Best Alex Rider books

Meet Alex Rider, a loyal MI6 spy, skilled double agent, and expert at taking down terrorist organizations. But unlike other spies, Alex is barely in his teens and has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Series overview

Throwing a young adult into the dangerous world of experienced spies isn’t a new trope. But few books do the theme justice as the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.

Alex Rider is a teenage James Bond. Equipped with impressive physical skills and high-tech gadgets, Alex travels the world on high-stake missions to stop various villains and their evil plans.

The storytelling is fast and action-packed. Alex Rider rarely gets any rest, and the teenage hero foils plot after plot in dangerous missions. But author Anthony Horowitz finds enough room to add humor and balance out the Jason Bourne-like action.

Younger audiences can connect and empathize with Alex Rider, perhaps better than other similar fictional characters. And it’s no surprise that Amazon Prime Video picked up the book series for a TV show adaptation.

Best books from the Alex Rider series

Stormbreaker

The first book in the Alex Rider series offers an excellent origin story for the character. A 14-year-old, Alex Rider, learns that his uncle died. But after closer investigation, Alex finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy involving terrorists and a plot to murder all children in England.

Point Blank

MI6 has serious plans for Alex Rider, a teenager desperately trying to adapt to a dangerous double life. But that doesn’t stop him from infiltrating the Point Blanc Academy to uncover a deadly plot. Armed with his gadgets from Smithers, Alex faces a terrible foe.

Skeleton Key

Alex Rider already saved the world twice by stopping villains of pure evil. But a man who lost everything might be the biggest threat to the free world. Skeleton Key follows Alex on a mission to stop a nuclear threat with the help of his American CIA counterparts.

Eagle Strike

Alex escaped death while saving the world on numerous occasions. But he was never alone in his quests. In Eagle Strike, however, Alex is without government backing. But that doesn’t stop him from exposing the most popular man on Earth, Damian Cray, for what he truly is before it’s too late.

Scorpia

Alex learns some life-shattering revelations about his father. At the same time, the most feared terrorist organization, Scorpia, wants to either recruit or kill him. Armed with little information, Alex tries to save the world again instead of living the life of a normal teenager.

Ark Angel

A group of eco-terrorists almost kill Alex while kidnapping a fellow patient. That event sends Alex on his most daring assignment yet – into space. It’s up to the teenage spy to prevent a luxury hotel from crash-landing on Earth, causing millions of deaths.

Crocodile Tears

Alex has no shortage of villains popping out of the woodwork with nefarious schemes. In Crocodile Tears, the hero must prevent a deadly agricultural disaster while evading mercenaries, explosions, and heaps of gunfire.

Scorpia Rising

Scorpia is back, and Alex goes to the Middle East to stop the criminal organization. But this battle is on a different level than the previous encounter. But with mankind at risk, Alex can’t stand idly by and let Scorpia get its way.

Never Say Die

Alex can’t catch a break. Weeks after Scorpia Rising, Alex mourns the death of Jack Starbright, his best friend. Yet a mysterious phone call makes him search for Jack and land in the crosshairs of Scoripa again.

Snakehead

Alex does a brief stint working for the Australian Secret Service. Thrown into the criminal underworld in Asia, the teenage spy targets the ruthless Snakehead organization.

Russian Roulette

This book offers insight into Yassen Gregorovich, his motivations, and his similarities to Alex Rider. The two are more alike than they think, despite being mortal enemies.

Nightshade

Alex infiltrates a new organization. Nightshade is dangerous, mysterious, and unlike anything Alex faced before.

How the show differs from the books

The Alex Rider TV show creators hope the teenage James Bond can be the next Jack Ryan. Albeit, Alex Rider Season One should feature a lot more action, given the author’s writing style.

A first look at the TV series shows significant changes to the character and storyline from the first books. The show changed the character’s origin story, including how he ends up in MI6 and how uncle Ian Rider dies. One thing that stays the same is that Yassen Gregorovich still pulls the trigger.

Moreover, the series blazes through the events in Stormbreaker and has Alex arriving at Point Blanc Academy much sooner.

In addition, Alex isn’t a 14-year-old in the TV show. He’s 16, and the relationships with other characters are different. His best friend, Tom Harris, makes an appearance much sooner in the TV version than in the author’s fifth novel.

Alex’s crush, Ayisha, is different to Sabina Pleasure, his love interest in the books.

A series of other changes are evident in the gadgets used, character introductions, looks, and even the plot pace. Everything happens slower in Amazon’s TV series. But whether that makes a significant difference with audiences remains to be seen.

Starring Otto Farrant, Vicky McClure, Marli Siu (as Kyra), Stephen Dillane (as Alan Blunt), and Brenock O’Connor, the Freevee Original series’ first season has a 7.5 IMDB rating. Yet the success of the follow-up season on IMDB TV may depend on the number of artistic liberties executive producer Guy Burt keeps taking.

Interesting fact, the first novel also has a video game adaptation for Nintendo DS and Gameboy Advance platforms.

Listen to the best Alex Rider books on Speechify Audiobooks

Whether fighting eccentric billionaires or overthrowing terrorist organizations with secret weapons, Alex Rider sees plenty of action. And you can immerse yourself in the fast-paced storytelling by listening to Alex Rider audiobooks.

Speechify has a large collection of amazing titles, including Alex Rider books. Create your Speechify account, download the app, and get your first title for free.

FAQ

Has the Alex Rider show been canceled?

The second season premiered in December 2021 on IMDB TV. Producers and network execs haven’t mentioned cancelling the show.

Is Alex Rider a children’s book?

Alex Rider books are action-packed and often cover adult themes that might not be suitable for kids.

How many books are in the Alex Rider series?

The Alex Rider series has 14 books and many short stories created by the author as tie-ins and companion chapters.

What is the first book in the Alex Rider series?

Stormbreaker is the first book in the series and introduces readers to the most important characters.