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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Its loosing its edge, unoriginal., 9 Dec 2009
I was a huge Alex Rider fan, but now its just not cutting it. I will always be a fan of the series but they all seem the same.
The villian always tells Alex his plans and Alex always gets away and stops it. This story seems to have been taken form books and films from everywhere.
How many 'James Bond' films have we seen where James Bond is wearing a dinner suit and jacket and plays poker against pro-poker players and just happens to win against the odds? Well here we have Alex Rider in a dinner suit and he just happens to sit in on one last hand and of course the biggest hand and guess what? See you are ahead of me already.. His opponent thinks he wins, then Alex turns his cards and they of course win.
Then we find Alex and his girlfreind in a Scotish castle for new year, That was the story I read last year when 'Jason Steed' was at The Scottish castle Balmoral with his girlfreind.
The story does move very fast, infact faster than any of the others, He still has him man 'Q' oh no sorry 'Smithers' who makes him gadgets to use on his spying mission, you know you have seen the films, pens that blow up, decoders and metal eating paste.
I think Jimmy Coates series seems to improve and get better, I like them now over Alex. The best series is probably 'Cherub' by 'Robert Muchamore' my favorite teen spy is Jason Steed.
I am now reading 'Hendersons Boys' by Robert Muchamore, this series is fantastic and I think is as good if not better than Cherub, although not as funny.
I would still recommend this book as it is a good book to read, but nothing new or original. I am not sure if Anthony Horowitz will write another Alex Rider book, I hope he can come up with an original plot.
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39 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best yet (a parent's review), 15 Nov 2009
Crocodile Tears is an excellent addition to the Alex Rider series: fast paced, tense and dead exciting. It picks up two months after Snakehead. Alex is still 14 (although only just) and believes that he's completed his last assignment for MI6.
The book starts off with a bang (literally) as a bomb is exploded in a nuclear power station in India. The action then moves to Scotland where Alex is holidaying with the Pleasure family. He attends a lavish New Year's Eve party in a remote Scottish castle hosted by wealthy philanthropist Desmond McCain, who runs an international charity, First Aid. Alex is disturbed by his first encounter by McCain and wonders if there's a connection when shortly afterwards he narrowly escapes from what he suspects to have been a deliberate car accident.
Back in London, Alex is forced to turn to MI6 for help when a journalist threatens to expose his past. In return MI6 ask him to help them investigate the director of a highly secure GM research centre. Slowly the disparate threads of the story start to come together, but will Alex be able to pass on what he knows before the bad guys catch up with him?
I thought it was an extremely exciting story, a real page turner. It is slightly darker and more complex than others in the series: this is definitely "young adult" territory, although there are also parts which are highly reminiscent of scenes in the previous books.
Here are some things that parents may like to know (minor spoilers follow):
- There is frequent violence in the book (similar to the previous books in this series). A couple of the villains die in particularly unpleasant ways.
- Alex ends up in a variety of frightening scenarios including being trapped in a car at the bottom of a lake, being dangled over hungry crocodiles and being trapped in a burning building.
- Alex causes the death of two people directly and several more indirectly. While the deaths could be attributed to self-defence, he never shows any signs of remorse or concern at their deaths.
- He also witnesses the deaths of several others, including one individual who has previously saved his life. Again, he shows no particular concern about this.
- No bad language, no romantic scenes.
- Alex is once offered alcohol, which he refuses.
- There are no positive female role models. With the exception of Alex's faithful housekeeper/guardian (and his friends the Pleasures), the women in this book are all either receptionists and nurses, or are emotionless and unpleasant.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another great adventure with Alex Rider, 9 Dec 2009
A great very fast adventure book. Probably the fastest to read, its all much of the same when it comes down to it, but thats what Alex Rider fans will lovce about this book.
Some of the story lacked a plot, the poker game was very much like from another secret agent movie we all know as 007, but then it made the story flow.
Maybe not the best in the series, I still enjoyed Skelton Key the most for the location and think that is the best of the series.
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