by Anthony Horowitz
BookTrib is partnering with Bookish to bring you more great content, including this article on Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series. Read about the latest installment of the series and where you can catch Horowitz on his U.S. book tour.
When Anthony Horowitz published Stormbreaker in 2000, teen spy Alex Rider became a global phenomenon. Over the following decade, the New York Timesbestselling series expanded with nine more Alex Rider books and a Stormbreaker movie.
Horowitz ended the series to focus on his other writing projects, including estate-sanctioned novels for Sherlock Holmes and James Bond, the critically acclaimed whodunit Magpie Murders, and the TV series Foyle’s War. But years later, when he wrote a short story revisiting the teenaged secret agent, he realized that he wasn’t quite finished with Alex after all.
“I was polishing some short stories that were going to be published as a collection and as I was polishing them, I started rewriting them, and I rediscovered the character,” Horowitz said. “Kids were asking me, ‘What happened next?’” Now, six years after the climactic end of Scorpia Rising, readers will find out. On October 10 a brand new Alex Rider novel, Never Say Die, is hitting shelves, and Anthony Horowitz will be touring the country—from the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C., to San Francisco, where the book begins. Check out the novel’s synopsis and then see if Horowitz is coming to a city near you!
Never Say Die
Never Say Die begins with a thrillingly audacious, broad-daylight heist: in the middle of the Suffolk Air Show, a hugely powerful helicopter nicknamed the Super Stallion lifts off, zips out of sight, and disappears into thin air. Where did it go? Who would steal such a massive machine, and why?
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Alex Rider is trying to be a normal teenager. After his last mission—which cost the life of Jack Starbright, the woman who had practically raised him—Alex is out of the spy game for good. He’s going to high school in San Francisco, keeping his head down, avoiding the bullies he could easily overtake, and adjusting to his calm (if somewhat dull) new schedule.
But then, a cryptic email appears. Could it be from Jack?
Fueled by this shred of hope, Alex embarks on a dubious quest to track her down. The search takes him from Egypt, to the South of France, to the Welsh countryside, and straight into the middle of a dangerous terrorist plot. Suddenly, the question of whether Jack is alive takes a backseat to a chilling new threat—one that will determine the lives of an entire school bus full of children.
Armed with his wits and a bit of help from the MI-6, Alex must survive a minefield of dangers to discover the truth, rescue the kids, and maybe, even find Jack.
Anthony Horowitz’s U.S. Tour Dates
Tuesday, October 10
Wesleyan R.J. Julia Bookstore
413 Main Street
Middletown, CT
5:00 PM
Wednesday, October 11
Books & Greetings
271 Livingston Street
Northvale, NJ
4:00 PM
Thursday, October 12
Towne Book Center & Cafe
220 Plaza Drive #B-3
Collegeville, PA
7:00 PM
Friday, October 13
The International Spy Museum
Spooky Spy Family Night
800 F Street NW
Washington D.C.
6:00 PM
Sunday, October 15
Quail Ridge Books
4209-100 Lassiter Mill Road
Raleigh, NC
2:00 PM
Monday, October 16
Barnes & Noble
2601 Preston Road #1204
Frisco, TX
7:00 PM
Wednesday, October 18
Kepler’s Books
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA
7:00 PM
Thursday, October 19
Rakestraw Books
3 Railroad Ave
Danville, CA
7:00 PM
