. Genuinely so stupid. Will try to torture or murder you at the slightest provocation. Avoid interaction at all costs!!!!!
Nightshade Revenge continues the grand Alex Rider tradition of putting Alex in Situations. This boy has been in so many situations - so many, in fact, that you can tell Horowitz is really scraping the bottom of the barrel to find something that Alex *hasn't* done before. This time his enemy is a cabal of evil thirteen year olds, which is pretty funny. Alex also hangs out in the Bay Area but attends neither a Giants game nor a Warriors game - disappointing! The Presidio gets a glowing review. Portola Redwoods State park gets a shout out. Tech bros get made fun of. Alex is forced to wear a dumb costume by a bad guy (I need to reread the series and see how many times this happens- it's a lot). If you're familiar with the Bay Area it's kinda neat, otherwise a distinct whiff of end-of-seriesitis haunts the story.
February 21, 2024
For the most part I really enjoyed the book, even if there were some parts that were incredibly predictable. However, the ending was so rushed and just….weird. The shootout and the drama with the kids playing Eden Fall had so much build up and then in the blink of an eye it was over and the book was done. The Teachers all were defeated…..so fast. I think as a whole they were wasted in this book; Nightshade is built as this untouchable crime syndicate and yet it’s pretty much just Mike being front and center the whole book, just because he hates Alex.
HOWEVER, it’s still very enjoyable, especially if you like the Alex Rider series. I also cannot imagine there isn’t another book on the way; the ending was so fast and so abrupt that that cannot be it.
HOWEVER, it’s still very enjoyable, especially if you like the Alex Rider series. I also cannot imagine there isn’t another book on the way; the ending was so fast and so abrupt that that cannot be it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2024
***SPOILER***
Killing Freddy was a bitch move.
Killing Freddy was a bitch move.
February 21, 2024
This was a letdown. I never felt engaged in the story. Even Alex didn’t seem engaged. He seemed aloof. Why is Sabina back? It felt thrown together. Bummer.
September 11, 2023
This books hits differently due to the fact I have followed Alex’s journey from book one to this book which seems to me as a beautiful end to Alex’s journey. Started reading these books when I was 8 and now now have moved to more sophisticated books but still chose to continue in the Alex rider series. Now to have the collection come to a probable end and at the age of 17 these books were a gem to read.
One negative of this book is that the plot seems to be rushed in contrast to previous books.
One negative of this book is that the plot seems to be rushed in contrast to previous books.
August 10, 2023
Alex Rider should leave Nightshade to someone else. He’s given enough to MI6 and the various villains that have tried to wreak havoc on the world. However, revenge is hard to resist especially when they target your friend. Alex has unfinished business, and he’s not going to stop until Nightshade is not only stopped but obliterated.
Horowitz is a master storyteller, luring the reader into Alex’s explosive world where death, destruction and mayhem lurks not only in the shadows but hidden in plain sight. It takes real skill to not only entertain readers on a consistent basis, but to keep them returning to a series such as this. Spy stories will never go out of fashion when they are of this high quality.
It's overflowing with thrills!
I received an early copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Horowitz is a master storyteller, luring the reader into Alex’s explosive world where death, destruction and mayhem lurks not only in the shadows but hidden in plain sight. It takes real skill to not only entertain readers on a consistent basis, but to keep them returning to a series such as this. Spy stories will never go out of fashion when they are of this high quality.
It's overflowing with thrills!
I received an early copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
March 25, 2024
This series of YA books about a British teenage spy was one that my son and I enjoyed reading together back when he was quite young. While he is more firmly adult than young now, when this latest installment came out we agreed we had to keep it up.
Horowitz is a good storyteller and is the only writer authorized to write contemporary stories using the James Bond character by the Ian Fleming estate. He also has many murder mystery novels for adults.
While we still had fun with these characters,resourceful Alex Rider, his American guardian, Jack Starbright, and the MI6 special operations crew, this felt quite thin. A very repetitious plot line and the villain was barely sketched out. Much like his adult counterpart, James Bond, Alex’s adventures are a formulaic but a fun (and for us a nostalgic) ride nonetheless but this last installment felt oddly paced and rushed in the end. It boggles the mind that the child assassins known as the Numbers all agree overnight to turn on their Teachers and come over to the “right side”. Maybe Mr. Horowitz was pressured to churn this one out but the trip down memory lane was still fun enough to merit three stars
Horowitz is a good storyteller and is the only writer authorized to write contemporary stories using the James Bond character by the Ian Fleming estate. He also has many murder mystery novels for adults.
While we still had fun with these characters,resourceful Alex Rider, his American guardian, Jack Starbright, and the MI6 special operations crew, this felt quite thin. A very repetitious plot line and the villain was barely sketched out. Much like his adult counterpart, James Bond, Alex’s adventures are a formulaic but a fun (and for us a nostalgic) ride nonetheless but this last installment felt oddly paced and rushed in the end. It boggles the mind that the child assassins known as the Numbers all agree overnight to turn on their Teachers and come over to the “right side”. Maybe Mr. Horowitz was pressured to churn this one out but the trip down memory lane was still fun enough to merit three stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2025
Sad to say this was a really disappointing ending to such an amazing series. An absolute mess of plotholes and irrelevant plotpoints. 'Nightshade' was a surprisingly good book with interesting antagonists, but here it seems like everything from the original plot was forgotten and something random happened. The antagonists were an absolutely joke here, and the original plot was hardly resolved properly. It felt like a rush job.
My biggest issue though, was Sabina.
Why the hell was she even in this book!? She had no business being here AT ALL, much less being in so much of the book. The worst part is how she and Alex get back together. In the last book? Really? I was very happy with how Horowitz experimented with their relationship, and how her family sort of adopted Alex for a while before. She was basically his sister which was really nice for a change! Them getting back together is just so so wrong and unnecessary.
My Alexpectations for this book were high, but I'm just going to enjoy the rest of the series pretending this trainwreck doesn't exist.
My biggest issue though, was Sabina.
Why the hell was she even in this book!? She had no business being here AT ALL, much less being in so much of the book. The worst part is how she and Alex get back together. In the last book? Really? I was very happy with how Horowitz experimented with their relationship, and how her family sort of adopted Alex for a while before. She was basically his sister which was really nice for a change! Them getting back together is just so so wrong and unnecessary.
My Alexpectations for this book were high, but I'm just going to enjoy the rest of the series pretending this trainwreck doesn't exist.
January 2, 2024
I love the world of Alex Rider - it’s always struck me as an efficient and entertaining mix of morally-shadowy spy-craft, relatable teenage angst about being underestimated in an adult’s world, and oddball characters whose quirks make them memorable villains or allies. The series certainly doesn’t take itself too seriously, and Alex’s Bond-parodying sarcastic quips expertly timed for moments of world-ending peril are one of the most enjoyable reminders of that fantastical element. And yet, throughout this story based on a ridiculous premise, Horowitz manages to weave in threads of more serious themes which give real weight to the characters’ motivations: Alex’s constant sense of alienation from his ‘normal’ teenage friends and doomed quest to leave MI6 for good; Jack’s fragile residency status as an ‘alien’ in the UK; the toll that keeping secrets takes on the personal lives (or lack thereof) of Alan Blunt and Mrs Jones; and of course the tragic loss of his family that drives Alex to relentlessly both seek revenge for and protect those he cares about the most. Even though I first picked up Stormbreaker 14 years ago as a kid, and have read many spy novels since then, this series continues to impress me by having a protagonist and set of supporting characters at its core who, on the whole, are warm and likeable, whose relationships with one another adapt and develop in realistic ways and where the stakes continue to feel high for the characters on a personal level, without veering off into melodrama. In contrast, ‘adult’ spy stories tend to inhabit a relentlessly grim, amoral universe where the protagonist is constantly reminded that good intentions inevitably pave the road to hell - this may have some truth to it, but makes the character’s journey less sustainable as, realistically, they should be burned out and having a breakdown by the end of the first adventure (as am I, usually).
Anyway, that’s all a prelude to explain that I had high expectations of this book. There are several things that I expect to get out of an Alex Rider novel - tips on how use household objects to incapacitate my enemies, memorable action set pieces preferably involving helicopters, Alex forming tenuous friendships with people whom he knows he has to betray, and scenes of Mrs Jones struggling to express her long-repressed feelings like a human would. For this novel I had an additional hope: to get closure for the ‘spy story’ started in Nightshade and meet the father of Mrs Jones’s children, or at least dive deeper into her intriguing past. It would also have been nice to see Alex face-off against all the child assassins in Nightshade, the threat that had been so greatly foreshadowed in the preceding book.
The beginning ticked all my boxes - it built upon the strong relationships founded in the previous book with Freddie and Tom; it featured a pulse-racing prison break scene and an execution scene, both bursting with dramatic stakes; and had some new elements such as Alex looking towards higher education options and leaving spy craft for good.
Unfortunately, although I enjoyed the ride, I felt disappointed on finishing it that the rest of the book did not live up to my hopes or even the level of the preceding book. Individual fight or action scenes were well-crafted, and I enjoyed the augmented reality conspiracy idea, but somehow it never felt like Alex was risking very much - either physically or emotionally. This time round he has both MI6 and the CIA supporting him at every step; he’s never really embedded in a group that he has to assimilate into; and the whole plot chooses an odd western-themed cowboy standoff for the climax which seems to come from nowhere. The scale of everything seems smaller than it could have been, with one particularly odd sequence involving a time-consuming break-in to an old man’s house for no real reason. Perhaps the issue is that the concepts of Nightshade and the dangers of AR are two very different ideas and as a result both sets of villains feel underdeveloped (as did the third villain, the CIA director who could have been much more fleshed out). The conceit of villains selecting elaborate gamified methods of killing the protagonists is pushed to extreme ends here - they seem to avoid hurting them at every change they get.
Overall the plot felt, in comparison to earlier books in the series, too illogical and lacking in threat level and tense relationships, which reduced the excitement of the action scenes. By the time the ending rolled around I was still hoping for 3 or 4 more twists to satisfy the disappointment I felt. Perhaps it’s because I was hoping for the introduction of that enigmatic character with ties to Mrs Jones backstory which I’ve already mentioned, but instead we had Freddie as Alex’s main foil, who we’d already met last time - but not enough of him!
It does leave the characters in an interesting place if there is to be a follow up, but I am no longer sure how ambitious Horowitz is trying to be. Is the aim of the series still to push Alex to more challenging mental and physical limits and show him keeping both his life and his humanity? Based on this entry, which ends with at least one character looking forward to an early retirement, it seems possible that the spy kid’s creator is quite happy to let Alex rumble along within his comfort zone until the books become less profitable and the teenage spy is eventually let out to pasture. However I have fervent hopes that that’s not the case!
Anyway, that’s all a prelude to explain that I had high expectations of this book. There are several things that I expect to get out of an Alex Rider novel - tips on how use household objects to incapacitate my enemies, memorable action set pieces preferably involving helicopters, Alex forming tenuous friendships with people whom he knows he has to betray, and scenes of Mrs Jones struggling to express her long-repressed feelings like a human would. For this novel I had an additional hope: to get closure for the ‘spy story’ started in Nightshade and meet the father of Mrs Jones’s children, or at least dive deeper into her intriguing past. It would also have been nice to see Alex face-off against all the child assassins in Nightshade, the threat that had been so greatly foreshadowed in the preceding book.
The beginning ticked all my boxes - it built upon the strong relationships founded in the previous book with Freddie and Tom; it featured a pulse-racing prison break scene and an execution scene, both bursting with dramatic stakes; and had some new elements such as Alex looking towards higher education options and leaving spy craft for good.
Unfortunately, although I enjoyed the ride, I felt disappointed on finishing it that the rest of the book did not live up to my hopes or even the level of the preceding book. Individual fight or action scenes were well-crafted, and I enjoyed the augmented reality conspiracy idea, but somehow it never felt like Alex was risking very much - either physically or emotionally. This time round he has both MI6 and the CIA supporting him at every step; he’s never really embedded in a group that he has to assimilate into; and the whole plot chooses an odd western-themed cowboy standoff for the climax which seems to come from nowhere. The scale of everything seems smaller than it could have been, with one particularly odd sequence involving a time-consuming break-in to an old man’s house for no real reason. Perhaps the issue is that the concepts of Nightshade and the dangers of AR are two very different ideas and as a result both sets of villains feel underdeveloped (as did the third villain, the CIA director who could have been much more fleshed out). The conceit of villains selecting elaborate gamified methods of killing the protagonists is pushed to extreme ends here - they seem to avoid hurting them at every change they get.
Overall the plot felt, in comparison to earlier books in the series, too illogical and lacking in threat level and tense relationships, which reduced the excitement of the action scenes. By the time the ending rolled around I was still hoping for 3 or 4 more twists to satisfy the disappointment I felt. Perhaps it’s because I was hoping for the introduction of that enigmatic character with ties to Mrs Jones backstory which I’ve already mentioned, but instead we had Freddie as Alex’s main foil, who we’d already met last time - but not enough of him!
It does leave the characters in an interesting place if there is to be a follow up, but I am no longer sure how ambitious Horowitz is trying to be. Is the aim of the series still to push Alex to more challenging mental and physical limits and show him keeping both his life and his humanity? Based on this entry, which ends with at least one character looking forward to an early retirement, it seems possible that the spy kid’s creator is quite happy to let Alex rumble along within his comfort zone until the books become less profitable and the teenage spy is eventually let out to pasture. However I have fervent hopes that that’s not the case!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2024
This was easily one of the worst books in the series. There's hardly any interesting or exciting action scenes, a very predictable and clunky plot, and it's very poorly paced. I've always read Alex Rider because it was one of my favorite series when I was younger and it got me into reading, but man, it really feels like Anthony really phoned this one in.
October 27, 2023
EXCITED
February 15, 2024
The last book in the Alex Rider series.
Alex is a young boy in his mid-teens, who is an under cover spy for MI6. A lot of fun, action, and adventure. A great piece of escapism literature.
Alex is a young boy in his mid-teens, who is an under cover spy for MI6. A lot of fun, action, and adventure. A great piece of escapism literature.
July 27, 2024
I've been a fan of this series since book 1 first released. I have read every entry and have enjoyed them all in some form or another. That said I do feel like I am either getting too old for this series (I'm 33 now) but I remember when Alex Rider was older than me and seemed so cool but now I just see him as a little kid.
The Alex Rider formula is starting to wear very thin, I would say it's time to put the character to rest or do a drastic change with the next entry. A time jump where Alex is older and perhaps in college could be very refreshing. To think that this kid went through every single adventure in a span of only 2 years is rather unbelievable to say the least.
As for the plot of this nove,l I would say it was just ok,very few moments stood out as memorable save for a death towards the end that I won't go into further. I feel like Nightshade was just a B grade version of Scorpia. Nightshade was not nearly as interesting, memorable or intimidating as Scorpia ever was.
The Alex Rider formula is starting to wear very thin, I would say it's time to put the character to rest or do a drastic change with the next entry. A time jump where Alex is older and perhaps in college could be very refreshing. To think that this kid went through every single adventure in a span of only 2 years is rather unbelievable to say the least.
As for the plot of this nove,l I would say it was just ok,very few moments stood out as memorable save for a death towards the end that I won't go into further. I feel like Nightshade was just a B grade version of Scorpia. Nightshade was not nearly as interesting, memorable or intimidating as Scorpia ever was.
March 1, 2024
I'm not in the intended age demogrpahic for this series. Even so, this is one of the weaker, if not weakest Alex Rider series. Nightshade is ridiculous as a Scorpia replacement. They don't have any strong mystique or seem to pose a threat, beyond what is literally told to us. The villain was forgettable. He revealed his sinister plot at the last second, only for it to be defeated, not through Alex's wit & skill, but rather through the CIA bombing him. I didn't have much attachment to Freddie Gray. Tom's fakeout death was a bit obvious and ridiculous. After bringing back Jack, I don't think anyone close to Alex will die again. Hopefully, Alex can just live a normal life :/
August 13, 2024
A solid and fast-paced tale.
The character arcs are good and the plot is more intricate than I expected. Like the other books, there's a lot of twists, globetrotting, action, and James Bond-style villains. The villain in this book is definitely one of the most bizarre I’ve ever encountered in this series, but he’s still pretty fun. Alex is, as usual, trying his very best to stay out of the spy business, but his compassion and sense of right and wrong always compel him to get back in the game.
Some readers may find the book a bit predictable. Also, the Nightshade villains don’t play as big a role as you might expect from the title. They also seem oddly blasé about letting Freddy rejoin the organization, since they clearly know he’s compromised.
Still, another great entry.
The character arcs are good and the plot is more intricate than I expected. Like the other books, there's a lot of twists, globetrotting, action, and James Bond-style villains. The villain in this book is definitely one of the most bizarre I’ve ever encountered in this series, but he’s still pretty fun. Alex is, as usual, trying his very best to stay out of the spy business, but his compassion and sense of right and wrong always compel him to get back in the game.
Some readers may find the book a bit predictable. Also, the Nightshade villains don’t play as big a role as you might expect from the title. They also seem oddly blasé about letting Freddy rejoin the organization, since they clearly know he’s compromised.
Still, another great entry.
July 23, 2023
I seldom give a harsh review but two pages in and I cannot stand this book. I know how we have to be woke and have a minority as a lead and I am Chinese by race but the way that the first two pages keep on hammering about the race of the lead just revolts me. I am sorry, I know "revolts" is a strong word. But honestly do you ever see a character's full name being constantly repeated in the first few pages and then later on only referred to with his family name so that everyone will know he is Chinese? What about the other characters in the book? A few pages in, they are referred to by their first name. But Steven Chan is never Steven. He is Chan or Steven Chan. So his race is the marketing point?
January 27, 2024
THIS BOOK WAS SO THRILLING!!!!!! I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN, NOT EVEN ONCE!!!!!!!!!!
Alex Rider is preparing for his GCSEs and living a normal life.
Or so he thought...
While Alex Rider and his best friend Tom are at the skateboarding park, Tom gets kidnapped.
Alex tries to chase the car that Tom got stolen in, but he fails.
A few days later, Nightshade show up at Alex's house and they trick him into helping Freddy Grey escape from prison. Without realising it, Alex Rider gets forever into another adventure.
I highly recommend that you read this book.
Alex Rider is preparing for his GCSEs and living a normal life.
Or so he thought...
While Alex Rider and his best friend Tom are at the skateboarding park, Tom gets kidnapped.
Alex tries to chase the car that Tom got stolen in, but he fails.
A few days later, Nightshade show up at Alex's house and they trick him into helping Freddy Grey escape from prison. Without realising it, Alex Rider gets forever into another adventure.
I highly recommend that you read this book.
April 24, 2024
What a grand finale for the last book of this series. One of the best series I have ever read with action wrapping and creeping up on us in every single corner and aspect of the book!! Nothing can describe my love for this series except rereading it over and over again, gives me so much insight on all types of geography. I must say I admire how Anthony Horowitz was able to describe the terrain and machines Alex interacts with in books and places he goes to save the world (yet again!). I hope to read more about Alex Rider if there is any more that is coming out in the future!
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