Well, it was when Walker Books asked me to polish some pre-published short stories that I realized I’d rather missed my reluctant teenaged spy.

This is the latest book in the Alex Rider series and is my second favourite, with Scorpia being my first choice. Without telling you the ending, you will be surprised about how it ends and you will certainly want to read more books by this author! Anthony Horowitz announced in March 2016 that he will be publishing a collection of Alex Rider short stories.It wasn’t going to be enough for a whole book, so I’m writing the other half as a sort of novella to give it the paper-length it needs – and I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I am, but it’s actually going very well. By submitting a review you grant us the right to display and use it in any way; please read our General Legal Notices for full details.

Ever since MI6 recognised his potential, Alex Rider has constantly been thrust into the line of danger. If you are under 16, please obtain your parent/guardian’s permission before submitting or ask your parent/guardian to submit on your behalf. This book was good because I enjoyed finding out more about the character of Alex Rider and his determination to solve problems in a fearless way. There are half a dozen stories I’ve written over the years for newspapers and magazines, and they wanted to bring them together.The story contains all Horowitz’s trademark ingenuity when it comes to planning and plotting and, as usual, showcases Alex’s own abilities to the full, as does the final story in the collection, Spy Trap, in which Alex ends up in a secretive hospital, treated by people who claim to be looking after him following a car accident, but he quickly has his doubts about their motives. For Alex Rider fans or readers who enjoy short action adventure stories this book contains a collection of seven explosives stories about teen action hero Alex Rider.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform, so if you choose to subscribe your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. The book contains three new adventures as well as the previously published stories, and in writing those, Horowitz realised that there were still more tales he could tell, and so the series continued, and in a very satisfactory manner, too, proving that follow ups aren’t always a mistake. It demonstrates a cynical willingness to exploit a young boy, and shows that, in essence, Alex’s whole relationship with Ian Rider was based on a series of lies, a hard lesson for him to learn and an even harder one to look back on, although there is an alternative explanation that maybe Ian was simply giving his nephew the skills needed to survive if Ian ever accidentally brings his work home. It was an exciting book and I was really keen to find out what was going to happen next and wanted to keep reading on. And Alex’s concerns about some dubious chocolate bars lead to one of the few times he actually contacts Mrs Jones and Alan Blunt of MI6 of his own accord.The young spy is less traumatised, and there is a lighter tone to some of the stories, such as the delightfully entertaining Tea with Smithers, which provides some insights into the behind the scenes life of MI6’s gadget inventor, Q to Alex’s Bond. For fans of the series, Secret Weapon is an excellent and varied collection, showcasing Alex’s talents and problem-solving abilities, interspersed with some rare domestic moments, including his huge fear of dentists! This collection of thrilling adventures features familiar and new assailants from the best-loved world of Alex Rider and also includes three never-before-seen stories. Alternatively, we suggest that you visit your local library and request to borrow a copy from a friendly librarian, if you cannot find the book on its shelves. I thought the book had a really good plot line, with the stories being set in lots of different places.