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Alex Rider #5
Scorpia (Alex Rider)
Scholastic Inc. Trade Paperback, 2006, with 312 pages. - Alex Rider, teen spy, has always been told he is the spitting image of the father he never knew. But when he learns that his father may have been an assassin for the most lethal and powerful organization in the world, Scorpia, Alex's world shatters. Now Scorpia wants him on their side. Alex learns their newest plot. Can Alex prevent the slaughter of thousands of people?
312 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2004
About the author
Anthony Horowitz
391 books22.3k followersAnthony Horowitz, OBE is ranked alongside Enid Blyton and Mark A. Cooper as "The most original and best spy-kids authors of the century." (New York Times). Anthony has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider books, he is also the writer and creator of award winning detective series Foyle’s War, and more recently event drama Collision, among his other television works he has written episodes for Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. Anthony became patron to East Anglia Children’s Hospices in 2009.
On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...
On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,741 reviews
August 10, 2018
actual rating: 4.5/5 stars
In my opinion this is the best Alex Rider book in the entire series so far and i loved the direction it took.
Plot: this book picks up after the events of book four and Alex is trying to get back to lead a quiet life and get away from MI6 and being a spy for them. However things do not go to plan when Alex is swept up in that world again when he is recruited by a very top assassin group called Scorpia . Alex soon learns that his father was apart of this organisation and he is lead to believe that MI6 was in fact the reason why his father was killed, Alex soon sets out on a mission to kill MI6 lead director Mrs Jones. I love how this book in the series had a different tone to it and i love the direction the author has taken this series i feel like it has started to become darker then the other four novels before it. Don't get me wrong Alex has done a lot more things then any 14 year old would be doing at his age but i feel like this book he was really put through a test.
Alex is really lied to by every single person in this book and he doesn't have any clue who he should trust and i feel like there is no one left. But as things unravel throughout the book we see that MI6 and his father were working together and we see that Scorpia were the ones in fact that killed both Alex's mother and father in the plane crash. Alex did some really big character growth in this book and i can honestly say the events will change him going forward.
met a woman named Julia Rothman. She was very beautiful but a complete bitch
There is still so much to go and you can tell that Alex's story isn't over just yet and by the way things ended i don't think Alex will die i think he will come close but will come out of it alive.
with how strong this book was i hope it continues to stay strong and have the character and story development this book because story wise book five has been the strongest for it.
In my opinion this is the best Alex Rider book in the entire series so far and i loved the direction it took.
Plot: this book picks up after the events of book four and Alex is trying to get back to lead a quiet life and get away from MI6 and being a spy for them. However things do not go to plan when Alex is swept up in that world again when he is recruited by a very top assassin group called Scorpia . Alex soon learns that his father was apart of this organisation and he is lead to believe that MI6 was in fact the reason why his father was killed, Alex soon sets out on a mission to kill MI6 lead director Mrs Jones. I love how this book in the series had a different tone to it and i love the direction the author has taken this series i feel like it has started to become darker then the other four novels before it. Don't get me wrong Alex has done a lot more things then any 14 year old would be doing at his age but i feel like this book he was really put through a test.
Alex is really lied to by every single person in this book and he doesn't have any clue who he should trust and i feel like there is no one left. But as things unravel throughout the book we see that MI6 and his father were working together and we see that Scorpia were the ones in fact that killed both Alex's mother and father in the plane crash. Alex did some really big character growth in this book and i can honestly say the events will change him going forward.
met a woman named Julia Rothman. She was very beautiful but a complete bitch
There is still so much to go and you can tell that Alex's story isn't over just yet and by the way things ended i don't think Alex will die i think he will come close but will come out of it alive.
with how strong this book was i hope it continues to stay strong and have the character and story development this book because story wise book five has been the strongest for it.
April 13, 2023
Prob'ly my favorite so far in this exciting YA action series. Loved it cover to cover! Exciting that there is no drop off though this is the fifth book of the series ... more adventures to come! 😁😁😁😁😁
December 4, 2007
The book I read is called Scorpia by Anthony Horowitz. Horowitz has written other books such as Point Blank, Stormbreaker, Eagle Strike, and Skeleton Key. This is the fourth and final book of The Alex Rider adventures. This book is about a teenager boy that is a spy for MI6. He goes to Italy to find a company that he heard about from a former enemy named Yassen Gregorovich. Just before Yassen died he said Alex would find his destiny in Scorpia. He ends up working for them, but after hearing about there evil plan they have come up with that will kill Thousands of British schoolchildren he double crosses them in the end.
I think one of the weaknesses in this novel was the reason for which Scorpia planned to kill Thousands of kids. It wasn’t a terrible reason but I think the Author could have come up with a better reason. Also, there were many lies told to Alex during the course of the novel. Yes it did give the story a good plot twist but also it was a little confusing and hard to follow at times.
I was interested in the fact that a teenager could be a spy for MI6. And I also liked how the Author made it so that Alex would have also died with the schoolchildren if the plan had gone through. So not only did he have to stop Scorpia from killing Thousands of kids, but also stop them from killing him. Also it is interesting how he can save the world when he is so young and how he stood up to the most lethal terrorist organization almost by himself. Also, the different ways that Alex Rider escapes from captivity. And how the plot always keeps me double guessing whose side he is on.
This novel was very good and I highly recommend it. I also recommend reading all the books in the series. If you like novels that have suspense, a good, interesting plot, and decent action I suggest this book. It has some weaknesses but overall it is a very good novel.
I think one of the weaknesses in this novel was the reason for which Scorpia planned to kill Thousands of kids. It wasn’t a terrible reason but I think the Author could have come up with a better reason. Also, there were many lies told to Alex during the course of the novel. Yes it did give the story a good plot twist but also it was a little confusing and hard to follow at times.
I was interested in the fact that a teenager could be a spy for MI6. And I also liked how the Author made it so that Alex would have also died with the schoolchildren if the plan had gone through. So not only did he have to stop Scorpia from killing Thousands of kids, but also stop them from killing him. Also it is interesting how he can save the world when he is so young and how he stood up to the most lethal terrorist organization almost by himself. Also, the different ways that Alex Rider escapes from captivity. And how the plot always keeps me double guessing whose side he is on.
This novel was very good and I highly recommend it. I also recommend reading all the books in the series. If you like novels that have suspense, a good, interesting plot, and decent action I suggest this book. It has some weaknesses but overall it is a very good novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2018
With a convoluted plot and plenty of action, Anthony Horowitz delivers another winner.
July 2, 2018
Okay, so that was different from the previous Alex Rider books. Very different.
VERY, VERY different.
It was... deeper. A good number of characters were more rounded, felt more real than they ever have. I ACTUALLY GOT THE FEELS. I mean... OH MY GOSH, I ALMOST WANT TO SPOIL SOME THINGS BUT I CAN'T BUT I WON'T.
It was different, guys. The storyline, the motivations, the outcome. It was an Alex Rider book, all right - non-stop action and lots of twists and turns - but it broke out of the mold some of the previous books had been crafted in. It was GROUND-BREAKING. I mean, if Eagle Strike was a game-changer, then Scorpia is an EXTREME game-changer.
Some stuff involved in this book:
- BASE jumping
- a woman named Julia Rothman
- the prime minister
- running all over Venice
- Nile the black and white man
- a... uh... very savage school
- "Invisible Sword"
- a retainer
Quite frankly, I am shook. My heart is feeling things. O_O
VERY, VERY different.
It was... deeper. A good number of characters were more rounded, felt more real than they ever have. I ACTUALLY GOT THE FEELS. I mean... OH MY GOSH, I ALMOST WANT TO SPOIL SOME THINGS BUT I CAN'T BUT I WON'T.
It was different, guys. The storyline, the motivations, the outcome. It was an Alex Rider book, all right - non-stop action and lots of twists and turns - but it broke out of the mold some of the previous books had been crafted in. It was GROUND-BREAKING. I mean, if Eagle Strike was a game-changer, then Scorpia is an EXTREME game-changer.
Some stuff involved in this book:
- BASE jumping
- a woman named Julia Rothman
- the prime minister
- running all over Venice
- Nile the black and white man
- a... uh... very savage school
- "Invisible Sword"
- a retainer
Quite frankly, I am shook. My heart is feeling things. O_O
April 20, 2022
Overall Rating : A
"Go to Venice and find your destiny, Yassen had told him. And that was what had happened. He had made up his mind. There was no going back."
The amount of anguish middle school me had finishing this book was unreal. I'm pretty sure this was the first book that made me sob uncontrollably in my room trying to be quite enough so much parents didn't hear.
God Speed Alex Rider.
"Go to Venice and find your destiny, Yassen had told him. And that was what had happened. He had made up his mind. There was no going back."
The amount of anguish middle school me had finishing this book was unreal. I'm pretty sure this was the first book that made me sob uncontrollably in my room trying to be quite enough so much parents didn't hear.
God Speed Alex Rider.
May 22, 2019
The 5th book in the Alex Rider series introduces us to SCORPIA, an organization that was teased at the very end of the previous novel. SCORPIA is to the Alex Rider world what SMERSH is to James Bond (or THRUSH for Man From U.N.C.L.E. fans or CHAOS for Maxwell Smart fans). It’s an international criminal organization that performs high-level operations for well-paying clients.
Alex starts this book disillusioned with MI-6 and their continuing manipulation of him. The end of the last book provided some eye-opening revelations about his family and now he’s a vulnerable teenage boy who just wants a normal life. Enter SCORPIA. Alex finds himself torn between loyalty to his father’s legacy, revenge, and trying to figure out where he belongs.
Another critical entry in the series as Alex discovers much of his family’s secrets and his own backstory. This series is really jelling into a much larger story arc than individual books would suggest. Readers should definitely start at the beginning of the series. While we still get the adrenaline-charged saving-the-world-adventure that makes these books so fun to read, this one dives a bit deeper into the character of Alex Rider. It was also nice to see the MI-6 leadership perhaps turning a corner with Alex.
The final chapter of this novel provides one of the biggest cliff hangers I’ve ever experienced in my reading life. I’m sorely tempted to peek at the first chapter of the next book immediately, just to reassure myself.
Alex starts this book disillusioned with MI-6 and their continuing manipulation of him. The end of the last book provided some eye-opening revelations about his family and now he’s a vulnerable teenage boy who just wants a normal life. Enter SCORPIA. Alex finds himself torn between loyalty to his father’s legacy, revenge, and trying to figure out where he belongs.
Another critical entry in the series as Alex discovers much of his family’s secrets and his own backstory. This series is really jelling into a much larger story arc than individual books would suggest. Readers should definitely start at the beginning of the series. While we still get the adrenaline-charged saving-the-world-adventure that makes these books so fun to read, this one dives a bit deeper into the character of Alex Rider. It was also nice to see the MI-6 leadership perhaps turning a corner with Alex.
The final chapter of this novel provides one of the biggest cliff hangers I’ve ever experienced in my reading life. I’m sorely tempted to peek at the first chapter of the next book immediately, just to reassure myself.
February 5, 2012
4.5 That ending though! Phew. Not quiiite a 5 stars because there are a few plot contrivances, but it's pretty much expected for the genre. Some of the great escapes/break-ins Alex pulls off are pretty sweet. And we finally learn more about Alex's family and their past.
April 30, 2009
After reading several reviews I notice that at the beginning of the novel “Scorpia” by Anthony Horowitz, the reader does get glued to the book. I found myself continuously telling myself “five more minutes till I go to sleep.” But as the book progressed I was slowly convincing myself that the book was not up to my level and something that I could have been reading in grade 6.
Horowitz starts the book off really well. He immediately introduces the conflict in the novel. The antagonists are all in one room about to start a conference. Horowitz describes the meeting using a simile. “It was clear that the people who congregated in this place came from many different parts of the world, but they had one thing in common; a stillness, a coldness even that made the room as cheerful as a morgue. (2)” I found the use of this simile very affective as it placed a clear image in my mind of what is occurring. This is the only thing that I liked, being able to picture everything extremely well. But there was a time where I disliked the description.
While reading the novel I really thought I was able to predict what was going to occur next on a regular basis. For example when Alex was in Europe looking for SCORPIA, I just knew somehow the most unpredictable thing will happen and somehow Alex will find it. And sure enough it happened. “And that was when Alex saw it, a flash of silver as the sun reflected of something on the edge of his vision. He turned his head. There was nothing. A canal leading the other way. Another canal crossing it. A single motor cruiser sliding underneath a bridge. (29)” It happens too many times in one novel.
Another thing I despised is how Alex’s work seems way too easy and highly unlikely. His ability to continuously find himself in near death experiences and somehow figure a very un-probable way out is to familiar and reoccurring in the novel. I especially disliked the time where Alex was trapped in the room which floods and somehow gets through the crevasses of the floor and escapes. This was the time where I disliked the large amount of description. The reader knew Alex would get out of the situation, it was too early for him to be killed or something, yet it took like 10 pages for him to get out of it. Now I am not a lazy reader but I think the “suspense” of that scene was unnecessarily long.
Overall the book can be addicting but I really think that it is aimed at children rather than teens.
Horowitz starts the book off really well. He immediately introduces the conflict in the novel. The antagonists are all in one room about to start a conference. Horowitz describes the meeting using a simile. “It was clear that the people who congregated in this place came from many different parts of the world, but they had one thing in common; a stillness, a coldness even that made the room as cheerful as a morgue. (2)” I found the use of this simile very affective as it placed a clear image in my mind of what is occurring. This is the only thing that I liked, being able to picture everything extremely well. But there was a time where I disliked the description.
While reading the novel I really thought I was able to predict what was going to occur next on a regular basis. For example when Alex was in Europe looking for SCORPIA, I just knew somehow the most unpredictable thing will happen and somehow Alex will find it. And sure enough it happened. “And that was when Alex saw it, a flash of silver as the sun reflected of something on the edge of his vision. He turned his head. There was nothing. A canal leading the other way. Another canal crossing it. A single motor cruiser sliding underneath a bridge. (29)” It happens too many times in one novel.
Another thing I despised is how Alex’s work seems way too easy and highly unlikely. His ability to continuously find himself in near death experiences and somehow figure a very un-probable way out is to familiar and reoccurring in the novel. I especially disliked the time where Alex was trapped in the room which floods and somehow gets through the crevasses of the floor and escapes. This was the time where I disliked the large amount of description. The reader knew Alex would get out of the situation, it was too early for him to be killed or something, yet it took like 10 pages for him to get out of it. Now I am not a lazy reader but I think the “suspense” of that scene was unnecessarily long.
Overall the book can be addicting but I really think that it is aimed at children rather than teens.
July 27, 2012
Okay. Well. This book. This book was pretty cool, all said. At the end of the last book, I was almost in shock. I mean, whooooah. ALEX RIDER HAS A BIGGER PLOT THAN JUST A TEENAGE SPY RATTING OUT BAD GUYS. EVERYBODY GO HIDE UNDER A TABLE OR PUT A PAPER BAG OVER YOUR HEAD OR START USING THAT SUB-ETHA THUMB THINGY; THE WORLD IS ENDING.
Sorry, your ears are probably bleeding right now. Or would it be more accurate to say your eyes?
But I loved it that this time there was plot. I mean, yeah, the other Rider books are pretty great in their own right, but just as I was starting to get bored (I mean, well, not really . . . I probably would have read this series until my eyes fell out . . . I'm pretty desperate for reading material these days) Anthony Horowitz pulls something new out of his hat and viola (yeah, viola), you have a fresh new plot and a refreshed new interest in the Alex Rider series. I just feel like we shouldn't have gone on so much of the same country before getting to the exciting part. I don't know how many people have read just two books and thought they were too similar in general plot device and thus, preferred to take the helicopter out of the desert in boredom rather than trudge through to a somewhat more satisfying conclusion. Not that . . . it was all that great . . .
Okay, I'm conflicted. It was a good book, but it's considerably below reading level and I shouldn't be eating it. I mean, reading it. (I mean, I shouldn't be eating books of any sort . . . not even good books like the classics.)
Anyway, brings me to a quick point before leaving--Alex Rider, despite his age, would be a more appropriate book for me if I were 10.
Sorry, your ears are probably bleeding right now. Or would it be more accurate to say your eyes?
But I loved it that this time there was plot. I mean, yeah, the other Rider books are pretty great in their own right, but just as I was starting to get bored (I mean, well, not really . . . I probably would have read this series until my eyes fell out . . . I'm pretty desperate for reading material these days) Anthony Horowitz pulls something new out of his hat and viola (yeah, viola), you have a fresh new plot and a refreshed new interest in the Alex Rider series. I just feel like we shouldn't have gone on so much of the same country before getting to the exciting part. I don't know how many people have read just two books and thought they were too similar in general plot device and thus, preferred to take the helicopter out of the desert in boredom rather than trudge through to a somewhat more satisfying conclusion. Not that . . . it was all that great . . .
Okay, I'm conflicted. It was a good book, but it's considerably below reading level and I shouldn't be eating it. I mean, reading it. (I mean, I shouldn't be eating books of any sort . . . not even good books like the classics.)
Anyway, brings me to a quick point before leaving--Alex Rider, despite his age, would be a more appropriate book for me if I were 10.
February 21, 2017
my fav alex rider book till now
February 27, 2017
I thought it was pretty good, though it was a lot like the last book. The whole series is kind of repetitive. Other than that though, it wasn't bad.
December 15, 2012
by Anthony Horowitz
Realistic Fiction
388 pages
Alex Rider is on a mission. This time he is not working for MI6, instead this time there is a job that he has to do for himself. Just a short time ago Alex was present when his old nemesis, Yassen Gregorovich died. Before he died Yassen told Alex that he and Alex’s father used to be comrades and if Alex wanted to know more about his father and his father’s life he must go to Venice where he should find Scorpia. Scorpia would help “find your destiny. Alex does not even know what or who Scorpia is but he still goes to Italy and soon after he arrives he does indeed connect with Scorpia. He discovers that Scorpia is an organization whose members are blackmailers and assassins. Alex when through a trainingand after it Alex is sent on his first mission – to murder Mrs. Jones, the MI6 operative who was responsible for John Rider’s death. Thankfully Alex does not succeed and Mrs. Jones and her boss, Mr. Blunt, are able to get Alex to change sides. They tell the young man that Scorpia is planning on killing thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of English school children using a mystery weapon called “Invisible Sword.” Although Alex despises MI6 and everyone who works for that organization, he cannot stand by while Scorpia commits mass murder. So Alex agrees to become a double agent. Alex thought it was bad enough being a spy for MI6, but this new role is infinitely worse, not to mention highly dangerous.
There is several reasons why I really like this book. In this book there is a lot of action. For example, the whole part of Alex Rider trying to kill Mr. Jones has a ton of action. Alex Rider is full of mistery in the first couple books with all the missions that he is sent on. Scorpia is one of my favorite books because it is full of suspense. When Alex Rider is sent on missions he takes them very seriously because it is the only way that he can figure out what has happened. Because this book is full of suspense and action I would recommend it to many of my peers.
Realistic Fiction
388 pages
Alex Rider is on a mission. This time he is not working for MI6, instead this time there is a job that he has to do for himself. Just a short time ago Alex was present when his old nemesis, Yassen Gregorovich died. Before he died Yassen told Alex that he and Alex’s father used to be comrades and if Alex wanted to know more about his father and his father’s life he must go to Venice where he should find Scorpia. Scorpia would help “find your destiny. Alex does not even know what or who Scorpia is but he still goes to Italy and soon after he arrives he does indeed connect with Scorpia. He discovers that Scorpia is an organization whose members are blackmailers and assassins. Alex when through a trainingand after it Alex is sent on his first mission – to murder Mrs. Jones, the MI6 operative who was responsible for John Rider’s death. Thankfully Alex does not succeed and Mrs. Jones and her boss, Mr. Blunt, are able to get Alex to change sides. They tell the young man that Scorpia is planning on killing thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of English school children using a mystery weapon called “Invisible Sword.” Although Alex despises MI6 and everyone who works for that organization, he cannot stand by while Scorpia commits mass murder. So Alex agrees to become a double agent. Alex thought it was bad enough being a spy for MI6, but this new role is infinitely worse, not to mention highly dangerous.
There is several reasons why I really like this book. In this book there is a lot of action. For example, the whole part of Alex Rider trying to kill Mr. Jones has a ton of action. Alex Rider is full of mistery in the first couple books with all the missions that he is sent on. Scorpia is one of my favorite books because it is full of suspense. When Alex Rider is sent on missions he takes them very seriously because it is the only way that he can figure out what has happened. Because this book is full of suspense and action I would recommend it to many of my peers.
August 12, 2019
Alex Rider isn't just any fourteen-year-old. He's mentally quick, knows self defense and adheres to a strong code of justice. Give him some gadgets and he'd make the perfect spy. After all, who would suspect a kid? And that's why MI6 want him so badly!
The series isn't just made up of individual adventure stories of espionage. The titles start becoming linked a little further into the series. It seems like Alex has a history. And because of it, his future with MI6 seems shaky and will leave the readers guessing.
I enjoyed these!
Ages: 12+
Cleanliness: A typical “good guy vs bad guy” story so morals are straight forward. There are some mild obscenities sprinkled throughout, most of which are used by the villains. If you’re from the UK or Down Under, the b-word is used once or twice in each book, so be aware of that. There’s no romantic relationships (a short one only in book four) and while there is violence (these are spy books after all) it is not too graphic or disturbing - similar to most Marvel movies. If this was a movie, it would probably be rated PG for action sequences and a little language.
Specifically in this title there is a little more violence. A bad guys becomes a fireball falling from the sky when Alex shoots a hose at him with flammable liquid. A man gets pecked by pigeons, including "the most sensitive area of all."
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
The series isn't just made up of individual adventure stories of espionage. The titles start becoming linked a little further into the series. It seems like Alex has a history. And because of it, his future with MI6 seems shaky and will leave the readers guessing.
I enjoyed these!
Ages: 12+
Cleanliness: A typical “good guy vs bad guy” story so morals are straight forward. There are some mild obscenities sprinkled throughout, most of which are used by the villains. If you’re from the UK or Down Under, the b-word is used once or twice in each book, so be aware of that. There’s no romantic relationships (a short one only in book four) and while there is violence (these are spy books after all) it is not too graphic or disturbing - similar to most Marvel movies. If this was a movie, it would probably be rated PG for action sequences and a little language.
Specifically in this title there is a little more violence. A bad guys becomes a fireball falling from the sky when Alex shoots a hose at him with flammable liquid. A man gets pecked by pigeons, including "the most sensitive area of all."
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
October 11, 2007
One of the finest books i have read and this book is so engrossing that i read it in one single stretch.I love reading this book.
Alex goes to Venice for a school trip but he was told in Eagle Strike that he would learn about his father's past.So he tracks down a gang named Scorpia which is a underworld gang and is included of Murderers and what they tell him about his father horrifies him.Then Scorpia hire him as a member of the gang of murderers and his first mission is to kill Mrs.Jones.Alex is all alone this time without even Gadgets.
Alex goes to Venice for a school trip but he was told in Eagle Strike that he would learn about his father's past.So he tracks down a gang named Scorpia which is a underworld gang and is included of Murderers and what they tell him about his father horrifies him.Then Scorpia hire him as a member of the gang of murderers and his first mission is to kill Mrs.Jones.Alex is all alone this time without even Gadgets.
October 13, 2016
Not one Alex Rider book has yet to disappoint me. The book "Scorpia" takes so many twist and turns to the Alex Rider series. The only thing I have to say is that the books are getting a little repetitive. I feel like the same thing is happening in every book, and Alex is just going to some different country than before. I still really enjoyed this book though, and I think you might like it.
July 9, 2025
After reading the previous books in this series, I thought I knew what was coming. Usually thrilling teen fiction has a pattern, and the only thing unique about all the books is that they tell the same plot in different ways every time.
Horowitz must have known that’s what his readers would be thinking, because he changed plots this time. Even though this series was written for a younger audience, I was completely surprised and impressed. I might just keep reading…
Horowitz must have known that’s what his readers would be thinking, because he changed plots this time. Even though this series was written for a younger audience, I was completely surprised and impressed. I might just keep reading…
July 28, 2023
3,5 🌟
Dieses Ende! Was war das bitte?! Und die ganzen weiteren Enthüllungen! Warum haben sie ihm das nicht direkt erzählt. Der arme Junge!!!
Dieses Ende! Was war das bitte?! Und die ganzen weiteren Enthüllungen! Warum haben sie ihm das nicht direkt erzählt. Der arme Junge!!!
June 28, 2016
The novel 'Alex Rider: Scorpia' by Alex Rider is the fifth book in the Alex Rider series. The book contains a fourteen year old boy named Alex Rider. He is a spy and he works for MI6 although he has lost some interest working for them.
When Yassen Gregorovich tells him to go to a criminal organisation called Scorpia in Venice, Alex tries to decide if he should work for Scorpia or MI6. Also in this book, Alex finds out the truth about his dad, John Rider and his uncle, Ian Rider, Alex made his choice.
Alex Rider is a spy who MI6 and Scorpia enjoys using him as he is a kid and no criminal would imagine that he would work for MI6 or Scorpia. On the other side, Alex Rider hates these two organisations, especially MI6, because they use him too much and makes Alex miss most of his schoolwork and ruined his freedom to be like a normal schoolboy in England.
There is one person who Alex likes in MI6. He is the Smithers. The Smithers makes cool gadgets which looks like what a normal teenager would have. For example, a bubblegum which can break any lock or a Harry Potter book which shoots sleeping darts at people then the author, J.K.Rowling is tapped. The Smithers also enjoys making cool gadgets for Alex as he has never done anything like this before.
When the Smithers creates gadgets, the Head of the MI6 Organisation, Alan Blunt, does not allow Alex to have any lethal weapons but the Smithers still makes lethal weapons like a missile shooting bike. Alan Blunt has a poker face and barely smiles. Alan is one of the people who Alex does not like very much. This is because Alan tries to convince Alex to help MI6 and when Alex needs MI6's help they do not help him.
Overall, I would give the a 5 stars because I liked how the author, Anthony Horowitz, was being creative on the gadgets. When reading the book, I was glued to the book especially when there was interesting actions going on in the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading or even to the ones who does not like to read.
When Yassen Gregorovich tells him to go to a criminal organisation called Scorpia in Venice, Alex tries to decide if he should work for Scorpia or MI6. Also in this book, Alex finds out the truth about his dad, John Rider and his uncle, Ian Rider, Alex made his choice.
Alex Rider is a spy who MI6 and Scorpia enjoys using him as he is a kid and no criminal would imagine that he would work for MI6 or Scorpia. On the other side, Alex Rider hates these two organisations, especially MI6, because they use him too much and makes Alex miss most of his schoolwork and ruined his freedom to be like a normal schoolboy in England.
There is one person who Alex likes in MI6. He is the Smithers. The Smithers makes cool gadgets which looks like what a normal teenager would have. For example, a bubblegum which can break any lock or a Harry Potter book which shoots sleeping darts at people then the author, J.K.Rowling is tapped. The Smithers also enjoys making cool gadgets for Alex as he has never done anything like this before.
When the Smithers creates gadgets, the Head of the MI6 Organisation, Alan Blunt, does not allow Alex to have any lethal weapons but the Smithers still makes lethal weapons like a missile shooting bike. Alan Blunt has a poker face and barely smiles. Alan is one of the people who Alex does not like very much. This is because Alan tries to convince Alex to help MI6 and when Alex needs MI6's help they do not help him.
Overall, I would give the a 5 stars because I liked how the author, Anthony Horowitz, was being creative on the gadgets. When reading the book, I was glued to the book especially when there was interesting actions going on in the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading or even to the ones who does not like to read.
April 25, 2026
Can't believe they let this series name one book Scorpia and another Scorpia Rising. anthony. anthony can he at least be fifteen years old by the time we get to book 9? can you let this boy age, anthony
Highlights of #5 include The Father Wound, Gun Virginity, and, of course, The Microsoft Of Crime. Also, I rescind anything in previous reviews that may have implied that the constant repetition of Violence Towards Children is anything other than intentional– if there were any doubts that it's a core concept of this series, those doubts are gone now. Evil Mommy (whose parents were "violent Welsh nationalists," because of course they were) who used to have a thing for your dad (and calls you a "boytoy," because of course she does) poisoned all the kid's vaccines in London and will Kill Em All, because ?????. But she loves children (even though she's glad she never had her own), because Woman. It's interesting that Mrs. Jones is the most fleshed out in this book she's ever been (and Alex's own mother continues to be Nothing,) because Jones and Rothman make an interesting dyad of contrasting pictures of (failed?) motherhood– while Alex's father, and specifically his father's faults and failures, are at the forefront.
Alex is definitely reaching a mental health turning point here– how much of that is due to the author finally paying attention to his inner world or not, I can't say– and it's to the point where an antagonist has to be like. buddy are you thinking of hurting yourself. because he's climbed to the top of a random belltower to sit there and look despondent about how his life has been irreparably scarred. He has a moment during a glorified bomb countdown where he literally asks himself, "why me?," which is the funniest thing he could have possibly thought in the moment. Learning your father is a piece of shit is a rite of passage and a top 10 reason for becoming emo. The number 5 in tarot symbology is a number of instability and strife. I think both these pieces of information are relevant.
What's really relevant is that all this fatherangst and past PTSD catching up to Alex means it's the PERFECT time for someone to finally hand Alex a motherfucking gun. I've waited half a series for this. This is what it's all been leading up to. Four books of being molested under MI6 by every death he's had a hand in but no control over, Cray et al, and Scorpia is finally trying to pop Alex's murder cherry.
The comparison is crass as hell, and wholly inappropriate, and I'm not apologizing for it, because treating Alex's relationship with violence as an extended sexual assault metaphor is not only *supported* by the text's themes, I would argue that it is *demanded* of it. Alex's whole career, every act of violence he is exposed to or asked to perform himself, is something that is being done *to him.* Being asked to kill is an act of harm done *to him.* Asking Alex to participate in this world at all has been textually damaging to him, and though he was coerced into it from the start, his intense experience working under Scorpia, where they trained him as an assassin, (where he subconsciously could not bring himself to accurately aim at a human-shaped target– a level where he isn't physically capable of performing to expectations)– he returns to the organization that orchestrated his grooming from the start, where they clarify to him that he has been changed by his experiences. He sought out trouble at the start of various previous books, after all, all on his own. We didn't do that to you, Alex. You asked for that. You just can't stay out of things. And they're right! His brain has been completely rewired, not just by the way his MI6 uncle raised him, but by the mind-searingly intense experiences he has had between the ages of fourteen and fourteen and a half, where adults asked him to perform tasks and endure experiences for their benefit.
And to shoot someone dead– to become an assassin, like his father before him– is considered by Alex to be a point of no return, a line he can't uncross. It's a kind of virginity. And though he personally kills someone before the end of the book– Nile, who an hour prior had performed a quickly-glossed-over full body search of Alex and "seemed amused by the whole thing," is the one on the balloon with Alex at the end. Alex kicks him, and he falls, and Alex tells no one. Alex tells MI6 Nile fell, and he doesn't want to talk about it more– but he *does. not. shoot. him.*
There will have to be a book where Alex kills someone with a gun. I cannot wait to see the circumstances surrounding it.
And so you may be thinking, it's interesting how much we're talking about being asked to commit harm as victimization– shooting as the bad thing– even the top gets raped?– instead of the more obvious comparison, being shot as the bad thing. And it's interesting that you're thinking it, because THEY TOTALLY SHOOT ALEX AT THE END OF THIS ONE. HE GETS SNIPED ON THE STREET AND DIES (obviously not really we have like eleventeen books and half books in this series but THEY REALLY FADE TO BLACK ON HIM) AND DO YOU KNOW WHO CALLED THE SHOT? WHETHER THEY WERE REALLY THERE OR JUST HALLUCINATIONS DO YOU KNOW WHO ALEX PERCEIVED AS CALLING THE SNIPER SHOT THAT KILLS HIM IN BROAD DAYLIGHT (just like the footage he watched of Jones calling the shot on his father's fake death but he thought it was real death and went major emo murder time over it)? HIS MOMMY. AND HIS DADDY. HELLO? HELLO? I'm going to digress now but please let it be known that there's some shit in these objectively mediocre middle grade chapter books that SPARKLES.
Other than that. There are some disorganized but interesting ideas, or at least introduction of ideas that don't go anywhere. why do i care that tom's parents are divorcing. is this a divorce book? could we possibly make this a divorce book? Is alex a child of divorce where the parents are MI6 and Scorpia wait I think I fucking cracked it. I think that's it. case closed what else. there's a lot of emphasis placed on the old church of forgotten saints being taken over by technology but that doesn't seem to be present anywhere else. maybe just an interesting motif. i understand this: pokemon does this as well.
On a technical level: this book feels like the author is finally getting the hang of writing Cool Books. There are more interesting action scenes, there are moments of tension and space for the characters to breath (even if it creates the effect of Alex Suddenly being afraid of heights, after fucking snowboarding down Grinch mountain ??? months ago), we even retcon in a useless friend for Alex to try to make it seem like he has some level of substance in his civilian life. We are *finally* reaching a level where Alex is textually fraying at the seams. Last review, I said he was going to try to kill himself this book– he kind of does. Four evil ice cream parlor meetings out of five.
Highlights of #5 include The Father Wound, Gun Virginity, and, of course, The Microsoft Of Crime. Also, I rescind anything in previous reviews that may have implied that the constant repetition of Violence Towards Children is anything other than intentional– if there were any doubts that it's a core concept of this series, those doubts are gone now. Evil Mommy (whose parents were "violent Welsh nationalists," because of course they were) who used to have a thing for your dad (and calls you a "boytoy," because of course she does) poisoned all the kid's vaccines in London and will Kill Em All, because ?????. But she loves children (even though she's glad she never had her own), because Woman. It's interesting that Mrs. Jones is the most fleshed out in this book she's ever been (and Alex's own mother continues to be Nothing,) because Jones and Rothman make an interesting dyad of contrasting pictures of (failed?) motherhood– while Alex's father, and specifically his father's faults and failures, are at the forefront.
Alex is definitely reaching a mental health turning point here– how much of that is due to the author finally paying attention to his inner world or not, I can't say– and it's to the point where an antagonist has to be like. buddy are you thinking of hurting yourself. because he's climbed to the top of a random belltower to sit there and look despondent about how his life has been irreparably scarred. He has a moment during a glorified bomb countdown where he literally asks himself, "why me?," which is the funniest thing he could have possibly thought in the moment. Learning your father is a piece of shit is a rite of passage and a top 10 reason for becoming emo. The number 5 in tarot symbology is a number of instability and strife. I think both these pieces of information are relevant.
What's really relevant is that all this fatherangst and past PTSD catching up to Alex means it's the PERFECT time for someone to finally hand Alex a motherfucking gun. I've waited half a series for this. This is what it's all been leading up to. Four books of being molested under MI6 by every death he's had a hand in but no control over, Cray et al, and Scorpia is finally trying to pop Alex's murder cherry.
The comparison is crass as hell, and wholly inappropriate, and I'm not apologizing for it, because treating Alex's relationship with violence as an extended sexual assault metaphor is not only *supported* by the text's themes, I would argue that it is *demanded* of it. Alex's whole career, every act of violence he is exposed to or asked to perform himself, is something that is being done *to him.* Being asked to kill is an act of harm done *to him.* Asking Alex to participate in this world at all has been textually damaging to him, and though he was coerced into it from the start, his intense experience working under Scorpia, where they trained him as an assassin, (where he subconsciously could not bring himself to accurately aim at a human-shaped target– a level where he isn't physically capable of performing to expectations)– he returns to the organization that orchestrated his grooming from the start, where they clarify to him that he has been changed by his experiences. He sought out trouble at the start of various previous books, after all, all on his own. We didn't do that to you, Alex. You asked for that. You just can't stay out of things. And they're right! His brain has been completely rewired, not just by the way his MI6 uncle raised him, but by the mind-searingly intense experiences he has had between the ages of fourteen and fourteen and a half, where adults asked him to perform tasks and endure experiences for their benefit.
And to shoot someone dead– to become an assassin, like his father before him– is considered by Alex to be a point of no return, a line he can't uncross. It's a kind of virginity. And though he personally kills someone before the end of the book– Nile, who an hour prior had performed a quickly-glossed-over full body search of Alex and "seemed amused by the whole thing," is the one on the balloon with Alex at the end. Alex kicks him, and he falls, and Alex tells no one. Alex tells MI6 Nile fell, and he doesn't want to talk about it more– but he *does. not. shoot. him.*
There will have to be a book where Alex kills someone with a gun. I cannot wait to see the circumstances surrounding it.
And so you may be thinking, it's interesting how much we're talking about being asked to commit harm as victimization– shooting as the bad thing– even the top gets raped?– instead of the more obvious comparison, being shot as the bad thing. And it's interesting that you're thinking it, because THEY TOTALLY SHOOT ALEX AT THE END OF THIS ONE. HE GETS SNIPED ON THE STREET AND DIES (obviously not really we have like eleventeen books and half books in this series but THEY REALLY FADE TO BLACK ON HIM) AND DO YOU KNOW WHO CALLED THE SHOT? WHETHER THEY WERE REALLY THERE OR JUST HALLUCINATIONS DO YOU KNOW WHO ALEX PERCEIVED AS CALLING THE SNIPER SHOT THAT KILLS HIM IN BROAD DAYLIGHT (just like the footage he watched of Jones calling the shot on his father's fake death but he thought it was real death and went major emo murder time over it)? HIS MOMMY. AND HIS DADDY. HELLO? HELLO? I'm going to digress now but please let it be known that there's some shit in these objectively mediocre middle grade chapter books that SPARKLES.
Other than that. There are some disorganized but interesting ideas, or at least introduction of ideas that don't go anywhere. why do i care that tom's parents are divorcing. is this a divorce book? could we possibly make this a divorce book? Is alex a child of divorce where the parents are MI6 and Scorpia wait I think I fucking cracked it. I think that's it. case closed what else. there's a lot of emphasis placed on the old church of forgotten saints being taken over by technology but that doesn't seem to be present anywhere else. maybe just an interesting motif. i understand this: pokemon does this as well.
On a technical level: this book feels like the author is finally getting the hang of writing Cool Books. There are more interesting action scenes, there are moments of tension and space for the characters to breath (even if it creates the effect of Alex Suddenly being afraid of heights, after fucking snowboarding down Grinch mountain ??? months ago), we even retcon in a useless friend for Alex to try to make it seem like he has some level of substance in his civilian life. We are *finally* reaching a level where Alex is textually fraying at the seams. Last review, I said he was going to try to kill himself this book– he kind of does. Four evil ice cream parlor meetings out of five.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2015
WHAT JUST HAPPENED!!! This was by far the best book in the series so far. I loved that we fially got to learn about Alex's dad. I'm also glad that Alex has a friend who knows about all this spy business. BUT THAT CLIFFHANGER!!! This is really my favorite one so far, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one
November 11, 2016
First review:
Oh my goodness! What a book! So good! No words! It's official Anthony Horowitz is the master of cliffhangers!
Second review:
I forgot how many twists there are in this book. it's like there's twist after twist.
this book is so different from the other books, I'm astounded. It's not necessarily better but I applaud Anthony Horowitz for creating this masterpiece!!
Alex is much more mature in this. Not that he wasn't in the other books but he is particularly mature in this one.
Oh my goodness! What a book! So good! No words! It's official Anthony Horowitz is the master of cliffhangers!
Second review:
I forgot how many twists there are in this book. it's like there's twist after twist.
this book is so different from the other books, I'm astounded. It's not necessarily better but I applaud Anthony Horowitz for creating this masterpiece!!
Alex is much more mature in this. Not that he wasn't in the other books but he is particularly mature in this one.
May 25, 2018
I feel like the author is just recycling plot from earlier books in the series - this was very similar to the plot of book 2. It's still very fast paced, but I'm getting a little bored with MI6 seeming to turn heel every 4 chapters. There was a very quick development in maturity, and the plot twists can still be seen from 100 miles away.
March 1, 2025
This is a story about a boy named Alex Rider who is near Venice in Italy. In the last book, Yassen, the killer of his uncle tells Alex to go find Scorpia. His mission is to find Scorpia and find out the truth behind his dead father. When he was walking with his friend, he sees a boat with a silver scorpion on it. He thinks it’s the sign of Scorpia and decides to follow it. He follows the girl in the boat and switches himself up to fit in the concert. He sees a table and a tiger-skinned rug. He suddenly finds out that it was a real tiger. He then sees someone called Nile and gets caught into a water-filling basement. He escapes through a drain and meets his friend again. He gets told about a place where Nile works and decides to follow him. When he gets in with a paraglider, he gets caught by a worker and Nile. Nile takes out his sword and thinks he is going to kill Alex, but instead he shoots it through the worker’s throat. The place explodes and Alex finds out that Nile didn’t work there. He meets Scorpia a girl and she tells Alex about his dad John rider. She tells Alex that John was her friend but he got shot during a mission by a sniper. His dead mum was in a car accident not long after John’s death. His mission is to find out about Mrs Jones but will he succeed or will he get shot during the process like his dad?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 2, 2025This is a fun book
It is very much an Alex rider book, with some things "just happening" with little regard to how plausible it could be.
On the other hand it is, as other reviews have written, deeper.
Indeed Alex rider has always been a surprisingly fleshed out character, but the other characters are becoming more three dimensional as well. Also the first section of the last chapter goes so hard.
It is very much an Alex rider book, with some things "just happening" with little regard to how plausible it could be.
On the other hand it is, as other reviews have written, deeper.
Indeed Alex rider has always been a surprisingly fleshed out character, but the other characters are becoming more three dimensional as well. Also the first section of the last chapter goes so hard.
November 9, 2022
Alex plan his holiday to Venice just to found a little secret about his father and Scorpia. The crime organisation Scorpia wanted Alex to join them as one of the assassin.
The adventure of Alex continues in this series. Almost died multiple times. Maybe some will said the action is not appropriate for 14 years old boys but I found it interesting.
There are some scene that plays with not just action pack but also with the emotions. The manipulation of Alex emotion make me sick. Not sick of the story but more to the organisation. I feel the rage, the annoyances, towards the cruelty of Scorpia.
There are some people who would do anything as long as they have been paid. Especially if the payment is huge. There will ignore all the morality just to do as instructed.
But I also feel sorry for Alex that didn't enjoyed his teenage years. He is involved in dangerous things but can't share it with anyone else.
The adventure of Alex continues in this series. Almost died multiple times. Maybe some will said the action is not appropriate for 14 years old boys but I found it interesting.
There are some scene that plays with not just action pack but also with the emotions. The manipulation of Alex emotion make me sick. Not sick of the story but more to the organisation. I feel the rage, the annoyances, towards the cruelty of Scorpia.
There are some people who would do anything as long as they have been paid. Especially if the payment is huge. There will ignore all the morality just to do as instructed.
But I also feel sorry for Alex that didn't enjoyed his teenage years. He is involved in dangerous things but can't share it with anyone else.
April 3, 2018
the book starts of with alex rider being told by his friend and caretaker if you could call her that given their age gap is not that big,telling him that he had to stop missing lots of school and be careful and that she had got him a tutor for the remainder of the summer.Alex had been recruited by M16 after his uncle's death and had been doing until during his last mission one of the assassins he killed told alex that his father had been an assassin as well.he follows a school trip to venice where he finds out about the scorpia group and their leader brings him along with her to london as she tries to get him killed,but alex ends up betraying them,and bringing down the whole organization
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2015
AHH I REVISITED THIS SERIES THREE YEARS LATER. I BEGAN READING IN 2012 AND I READ UPTO EAGLE STRIKE AND I LOVED IT BUT I STOPPED FOR NO REASON AND THEN THIS YEAR I PICKED UP SCORPIA AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL I READ IT IN A DAY AND IN THIS ONE, ALEX' VULNERABILITY REALLY COMES OUT THE FACT THAT HE'S 14 IS QUITE CLEAR AND YOU JUST END UP FEELING SO PROTECTIVE OVER HIM BECAUSE THAT JULIA ROTHMAN IS PLAYING WITH HIS MIND WHICH IS WEIRD BECAUSE I WAS 15 WHEN I READ THIS LOL OMG THIS BOOK IS BRILLIANT ONE OF MY FAVES IN THE SERIES AHH JUST READ IT OMG
March 2, 2012
okay, after Today I will stop rereading teenage adventure books. Promise 🫡
April 24, 2013
I think it is a good book because it has a lot of action and betrayal. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action, suspense, and science fiction.
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