In Love with Alex Rider.

Hmm, having written this I realise that this might sound slightly suspect. Let me try to explain.... 
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At a recent workshop I attended we were encouraged to look closely at our favourite author's books to identify what made them so enjoyable, and indeed successful. What we loved about them. I am rapidly gobbling up all of the Alex Rider books that Anthony Horowitz has currently written, and his protagonist is an extremely attractive one.

These are some of the reasons that I think Alex , and the books, work so well:
Alex is an ordinary school kid, but takes on secret identities and missions - who wouldn't rather be doing this than sitting in a lesson of double maths, or completing their tax return?

Horowitz has Alex travelling to  fantasic  and exciting locations, such as  Malagasto, the plague island near Venice, Wimbledon, Cuba, the Science Museum in London, a fortified school in the French Alps

Alex is able to do incredible stunts to escape trouble and catch the criminals - surfing the The Cribber, avoiding being mown down by a machine gun whilst on a snowboard,escaping from a car crusher, and jumping off a bridge on a horse to get out of the path of a high speed train, to name but a few

Horowitz always opens the books with a compelling scene such as Sarov's trick at Skeleton Key and the Cessna's passengers horrible end in the crocodile swamp

There are great action scenes

Chapters have catchy headings and usually end with a cliff hanger.
Horowitz has great economy with words. Sentences are often short and punchy, and everything written is moving the action along efficiently.

So I have decided to try to use some of these features in my latest book Catalunya. I'm always being told that I use too many adverbs, so less of these, and I've been enjoying using short sentences and trying to make my action scenes more powerful and visual. Horowitz's scenes play in my head as if they are on the big screen. Something he makes look easy...

Do you like Alex Rider? What do you think makes these books so successful?

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