Alex Rider: Scorpia Rising -- My Thoughts
WARNING: If you follow the Alex Rider series, this post will have spoilers. Don't like, don't read.
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So I know the last Alex Rider book was coming out this month. Thought it wouldn't be out until tomorrow. But, SURPRISE, it's released already, the library has it already, and there was a copy available. So I got it out. Read it last night. *loud squeeing* Much as I wish the series didn't have to end, this was possibly the best ending possible.
That being said, I don't think I've disliked Alan Blunt more. I get that he meant well, but the ends do NOT justify the means and good intentions pave the road to Hell. He really crossed the line with this last book. I might have issues with Dumbledore in Harry Potter for similar reasons, but even HE never crossed the line this badly.
Razim... Wow. Alex has gone up against some pretty creepy villains but Razim takes the prize for the creepiest. This guy belongs on Criminal Minds.
I felt so sorry for Julius. He totally deserved the end he got, sure. But what led him to become the person he did should never have happened.
Jack... I could not believe she actually died. One of only two adults in Alex's life that knew what he was and he could trust and he had to watch her die? Brutal. I was practically screaming at the book over that. No, just no... Alex should never have had to go through that. And if certain people had done their jobs properly, if a certain head of MI6 had followed orders and not crossed certain lines, she would have been completely safe.
Alex Rider, himself... This is both the most broken he's been and at the same time, the most triumphant he could ever be. He's finally out of the life. If he decides as an adult that he wants to get back in, that's up to him. But for now, he's a kid. And he can finally live like the teenager that he is. He has a new family, a girlfriend who actually knows a lot of what he's been through, and the best shot imaginable to heal from his time with MI6. I have a hunch that he'll probably keep in touch with Smithers. I can just see Smithers sending him various gadgets to play with in California. Yeah, to play with, not to use in a desperate attempt to stay alive. What he does from here on out is up to him now. He finally has the freedom to make that choice. His parents would be so proud of him, I think. Jack would be more than proud.
So now I'm here fantasizing about Alex Rider joining up with the Leverage team fresh out of highschool. Yeah, I know. Not terribly likely, but I can still dream. The skill sets mesh. He could quickly become a younger brother to Hardison and Eliot both. *nods to self* Oh, and he could pose so easily as Sophie's son. He's got the accent. He's the right age. And he can grift with the best of them.