ALEX RIDER #6: ARK ANGEL
by Anthony Horowitz
Philomel
ISBN-10: 0142407380
ISBN-13: 9781416905882
Ages 8-12
324 pages

• Read an Excerpt

Force Three is a terrorist organization whose mission is to protect the earth from the evils of pollution. They protest against climate change, the destruction of rain forests, the use of nuclear power, genetic engineering, and the growth of multinational business. Members of Force Three will kill anyone who gets in their way, and therein lies the irony --- they claim to love the planet yet they have no respect whatsoever for human life.

One of Force Three's main targets is Nikolai Drevin, a multibillionaire who has his own island in the Caribbean where launches of Ark Angel --- the first luxury hotel in outer space --- take place. This innovative breakthrough is being put together piece by piece, and rockets must be sent up every now and then with the next component. Force Three maintains that Drevin's colossal project is a danger to the environment and is determined to destroy Ark Angel at any cost.

Little does teen spy Alex Rider know that he will soon become a major player in this heated conflict. Recovering from a gunshot wound at an exclusive private hospital, Alex is looking forward to resuming a normal childhood and going back to school. However, these plans must be put on hold when members of Force Three attempt to kidnap Nikolai Drevin's son Paul, who is being treated for appendicitis in the room next to Alex's. A quick-thinking (and big-hearted) Alex can't bear to see his new friend harmed in any way, so he assumes Paul's identity and is soon taken prisoner, despite putting up one heck of a fight.

Still, Alex manages to escape and avoid having his finger chopped off by Kaspar, the commanding officer of Force Three. He learns that the men kidnapped who they thought was Paul as a way of forcing Drevin to give them a million dollars, which they would have used in their continuing struggle to protect the planet.

Naturally, Drevin is immensely grateful to Alex for putting his life on the line in order to save Paul's. As a reward, he invites Alex to spend two weeks at his lavish estate where he would be pampered to no end and have the opportunity to see a rocket launch that will carry the observation module for Ark Angel. Despite the generosity of this once-in-a-lifetime offer, which he reluctantly accepts, Alex feels quite uncomfortable in his new surroundings. There's a great deal of tension between Drevin and his son, and Alex senses almost immediately that their relationship is anything but close. Furthermore, Alex is taken aback by Drevin's fierce competitiveness and how big of a sore loser he proves himself to be when a go-kart competition between him and Alex yield surprising results.

Ultimately, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the United States reveals to Alex the truth about Force Three, Nikolai Drevin, and what the wealthy land developer really hopes to accomplish with the construction of Ark Angel. Once again, it's up to our 14-year-old secret agent to save the day.

Anthony Horowitz's sixth Alex Rider adventure may be the most action-packed yet in the series. You'll be rooting for Alex to outwit and outmaneuver the mastermind behind Force Three and the men who are helping to keep this disgraceful organization alive. ARK ANGEL also contains a number of shocking twists that will leave you shaking your head in disbelief and saying to yourself, "How can this be???" It's important to keep one thing in mind as you're racing through the pages of this pulse-pounding book: Appearances can be deceiving.

   --- Reviewed by Tom Donadio

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