posted on 02 Oct 2023

Alex Rider: Nightshade Revenge by Anthony Horowitz

Fans, young and old, of the schoolboy MI6 agent, Alex Rider will be thrilled to have him back for what is now the fourteenth book in the series. This is, as it happens, quite a landmark because it now matches the number of adventures Ian Fleming wrote for his adult role-model, James Bond.

This adventure finds Alex back in school and having to face the dreadful reality of exams. He’s still recovering from his traumatic encounter with the sinister and deadly secret terrorist organisation, Nightshade. However, the fact that he’d thwarted their evil plans didn’t mean that they’d gone away to lick their wounds – quite the opposite. They’re coming to get their revenge, sooner rather than later.

It all kicks off when Alex and his best friend, Tom are spending a bit of downtime engaging in their favourite pastime – skateboarding at Southbank Undercroft underneath the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Alex wanders off to buy himself a drink but when he returns, he discovers that Tom has disappeared and it doesn’t take long to establish that he’s been kidnapped.

And, of course, this is the start of Nightshade’s revenge plan. Threatening to kill his best friend, they force Alex to engineer the escape from prison of Nightshade’s own deadly teenage agent – Number Nine (or Freddy Grey as Alex now knows him). Alex has been visiting Freddy in prison since he was captured and believes the boy is coming to trust him – but now this theory is going to be tested to the max.

I really don’t want to reveal much more about the plot because this is high energy stuff that depends on the twists and turns of Alex’s struggle, not just to save his best friend but to save his own skin and to finally liberate all the other Numbers nightshade have brainwashed into terrorism. Suffice it to say there are some (almost literally) heart-stopping moments.

Fans of Alex Rider will know that Anthony Horowitz can be relied on to deliver the thrills and a fair share of chases, explosions and death-defying moments. As before in this series, there are some fantastic action episodes. You’ll be dragged in right from the outset and even in the opening pages you’ll be treated to a fabulous chase across London as Alex tries to keep track of a car by following it just on his skateboard.

I will give you one spoiler though – Alex does ok in his exams.

If you’re already a fan of Alex Rider, this will already be on your list of must-haves but if you’re coming to them for the first time, this is a book you can pick up and read without having read all the others. But if you do, I bet you’ll go on to explore the back catalogue too.

Available now from Walker Books, you will be able to get a copy from your local independent bookshop.

 

Terry Potter

October 2023