Book Review: 'Snakehead' by Anthony Horowitz. - Thanks Jack!

A book I have read and enjoyed recently is 'Snakehead' by Anthony Horowitz. the book is the seventh in the Alex Rider series, and follows Alex as he is recruited by the Australian Secret Service to track down the leader of the criminal underworld of South-East Asia: the Snakehead. The book also sees him trying to find out the truth about his parents' death by finding his father's best friend, Ash. I enjoyed this book because it has an excellent plot, interesting characters, and also because I like the author, Anthony Horowitz.

The book deals with a few different themes, including family, crime and terrorism. In particular, the theme of family is explored really well because all through the series Alex has been looking for the truth about his family and in this book he finally gets it from his father's best friend. Crime and terrorism are also dealt with well because the schemes of the Snakehead are very well thought out and elaborate, and are made more realistic and believable because, in theory, they could actually be carried out and happen, which makes the book much better, in my opinion, because when you're reading it you don't have to imagine a far-fetched scheme that could never happen.

The book has many interesting characters, especially the main character, Alex. Despite the normal image of a spy, tough, smart and fearless, Alex is shy, vulnerable and hates the fact that he's a spy and just wants to go home and have a normal life. Also, because he is a fourteen-year-old boy, I found it quite easy to realte to Alex because he's not that much older than me. Alex is different from the stereotypical image associated with spies because he's only fourteen, which, in my opinion, makes him a more interesting character.

The book begins with Alex being sent to Australia to work with the Australian secret Service to help catch criminals in South-East Asia. Alex is partnered with ash, an old friend of his father's, a secret agent with the key to unlock the mystery of Alex's past. Alex travels with Ash to Bangkok, where they are discovered as spies and captured. Alex learns of the head of the Snakehead's plot to create a tsunami using an underwater bomb, which would wipe out the entire north of Australiaand the surrounding islands. Alex escapes the Snakehead leader's grasp and informs MI6 of his plot. The SAS are called in and the terrorist plot is foiled in a cliched way, just in the nick of time. The book ends with Alex ending his relationship with MI6 and settling for the first time into the life of a normal teenager.

In conclusion, the book 'Snakehead' is a thoroughly enjoyable read and is a good book in almost every way. I would fully recommend this book to anyone, as I had a good time reading it and I'm sure lots of other people would too.

Alex Rider online