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A review by romanaromana
Nightshade by Anthony Horowitz
4.0
4 stars.
I don't think I'll ever not enjoy an Alex Rider book. If I ever do then there is something wrong (with me).
Once again, Alex Rider is back at school and hoping that his days as a teenage spy working for MI6 are over. However, Mrs. Jones - the director of MI6's special operations - has other ideas. When one of their agents warns of a new terrorist threat just moments before he is assassinated, she becomes convinced that Alex is their only hope. Nightshade are a new organisation unlike anything the secret service has seen before. All they have as a clue is an expertly trained, robotic boy who refers to himself as 'Number Nine'. Alex is desperate not to get involved, but when Mrs. Jones reveals personal reasons why Nightshade must be taken seriously, Alex finds the job impossible to refuse. It is not long before he is forcing himself deep into Nightshade's operations, and with the threat against London growing every day, he has to hurry if he's to protect both himself and the entire country.
When I tell you that I screamed when I found out this book had been written I'm not exaggerating. I had remained secretly optimistic after the last Alex Rider mission ended with a subtle hint towards a follow-up, but I didn't expect Anthony to actually HIT US WITH THIS MID-QUARANTINE?!?!? Chaotic energy, but much much much appreciated.
We're on the twelfth book now, and it is pretty clear that I still love this series and Horowitz can do little wrong in my eyes. Consequently, I'm questioning the usefulness of writing this review, since most of my positive comments are repeats of things I have said in my reviews of the last four books, which I read in 2017. Alex Rider remains one of the coolest characters in fiction and these books some of the most exciting and engaging out there. I was thrilled with where this particular mission took Alex - into prison, up in the sky, into a terrorist camp on a Greek island etc etc - and love that Horowitz continues to be creative and unique in the nature of Alex's new missions.
I have a couple of reasons why this only got 4 stars. One of the reasons is likely to be that I've become harsher with my star ratings in general since I last read one of these books, but aside from that, I felt that the climax of Nightshade was a little rushed. We spend a long time learning about the organisation and investigating their plans, so I just wished we could have seen more of the gritty action where Alex has to do the actual world-saving. What's more, I feel like the 'big reveal' that comes in the last few chapters was too predictable and I was a little disappointed. I feel as though Horowitz missed an opportunity to actually surprise his readers further or, better still, to in fact hold back on the revelation to give any later missions even more urgency and complication. Hint hint, Anthony, please write another one.
However I would like to make a polite request for any of Alex's further adventures to be consensual. It makes me sad every time Alex is so openly reluctant to involve himself with MI6's missions. I'm not saying he has to be trigger-happy and buzzing to miss school but it would be nice to know he actually cares about the work he's doing and wants to be able to make use of his skills. Just a thought.
Anyway, I've just learnt that the Alex Rider TV series that has been spoken about for a while is actually in the works and (hopefully) on the way!!! The best news!! Excited would be an understatement.
I don't think I'll ever not enjoy an Alex Rider book. If I ever do then there is something wrong (with me).
Once again, Alex Rider is back at school and hoping that his days as a teenage spy working for MI6 are over. However, Mrs. Jones - the director of MI6's special operations - has other ideas. When one of their agents warns of a new terrorist threat just moments before he is assassinated, she becomes convinced that Alex is their only hope. Nightshade are a new organisation unlike anything the secret service has seen before. All they have as a clue is an expertly trained, robotic boy who refers to himself as 'Number Nine'. Alex is desperate not to get involved, but when Mrs. Jones reveals personal reasons why Nightshade must be taken seriously, Alex finds the job impossible to refuse. It is not long before he is forcing himself deep into Nightshade's operations, and with the threat against London growing every day, he has to hurry if he's to protect both himself and the entire country.
When I tell you that I screamed when I found out this book had been written I'm not exaggerating. I had remained secretly optimistic after the last Alex Rider mission ended with a subtle hint towards a follow-up, but I didn't expect Anthony to actually HIT US WITH THIS MID-QUARANTINE?!?!? Chaotic energy, but much much much appreciated.
We're on the twelfth book now, and it is pretty clear that I still love this series and Horowitz can do little wrong in my eyes. Consequently, I'm questioning the usefulness of writing this review, since most of my positive comments are repeats of things I have said in my reviews of the last four books, which I read in 2017. Alex Rider remains one of the coolest characters in fiction and these books some of the most exciting and engaging out there. I was thrilled with where this particular mission took Alex - into prison, up in the sky, into a terrorist camp on a Greek island etc etc - and love that Horowitz continues to be creative and unique in the nature of Alex's new missions.
I have a couple of reasons why this only got 4 stars. One of the reasons is likely to be that I've become harsher with my star ratings in general since I last read one of these books, but aside from that, I felt that the climax of Nightshade was a little rushed. We spend a long time learning about the organisation and investigating their plans, so I just wished we could have seen more of the gritty action where Alex has to do the actual world-saving. What's more, I feel like the 'big reveal' that comes in the last few chapters was too predictable and I was a little disappointed. I feel as though Horowitz missed an opportunity to actually surprise his readers further or, better still, to in fact hold back on the revelation to give any later missions even more urgency and complication. Hint hint, Anthony, please write another one.
However I would like to make a polite request for any of Alex's further adventures to be consensual. It makes me sad every time Alex is so openly reluctant to involve himself with MI6's missions. I'm not saying he has to be trigger-happy and buzzing to miss school but it would be nice to know he actually cares about the work he's doing and wants to be able to make use of his skills. Just a thought.
Anyway, I've just learnt that the Alex Rider TV series that has been spoken about for a while is actually in the works and (hopefully) on the way!!! The best news!! Excited would be an understatement.