Fans of the Alex Rider Adventures will not be disappointed by the slam-bang action in this fifth book in the spy thriller series, although the ending may leave them feeling a bit dismayed. A parachute jump onto the roof of a super-secure pharmaceutical complex, a desperate escape from a water-filled cellar under the canals of Venice, elegant and witty encounters with mega-criminals bent on death -- it's all here, and Alex, still 14-years old, comes out ahead every time in spite of the heavy odds against him. "Go to Venice. Find Scorpia. And you will find your destiny," Alex was told by a dying man at the end of the previous book, Eagle Strike. And so we find him; in Venice, with his friend Tom, looking for clues to his father's identity and death. Was he an agent of M16, the secret world organization that has used Alex before? Or was he a tool of Scorpia, the powerful international criminal agency that specializes in sabotage, corruption, intelligence, and assassination? And which are the bad guys? Alex loses track as he is recruited by the beautiful and deadly Julia Rothman, one of the nine executives of Scorpia, to be trained at their Venetian island school for assassins and to take part in a plot to kill thousands of 12 and 13-year-olds in England. Caught between shifting allegiances and different versions of his father's life and death, Alex outwits and outfights everybody as the plot rockets along to a smash finish that will leave readers breathless and shocked. (Ages 10-14) --Patty Campbell

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10–Alex Rider, the 14-year-old spy and adventurer from Stormbreaker (2001), Point Blank (2002), Skeleton Key (2003), and Eagle Strike (2004, all Philomel), is back. While vacationing in Italy, he is recruited by the deadliest terrorist organization in the world, Scorpia, away from the world of M16, a British secret intelligence organization. Through a web of lies and deceit, Alex is persuaded to assassinate the deputy head of M16, a former friend and supervisor, while Scorpia plans a secret mission that will kill hundreds of thousands of British children in the blink of an eye. Missing his target and captured by M16, Rider is sent back into Scorpia, but this time as a spy. It is only with the teen's help that M16 can stop the organization's vicious threat. Of course, Alex Rider saves the day, but not without psychological mind gaming and fighting that will bring readers to the edge of their seats and keep them there until the final page. These titles are perfect for James Bond wannabes and reluctant readers. No prior knowledge of the previous books is necessary, as Horowitz drops clues from previous adventures.–Delia Fritz, Mercersburg Academy, PA

From Booklist
Gr. 8-11. In the fifth book in the exciting series that began with Stormbreaker (2001), Alex Rider, a teenage James Bond, infiltrates Scorpia, a terrorist organization which has accepted a contract from a Middle Easterner who wishes "to humble Britain and the U.S and to ensure they cease to work together as a world power." Searching for the truth of his father's death, Alex finds himself in the middle of a terrifying plot he cannot condone: to kill all 12- and 13-year-old British children. Fourteen-year-old Alex goes from thrilling adventure to improbable escape one quick-turning page after the other. High-tech and low-tech machinations will rivet readers, who will be anxious to learn if Scorpia can carry out its terrorist plan and who really killed Alex's father. This stands alone, but it will leave teens clamoring for the rest of the series. One book, and they'll be hooked. Frances Bradburn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
Alex Rider, the spitting image of his father in so many ways, is about to find out just how closely he is his father's son. When Alex learns that his father was an assassin for Scorpia, the most powerful terrorist organization going, his world shatters. Now Scorpia wants Alex on their side, and Alex wages a war of conscience he no longer has the will to win. Until, that is, he learns of Scorpia's latest plot: an operation known only as "Invisible Sword" that will result in the death of thousands of people. Unless he can stop it first . . . . With a cliffhanger you'll want to read twice, Scorpia is the most intense thriller yet from bestselling author Anthony Horowitz.

About the Author
Anthony Horowitz is one of England's most successful screenwriters, but it is the tremendously popular Alex Rider Adventures that have made him a worldwide sensation.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Alex Rider, the spitting image of his father in so many ways, is about to find out just how closely he is his father's son. When Alex learns that his father was an assassin for Scorpia, the most powerful terrorist organization going, his world shatters. Now Scorpia wants Alex on their side, and Alex wages a war of conscience he no longer has the will to win. Until, that is, he learns of Scorpia's latest plot: an operation known only as "Invisible Sword" that will result in the death of thousands of people. Unless he can stop it first....

With a cliffhanger you'll want to read twice, Scorpia is the most intense thriller yet from bestselling author Anthony Horowitz.

Author Bio: Anthony Horowitz is one of England's most successful screenwriters, but it is the tremendously popular Alex Rider Adventures that have made him a worldwide sensation. Mr. Horowitz lives in London, England.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The fifth entry in the Alex Rider Adventure series by Anthony Horowitz, Scorpia follows 14-year-old Alex to Italy, after he learns that his father was an assassin for a criminal organization, and the teen gets swept up in a murderous scheme of his own. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal