Audio of the Week--Eagle Strike (unabr.)
RSSFrom SLJ November 2005
Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI -- School Library Journal, 10/24/2005
5 cassettes or 6 CDs. 6:45 hrs. Recorded Books. 2005. cassette, ISBN 1-4193-3585-5: $52.75; CD, ISBN 1-4193-3848-X: $58.75. (Rental: $13.50).
Gr 5-10–This is Anthony Horowitz's fourth Alex Rider adventure (Philomel Books, 2004), but it's not necessary to have read any of the others to follow this one since enough background is provided along the way. The novel opens with 14-year-old Alex, an orphan who has been trained by British Intelligence as a secret agent, on vacation in the south of France with his friend Sabina and her parents. When he spots Yassen Gregorovich, a Russian contract killer he's run into before, his curiosity is peaked. Alex is determined to discover why Yassen's target seems to be Sabina's father, a journalist. His search leads him back to London, to a pop star named Damian Cray whose philanthropic works recently got him knighted. Alex has his own suspicions about what Cray is up to, but the truth is stranger than even he suspected: the end of the world as we know it. Thrilling action, an edge-of-your-seat chase through the streets of Amsterdam, gadgets worthy of any James Bond movie, and a bang-up ending make this an exciting listen. Simon Prebble captures the entire cast of characters well, and each, no matter how minor, is easily distinguished. Alex's determination, Cray's conceit, and Gregorovich's jaded Russian tones all come through. Engaging enough to entice the most reluctant readers, this is a good purchase for both public and school libraries.
