Point Blank

I am 38 years old, but I have a young cousin who has read all the Alex Rider books, and I decided to read them myself so that the two of us would have something to talk about the next time he visits. Having read all of the original James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, I am amused by how Anthony Horowitz continues paying homage to Fleming. This time around, Horowitz clearly models Point Blank on Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Both books are set in an isolated mountaintop hideaway from which the villains carry out their evil and elaborate plots, and both books contain narrow escapes, exciting downhill chase sequences, and over-the-top action. Both books are also a lot of fun. I can see why my cousin enjoys them. While I liked the first Alex Rider book (Stormbreaker), I think I enjoyed Point Blank more. The story seemed to move along faster, especially the last half. The violence, though tame by adult fiction standards, continues to surprise me but not in a negative sense. This is an action/adventure series, after all. I don't want to give anything away, so I will simply say that I liked the ending, which sets up some interesting villainous possibilities for future books in the series. Could Dr. Hugo Grief become Alex Rider's own version of Fleming's Blofeld? Certainly Eva Stellenbosch, Dr. Grief's right-hand gal, bears some similarities to Blofeld's long-time companion and co-conspirator, Irma Bunt (both women are noted as being especially ugly and completely devoted to their men). I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Filled with so much action and adventure, I would definitely reccomend for ages 10 and older though because it has a bit of violence

Horowitz has a lot of fun investing situations where a 14 year old uses neat gadgets and his youthful resourcefulness to bring down bad guys.

My daughter loves to read. She really likes Alex Rider books after reading a few from our local library. I bought her the Alex Rider DVD for Christmas which was a suprise to her as she didn't even know there was a DVD for Alex Rider until the week before Christmas. She found the first, 6th, and 7th books at an Ollie's outlet Store and we have been using the rest of the set as fill-ins to get Super Saver Shippings for other products we order from Amazon. Soon, she will have the full set, then we will move on to the next set of books she wants to use as fill-ins. I have read these books as well and they are very captivating and hold your attention and you cannot wait until you see what is happening next! Great mystery for even the younger (ages 8 and up) readers who like mysteries that are not extremely scary, but that keep you captivated and wanting more.

Great Teen Book! My son had to read the first Alex Rider book in 7th grade and loved it. My son is not much of a reader so when he asked me to get him a book I was thrilled. This is the 2nd book in the series and it is great for teens - kind of a toned down James Bond. Now my son can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Alex Rider Point Blank is AMAZING,leaving you at nail-biting cliffhangers and action. You get the feel of expectation when he gets his clever (but powerful) gadgets from the one and only Mr. Smithers. Point Blank had me worried about Alex but he always manages to get away with the slightest possibilities. Alex Rider Point Blank is very well written, thanks Anthony Horowitz! I guarantee you'll love Alex Rider Point Blank if you are a fan of action! I totally recommend this book.

I bought this book for my daughter for Christmas. It was one of many in this series on her wish list. She tells me that both boys and girls in her Junior high love these books. They are action packed and she can't seem to put it down once she starts it. We went to a book store before Christmas and she wanted to buy a couple of books to read before Christmas - she chose this one and I had to tell her to please choose a different one. I would recommend this series to anyone with a 12-14 year old.

This is a great book for Teens, but I am too old for all this excitement! Now OO7 with Sean Connery is more my speed.