Anthony Horowitz's life might have been copied from the pages of Charles Dickens or the Brothers Grimm. Born in 1956 in Stanmore, Middlesex, to a family of wealth and status, Anthony was raised by nannies, surrounded by servants and chauffeurs. His father, a wealthy businessman, was, says Mr. Horowitz, "a fixer for Harold Wilson." What that means exactly is unclear — "My father was a very secretive man," he says— so an aura of suspicion and mystery surrounds both the word and the man. As unlikely as it might seem, Anthony's father, threatened with bankruptcy, withdrew all of his money from Swiss bank accounts in Zurich and deposited it in another account under a false name and then promptly died. His mother searched unsuccessfully for years in attempt to find the money, but it was never found. That too shaped Anthony's view of things. Today he says, "I think the only thing to do with money is spend it." His mother, whom he adored, eccentrically gave him a human skull for his 13th birthday. His grandmother, another Dickensian character, was mean-spirited and malevolent, a destructive force in his life. She was, he says, "a truly evil person", his first and worst arch villain. "My sister and I danced on her grave when she died," he now recalls.

A miserably unhappy and overweight child, Anthony had nowhere to turn for solace. "Family meals," he recalls, "had calories running into the thousands…. I was an astoundingly large, round child…." At the age of eight he was sent off to boarding school, a standard practice of the times and class in which he was raised. While being away from home came as an enormous relief, the school itself, Orley Farm, was a grand guignol horror with a headmaster who flogged the boys till they bled. "Once the headmaster told me to stand up in assembly and in front of the whole school said, 'This boy is so stupid he will not be coming to Christmas games tomorrow.' I have never totally recovered." To relieve his misery and that of the other boys, he not unsurprisingly made up tales of astounding revenge and retribution.

So how did an unhappy boy, from a privileged background, metamorphose into the creator of Alex Rider, fourteen-year-old spy for Britain's MI6? Although his childhood permanently damaged him, it also gave him a gift — it provided him with rich source material for his writing career. He found solace in boyhood in the escapism of the James Bond films, he says. He claims that his two sons now watch the James Bond films with the same tremendous enjoyment he did at their age. Bond's glamour translates perfectly to the 14-year-old psyche, the author says. "Bond had his cocktails, the car and the clothes. Kids are just as picky. It's got to be the right Nike trainers (sneakers), the right skateboard. And I genuinely think that 14-year-olds are the coolest people on the planet. It's this wonderful, golden age, just on the cusp of manhood when everything seems possible."

Alex Rider is unwillingly recruited at the age of fourteen to spy for the British secret service, MI6. Forced into situations that most average adults would find terrifying and probably fatal, young Alex rarely loses his cool although at times he doubts his own courage. Using his intelligence and creativity, and aided by non-lethal gadgets dreamed up by MI6's delightfully eccentric, overweight and disheveled Smithers, Alex is able to extricate himself from situations when all seems completely lost. What is perhaps more terrifying than the deeply dangerous missions he finds himself engaged in, is the attitude of his handlers at MI6, who view the boy as nothing more than an expendable asset.

The highly successful Alex Rider novels include Stormbreaker, Point Blank, Skeleton Key, and the recent Eagle Strike.

Anthony Horowitz is perhaps the busiest writer in England. He has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. He writes in a comfortable shed in his garden for up to ten hours per day. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider books, he has also written episodes of several popular TV crime series, including Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. He has written a television series Foyle's War, which recently aired in the United States, and he has written the libretto of a Broadway musical adapted from Dr. Seuss's book, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. His film script The Gathering has just finished production. And…oh yes…there are more Alex Rider novels in the works. Anthony has also written the Diamond Brothers series.

“Acerca de” puede pertenecer a otra edición de este título.

World of Books (was SecondSale)

Montgomery, IL, Estados Unidos de America

Vendedor de 5 estrellas

Vendedor de AbeBooks desde 20 de diciembre de 2007

Tarifas de envío en Estados Unidos de America

Artículo	De 4 a 12 días hábiles	De 3 a 6 días hábiles
Primer artículo	EUR 0,00	EUR 9,45

Los plazos de entrega los establecen los vendedores y varían según el transportista y la ubicación. Los pedidos que pasan por la aduana pueden sufrir retrasos y los compradores son responsables de los aranceles o tarifas asociadas. Los vendedores pueden ponerse en contacto con usted en relación con cargos adicionales para cubrir cualquier aumento en los costes de envío de los artículos.

Métodos de pago

Descripción de la tienda

Founded in 2002, World of Books is a leading online destination for buying and selling both preloved and new books, committed to making sustainable reading accessible to all. With a mission to help people read more and waste less, World of Books offers a huge range of affordable, high-quality books — giving both new and preloved titles a second life. The company also operates World of Books – Sell Your Books, an easy-to-use platform that allows customers to trade in unwanted books for cash, helping to keep books in circulation while promoting sustainability. As a Certified B Corp, World of Books is driven by a vision to become the world’s largest and most sustainable dedicated online bookstore. The company measures its success through the positive environmental impact it creates, the value it provides to customers, and its ability to operate profitably while supporting its sustainable mission

Información empresarial del vendedor

SBYB, Inc.

900 Knell Rd
Montgomery, IL Estados Unidos de America 60538

Contactar con el vendedorVer los artículos de este vendedorVer la página principal del vendedor

Condiciones de venta

We guarantee the condition of every book as it's described on the Abebooks web sites. If you're dissatisfied with your purchase (Incorrect Book/Not as Described/Damaged) or if the order hasn't arrived, you're eligible for a refund within 30 days of the estimated delivery date. If you've changed your mind about a book that you've ordered, please use the Ask bookseller a question link to contact us and we'll respond within 2 business days.

Derecho al desistimiento

Si es un consumidor, puede rescindir el contrato de acuerdo con lo siguiente. Por consumidor se entiende cualquier persona física que actúe con fines ajenos a su actividad comercial, empresarial, oficio o profesión.

Información sobre el derecho de desistimiento

Derecho legal de desistimiento

Tiene derecho a rescindir este contrato en un plazo de 14 días sin dar ningún motivo.

El periodo de desistimiento vencerá a los 14 días desde que usted, o un tercero que no sea el transportista e indicado por usted, adquiera la posesión física del último bien o del último lote o pieza.

Para ejercer el derecho de desistimiento, complete de forma electrónica y envíe una declaración clara en nuestro sitio web, desde "Mis compras" en "Mi cuenta". Le enviaremos sin demora un acuse de recibo de dicho desistimiento a través de un soporte duradero (por ejemplo, por correo electrónico).

Para cumplir con el plazo de desistimiento, basta con que envíe su comunicación relativa al ejercicio del derecho de desistimiento antes de que venza el periodo de desistimiento.

Efectos del desistimiento

Si rescinde este contrato, le reembolsaremos todos los pagos que hayamos recibido de usted, incluidos los gastos de envío (excepto los gastos adicionales que surjan si elige un tipo de envío que no sea el tipo de envío estándar más económico que ofrecemos).

Podemos hacer una deducción del reembolso por la pérdida de valor de cualquier bien suministrado, si la pérdida es el resultado de una manipulación innecesaria por su parte.

Efectuaremos el reembolso sin demoras indebidas y, a más tardar, 14 días después de que se nos informe de su decisión de rescindir este contrato.

Efectuaremos el reembolso utilizando el mismo medio de pago que utilizó para la transacción inicial, a menos que haya acordado expresamente lo contrario; en cualquier caso, no incurrirá en ningún cargo como resultado de dicho reembolso.

Podremos retener el reembolso hasta que hayamos recibido los bienes o hasta que nos haya presentado una prueba de que los ha devuelto, lo que ocurra primero.

Deberá devolver los bienes o entregarlos a World of Books (was SecondSale), Montgomery, Illinois, U.S.A., sin demoras indebidas y, en cualquier caso, en un plazo máximo de 14 días a partir del día en que nos comunique su desistimiento del presente contrato. El plazo se cumple si devuelve la mercancía antes de que venza el periodo de 14 días. Tendrá que asumir los gastos directos de devolución de los bienes. Usted solo es responsable de la disminución del valor de los bienes como resultado de una manipulación distinta a la necesaria para establecer la naturaleza, las características y el funcionamiento de los bienes.

Excepciones al derecho de desistimiento

El derecho de desistimiento no se aplica a lo siguiente:

La entrega de periódicos, diarios o revistas, con la excepción de los contratos de suscripción; y
El suministro de contenido digital que no se proporcione en un soporte tangible (por ejemplo, en un CD o DVD) si, al hacer el pedido, aceptó que podíamos empezar a entregarlo y que no podría desistir una vez iniciada la entrega.

Condiciones de envío

Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.

Snakehead Alex Rider

Descripción del artículo del vendedor

Detalles bibliográficos

Sinopsis

Acerca de

Acerca del autor