|
Post by cwm on Mar 19, 2011 16:09:05 GMT -5
Have been reading these since they started in 2000 and I'd say they probably became a guilty pleasure around 2005. They're still a good read, though.
The last book (barring a prequel and something 'a few years down the line' Horowitz is being vague about it) is out later this month, and apparently some people already have it but are refusing to divulge spoilers. Being someone who likes to seek out spoilers and then instantly regret doing so, I am torn over this.
|
|
|
Post by Dante on Mar 19, 2011 17:22:31 GMT -5
It's out later this month? That crept up on me fast. I'll look forward to it, then; if I start a series, I always have to finish it, no matter how many years pass. ...And maybe Horowitz will finally get back to work on Power of Five, too, which is in a similar situation...
|
|
|
Post by cwm on Mar 19, 2011 18:10:53 GMT -5
Scheduled for March 31st in the UK. Apparently a few people overseas have got it already.
Slightly bizarre is that it's being released in paperback after books 7 & 8 switched to premiering in hardback. Is that unusual for book series?
|
|
|
Post by Dante on Mar 20, 2011 5:52:47 GMT -5
I wouldn't have thought it would be normal. Hardback debuts are all about a series being popular enough that you can release a fancier and rather more expensive edition first and more people will buy it than will wait for the paperback. If they've switched back to paperback... maybe they think Alex Rider isn't that popular any more, or that because of the episodic nature of the series people would be too happy to wait for a paperback based on previous sales, or maybe the book is really long and a hardcover release would be even more costly than usual, or... shrug.
It's weird... there's not really anything about it on the Anthony Horowitz or Alex Rider websites. Just an old advert promising viral advertising and digital interactivity and other things which nobody seems to have ever seen.
|
|
|
Post by cwm on Mar 20, 2011 6:41:02 GMT -5
Amazon says it's 432 pages, but that's also the same length it's got for the previous book so that might not be right, and in any case the previous book was released in hardback first.
They've recently had a re-release of the entire range in paperback, so that might be related.
They've hidden the first chapter on the website somewhere but I can't find it 'cause I'm hopeless.
|
|
|
Post by Christmas Chief on Mar 20, 2011 7:22:26 GMT -5
I saw the Alex Rider series in a book store about a week ago, and bought the first one. I'd forgotten about it until now. Anyway, they'd had the entire series (well, the first eight books) there in paperback, and I think a promo item. The ninth book is apparently going to be released in the store March 22 in hardcover, and is listed as having 400 pages.
Edit: In the U.S., that is.
|
|
|
Post by Dante on Mar 20, 2011 8:33:14 GMT -5
They've recently had a re-release of the entire range in paperback, so that might be related. Ah, that'll be it, then - consistency with the latest set of editions. Of course, AR has gone through plenty of different redesigns already, but as an episodic series which only comes out every now and then, changing the style isn't so annoying as it would be for a series that was more interlinked. They're getting the back catalogue out in affordable paperbacks and with a new style, and the last book is being released to match that style so they can push the whole collection as a set. Sherry Ann, have you read the first book yet? What did you think of it? I guess it's probably a bit dated by now. One thing I like about the series is that, while it has the whole "teen superspy" gimmick that's been ripped off by everyone by now, it doesn't play it straight at all; it's pretty clear, at least later on, that the government and his superiors are flawed and have their own agendas rather than being straightforwardly interested in the cause of international justice. Actually, I find it encouraging that most of the books with this theme that I've read tend to take this view rather than just using the gimmick as an excuse for uncomplicated escapism.
|
|
|
Post by cwm on Mar 20, 2011 9:20:26 GMT -5
I didn't think there'd been too many revisions of the covers but then I remembered around the time of Eagle Strike they redid Stormbreaker and Point Blanc for similarity. And then they redid Point Blanc's cover again a few months later, IIRC. Then Scorpia came out and broke the trend, so they redid the first four again. And the new versions' biggest difference is to include 'ALEX RIDER' on the cover (and also include an extra chapter in each book, bah humbug double dipping rip off blah).
Sherry Ann, if you get to Scorpia: I once read that the US version of this book substantially departs from the UK text in one chapter (won't spoil it) and would like confirmation if possible. Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by Dante on Mar 20, 2011 9:32:29 GMT -5
They included extra chapters in every reissued book? That's just a blatant attempt to hook in repurchases from people who already bought them. The aim of reissues is to catch new readers, not double-dip! It's just about okay if it's a special edition of just one book, like the BBRE, and you add a bunch of other fancy extras, but otherwise that's just unfair, you're punishing people for buying early. Who publishes these things... Walker. Walker, you are con artists.
I don't know when I'll be getting Scorpia Rising, incidentally. I've had to take a break from my leisure reading to grind on through my university texts for this semester, but then again, I'm nearly done with those.
|
|
|
Post by Christmas Chief on Mar 20, 2011 10:50:52 GMT -5
I haven't read Stormbreaker yet, since there's been other reading with which I've been occupied. It really shouldn't be long now, though. Sherry Ann, if you get to Scorpia: I once read that the US version of this book substantially departs from the UK text in one chapter (won't spoil it) and would like confirmation if possible. Thanks. Which chapter? I'll just check it out of the library due to the fact that if I do decide to finish the series, it could be some time until I get to Scorpia. Also, the reissue-with-extra-material trick has happened to me so many times that I've almost given up buying books when they're released altogether.
|
|
|
Post by cwm on Mar 20, 2011 11:32:23 GMT -5
Thoughts on a Train, pretty early on in the book.
|
|
|
Post by Christmas Chief on Mar 21, 2011 18:52:49 GMT -5
Now I've read AR1. Thoughts: There were aspects in the book, I found, that are constantly overused in novels of this sort. What I mean by that is I was able to easily predict acurately how everything would play out, how the gadgets would come in handy, whether the characters would prove trustworthy, etc. And then there were the concrete things (the statue accessing a trapdoor, Sayle's history) that are used in literature all the time. It was strange; usually authors acknowledge when they're about to do something a little cliched, but this one just went on through. Maybe because it was published so long ago? Or maybe it's because it's been a while since I read anything YA. I did like, however, how fast the story moved along, and the potential set for character development. I'll take a look at the sequel.
cwm, do you just want a summary of "Thoughts on a Train," or is there a specific line I should be looking for?
|
|
|
Post by cwm on Mar 22, 2011 1:34:59 GMT -5
Erm. It'd definitely be more convenient for the specific line, but it's a pretty big spoiler...
|
|
|
Post by Dante on Mar 22, 2011 4:47:54 GMT -5
Maybe we could just wait until Sherry Ann's read the chapter in question, and then say which line you were thinking of. I mean, you'll have to wait a while for her to get to that book, if she ever chooses to, cwm.
I'm not surprised to hear that Stormbreaker was a little predictable. My recollection of a lot of AR is that it in general doesn't try to hide who its villains are, because it's sort of in that campy James Bond sort of mould. Actually, I think that's an Anthony Horowitz trope in general; he likes his villains flamboyant. And while I don't remember the specific gadgets from that book, a gadget is made to be used. It'd be more of a surprise if the hero got dished a bunch of sweet devices which were never utilised at all.
|
|
|
Post by cwm on Mar 22, 2011 11:24:43 GMT -5
Maybe we could just wait until Sherry Ann's read the chapter in question, and then say which line you were thinking of. I mean, you'll have to wait a while for her to get to that book, if she ever chooses to, cwm. Fair enough - I've always been curious because it strikes me as a pretty odd change to make, but am happy to wait. Would advise you all to stay off anthonyhorowitz.com, by the way - at least one person has the last book and has let slip all the big spoilers (including the character who dies). It's only been posted in the designated spoilers thread but you never know what you might read by accident. From what I've read it sounds like the ending is going to be pretty bleak.
|
|