Conservative Book Talk

Book two of the Alex Rider series (aka, more normal accidents). I am really enjoying this story line of teenage spy, I’ll tell you right now. I’ve found that when I’m feeling most unsure, I’m about to do something right. Alex is accepts his spy role but with reservations and hesitations (although he generally doesn’t hesitate to do what is right), and, drum roll, he makes mistakes in the process.

Plot: The “accidental” deaths of two important world figures have just one connection: sons who “happen” to be attending the prestigious Point Blanc academy, which “happens” to only admit fourteen year old boys. Guess who old Alex is? His secret agent skills have been emerging at school (the opening scene with drug deals is arguably the most hilarious bust up of all time), and its about time he took a vacation anyway. With that parental argument, the agent handler drops Alex off for a week of luxury training with murderously lazy rich brats. He’s delighted to leave them behind, until he finds the locale of his next mission involves the Swiss Alps, a miniature army, and a classroom that appears to be full of robots. And he is the newest classmate. In a school where classes are optional but only robots attend, no drugs are allowed but he falls right to sleep after one glass of soda pop, and the private bedrooms come equipped with hidden cameras, there are lots of secrets. But then, he’s a secret agent.

Positive: Well written, with good character development given to several supporting persons. Alex is delighted to hang out with kids his own age, until he recognizes how immature they all are. Several interesting themes regarding what a person’s taste in art says about them, how wealth does not bring happiness, and allusions to the effect of peer pressure. Also, did I mention that the obligatory opening action sequence is totally cool? The plot follows the stereotypical action-movie sequence of beginning action, introduction of real plot, development via small action sequences, and ever-bigger sequences of fighting and explosions, with a minor resolution that is an illusion to forestall the final ka-boom, and then the actual resolution (as do most of the Alex Rider series). As usual, that structure is tweaked to involve a more classical character development, and one very inventive opening sequence involving a drug ring, a boat, and a crane.

Negative: The crazy Swiss guy isn’t very realistic. He and his minions are pretty clumsy to have such a well-organized scheme, and the motivations are underdeveloped. I suspect the author was told to have a crazy lunatic in his second book just because it worked so well in the first, but he didn’t actually plan the plot around that point. So it seems incongruous. We forgive the book for its leaps of logic by the time of the last tension-filled scene, but the plot holes resemble, well, Swiss cheese. One of Alex’s escapades in particular is ridiculous beyond words (but since he is thinking “this is ridiculous” the whole time, I forgave it and enjoyed the thrill ride). Lots of action violence, some blood mentioned, adults are irresponsible, pride is used against several main characters with embarrassing frequency, drugs used against kids, and racism/apartheid espoused by bad guys.

Overall; great book for lounging on the beach with. Or in the library, where the next book is within easy reach (I borrowed the first three at the same time, and had to get the next three within a week, so be forewarned, its not a good book to casually pick up for half an hour between studying for other things!).

Tags: Alex Rider, Anthony Horowitz, fiction, Mystery, Sincerelyornot, youth

Book one of the Alex Rider series. I have a weakness for mental junkfood, which I prefer to indulge in those deliciously pointless kids books that make you feel like you are in the middle of a movie (instead of stuck in some doctor’s waiting room that smells like bleach and old socks). This one actually made it to the big screen (for the record, I haven’t seen it yet), which poster drew me to the book out of sheer curiosity. The author is British, which may explain why you haven’t heard of the series before. Allow me to introduce you.

Plot: Alex Rider is a fourteen year old orphan whose reticent uncle and guardian dies in a “normal” car crash that involved bullet holes in the car windshield. Naturally, being a “normal” teenager, Alex has been trained in gymnastics, 2 black belts, a nanny who worries but doesn’t discipline, and all the investigative skills of a professional reporter. As is normal for such a teenager, he also investigates into his uncle’s death after seeing some guys in black suits with guns at the funeral, and finds out that a) his uncle was a spy, b) he was killed because he got too close to the truth in a crucial investigation that could save England from utter destruction, and c) (brace yourself) the bad guys are now on alert, and spy agency knows of only one way to get in and find the truth before its too late. Alex Rider, teenage spy. Mission One: find out why a businessman wants to give away his greatest invention to all England’s people, yet is highly secretive about its manufacturing and has a small army protecting his factory.

Positive: Finally, a kid’s book that takes its main plot device seriously! Alex may be extraordinary, but at least the agency admits it (and owns to the liabilities associated with having a child do this kind of dangerous work in the modern world). Also, Alex struggles with the idea of being a spy. He finds the whole idea exciting… before he starts in. Being a secret agent is stressful (you could get killed if you mess up), painful (he actually has a hard time with adult boot camp), and downright dangerous (bumps, bruises, and cuts that add to the growing list of things he has to hide about himself); and Alex is real enough as a character to admit he doesn’t like it. Of course, if Alex was able to cop out, there goes the “Alex Rider, Teenage Spy” series. But his reasons for staying on are realistic. Alex’s reactions to death, fighting, and the tension stay real too, keeping the story grounded. Also, the author manages to breathe life into several of those more predictable parts, twisting the usual narrative structure so that small (and not so small) surprises abound. The book uses enough complex words to form complete pictures in your head, and for me played out like a very exciting movie.

Negative: Say it with me, “cliché”; if you can’t uncover the major plot points ahead of time, you need to get out more. It’s a teenager who suddenly finds their relative was a spy and, oh my, they’ve been trained perfectly to fill in their shoes; a villain who is happy to divulge his plan entirely when, oh my, our hero is on the brink of death; and an invention encased in black plastic with lightening for a logo that, oh my, isn’t actually going to do anything good. See “positive” for why that doesn’t equal a boring story (hint, note the “major plot points” above). Scary situations for little kids, and some slight foreshadowing of disrespect for government, and, a person is dies in an unusual way.

Overall: It’s a very well written book, and I have to admit, pretty cleverly thought out. I could figure out some of the tricks, but more than one came as a surprise even though I knew all the facts beforehand (ye posters requesting a good mystery with accurate clues, take heed. We may be close to a whodunit! I didn’t realize the motivation behind the villain until later, but we DO learn about it beforehand). RECOMMENDED, for fun, not edification.

Tags: Alan Horowitz, fiction, Mystery, Sincerelyornot, Spy, Stormbreaker, youth

This being the second book by Clark that I’ve read, I would like recommend her books. There seems to be a pattern (and others attested to the same) that Clark uses few objectionable elements. There are few curse words and little else, excepting some violence.

If you haven’t read Clark, start with this excellent book. Clark typically has a female lead that ends up embroiled in a criminal investigation of some sort, almost like a modern adult Nancy Drew. I appreciate that Clark does not focus to much on the lead’s emotions as this makes the book more accessible to us guys.

In this tale, Emily Graham migrates her residency to the New Jersey coastal town of Spring Lake where she purchases her ancestral home. Driven to Spring Lake to escape a slimy nasty ex-husband and to escape memories of a now institutionalized deranged stalker, Graham hopes for a peaceful weekend residence; her “real home” being an apartment in New York City. Mix in a historical serial killer that plagued Spring Lake 100 years earlier, add a recent set of murders and simmer…..

The first of the three historical victims (all young women) was a great aunt of Emily Graham. Now, two young women had vanished;yes Emily has been marked to be the third. The day after Emily takes possession of the new home, workers digging for a pool discover two corpses buried in the backyard: one has been buried for 3-4 years, the other for more than a century.

With a few weeks before her new job begins, Emily has time to kill. Considering that the two corpses (one being that of her great aunt) were side by side, Emily is convinced that there a connection exists between both sets of murders. Naturally, she begins to explore the past to solve the present.

Clark creates an engrossing story that brings the past to life and immerses the reader into the events. Drama and mystery with plenty of red herrings and sub plots fill every page. I did semi-confidently predict who the killer was, but I can’t honestly say that I was certain till the killer was revealed and all explained. Considering my reasoning, it was probably more of a lucky guess.

But most intriguingly, Clark explored an interesting concept: can a serial killer be reincarnated? She doesn’t say either way, but it is interesting. One character argues that only good people can be reincarnated, but Clark leaves the idea for pondering.

As a Christian, I reject the idea of reincarnation in any form, but it still creates an interesting idea to ponder.

Have you ever read any of Mary Higgins Clark? If so, which of her titles would you recommend?

Tags: fiction, Mary Higgins Clark, Matt Gardenghi, Mystery, On The Street Where You Live