Alex Rider was 14 and living in Chelsea with his uncle Ian and housekeeper Jack Starbright when his life changed. Ian Rider died in what Alex was told was a car accident. It wasn’t. Ian had been a spy for MI6, and the agency decided Alex was useful. A teenager could go places adult agents couldn’t. They gave him gadgets disguised as ordinary objects and sent him on missions that no one his age should have survived.
Alex’s uncle had been training him since childhood without telling him why. Languages, martial arts, rock climbing, scuba diving. It all looked like an eccentric uncle’s idea of education. It was preparation. When MI6 came calling, Alex already had skills most recruits spend years developing.
Anthony Horowitz wrote Alex as reluctant. He doesn’t want to be a spy. He wants to go to school, play football, be normal. But MI6 keeps pulling him back, and Alex keeps discovering that the things they want him to do actually matter. The series builds an ongoing conflict between Alex’s desire for ordinary life and the world’s need for him to be something else.
Over thirteen novels, Alex faces criminal organizations, rogue intelligence agencies, and threats that range from bioweapons to space stations. The Scorpia organization and Alex’s family history form the series’ spine, connecting individual missions into a larger story.
Reading Order
See the complete Alex Rider reading order for all books in the series.