Customer Reviews

Snakehead (Alex Rider Adventures)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This was the first Alex Rider book that I've read. I wanted to gauge its suitability as a Christmas present for my nephew and also to get a feel for when my son might be old enough to start reading the series.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book which is a very readable thriller. The beginning is a little slow, but it builds and the action in the final quarter is particularly exciting. I won't reiterate the plot, but it is as plausible as any Bond movie (ie: just enough for you to suspend disbelief) and touches on recent news events like people smuggling and tsunamis.

I would think the bullseye age group for this book is 10-14 years. The vocabulary is probably too stretching for a younger reader (words like acrid, infiltration, gantry, proposition and ricocheted). The 400 page length and reasonably complicated plot would also be unlikely to sustain the interest of most younger readers. And while a child older than 14 would probably still enjoy this book, I think they could cope with something more complex, such as Matthew Reilly or Allan Folsom.

Here are some things that parents may like to know about this book:
- There is a lot of violence - mostly shooting but also stabbing and fighting. Some of that violence is unprovoked or involves innocent civilians. While the violence is not described in overly graphic detail, it does frequently occur. Alex fires a gun once, although he doesn't hit anybody.
- There are also some disturbing scenes, eg: one in which Alex is covered in rats (it scared me anyway!) and another when he is going to be farmed for body organs.
- There is no swearing or blasphemy - Alex does swear once but the description is "he spat out every foul word he knew" which is pretty vague!
- Alex is offered beer on at least two occasions (which he always declines).
- No sex. One passing reference to topless women in a Thai bar.

Overall I thought this action packed story was an excellent choice for a mature 10-14 year old (male or female) - I know that I would have loved it at that age!

How far would you go to obtain knowledge of the parents you never knew?

Alex Rider has decided he'll go on his most dangerous mission for a chance at information. Once the Australian Secret Intelligence Service tells him his godfather will lead the mission, Alex doesn't hesitate. Unfortunately, there could be a mole on the inside.

Alex and Ash travel undercover as illegal immigrants trying to find a better life in Australia. What Alex doesn't realize is that the leader of the Snakehead organization also works on the executive board of Scorpia. Major Yu knows exactly where Alex is and what he's doing. He's got several plans in motion to make Alex's life miserable...and then nonexistent.

Anthony Horowitz delivers another action-packed adventure in the ALEX RIDER series that will leave readers breathless and anticipating the next installment of Alex's strange but exciting life.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

This is an amazing book. This is perfect for any child or adult who likes suspense and a good bit of action. There were some times i had no idea how he would get out of it. I'm happy to say this book was not repative in the least, and that is a great relief for me. This also surprised me becasue it bing his seventh book is still fresh with ideas. I blazed though this book it was so hard to put down. I loved and im fourteen and my parents loved it. Great book in a fantastic series.

snakehead keeps you on your toes the moment he lands off the cost of australia, to when he consults he alan blunt. this book is for people who even haven't read the alex rider series. if you like adventure, this is the number 1 book for you. after you finish you will be begging for more!

Alex Rider literally falls from the sky when he is asked to participate in yet another mission. This time he's working for ASIS - the Australian Secret Intelligence Service. His job is to infiltrate a snakehead, a dangerous gang, in Indonesia and find out how they smuggle refugees. At first Alex refuses, he wants to go back to being a normal kid, but then the ASIS bribes him. They tell him that the agent accompanying him is his godfather Ash. This lures Alex into joining the mission because he thinks Ash will give him information about his parents. Alex reluctantly agrees to the mission and is soon transformed into an Afghan named Abdul. Things start going downhill from there. Major Yu, the leader of the Snakehead and a member of the dreaded Scorpia, knows that Alex is a spy. He doesn't kill Alex right away because he knows that he could be useful to him, so instead he puts Alex through many trials. On his last day before he is supposed to be transferred down the pipeline as an Afghan refugee he meets an undercover M16 agent and is brought to M16 headquarters where he is greeted by the familiar face of Mrs. Jones. He is informed that Scorpia has stolen Britain's newest bomb-The Royal Blue. M16 knows that Major Yu had something to do with it and they want Alex's help to recover it. Now it seems that Alex is working for two special intelligence agencies. The plot thickens as the story moves on and Alex finds out dark secrets about his parents and about Ash that will change his life forever.

Wow! This was the best Alex Rider book yet. It was jam packed with action, suspense and adventure. A really interesting fact about the book is Anthony Horowitz took a lot of time and researched so many topics that are talked about in the book. For example, he talked with a man from NASA about how one would reenter the atmosphere. This helped him accurately describe the whole first chapter of the book and made me like the book even more. Snakehead will keep you turning the pages one after another, desperate to hear what Alex is up to next. As always the book ends hanging you in mid air wondering if the end of being a spy for Alex has really come or if he has one more mission left in him. Anyone looking for a great adventure book, pickup Snakehead (or the first book in the Alex Rider series, Stormbreaker) and cuddle down into a chair and read it! Trust me you won't be able to put it down.

Snakehead goes deeper in this book than any other previous book in it's series. Previously, Alex has had to battle the usual cast list of crazed billionaires. However, the trade in human body parts that lies at the heart of the story is real, and extends to children. One of my favorite lines that was so powerful was "You're going to have a lot of surgery, Alex. There are some bad days ahead. But you'll come through... I know you will. We'll help you to the finishing line," Aussie doctor Tanner told him. As a piece of dramatic writing on this subject, I found it far more impressive than any of the other books in the series.

If you've read the previous books in the Alex Rider series you will know that Alex rider is a boy that has to do things which no boy at the age of fourteen would every think of doing and with a climactic ending to the Ark Angel (the previous book in the series) Alex Rider is back with all of his gadgets and gizmos, moves and of course enemies in Snakehead, the seventh installment in this exhilarating series of books.

Snakehead picks up exactly where Ark Angel left off with Alex falling from space and landing in the coast of Australia. From there he is recruited to by the Austrailian SAS to infiltrate the Snakehead organization (the equivelant to Scorpia in Asia but on a MUCH larger scale). From there is teamed up with is godfather, Ash. he learns about his past, Ash's past whilist being transported from Australia to Asia with tons of action along the way. At the end of the book he discovers shocking peices of information.

It is told very well by Anthony Horowaitz whom made the book as accurate as possible while still maintaining the Alex Rider formula which fans have grown to love and enjoy.

Overall, Snakehead is a brilliant book...but I do recommend readiing the other books if you havent already just to brush up on your facts.

Scorpia is a great addition to the Alex Rider series. It will answer many questions that the previous books bring up.

When I picked up a copy of this book I had to let my son read it first. It's tough to find books that aren't fantasy that my son wants to read - he tore through this one, and soon after it was my turn. Both my son and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We felt it was one of the best Alex Rider books. The only regret is we will have to wait awhile for the next one. I highly recommend this book to all.
And for a light philosophical read I recommend Understanding: Train of Thought.

This book is very grabing also if this is yoir first alex rider book i recomend u start with #1 because once you start the series you cant stop