Starts out slow but once it gets going, it really ratchets up the action quickly. I liked 14 year old Alex Rider. He has a great attitude even when he was forced to become a spy for MI6. His learning curve is extremely quick and rather unbelieveable. If you can forget that he's 14, it's a good adventure but a totally impossible situation for one so young. His further adventures (as he matures) should be fun. I like this kind of story but not so great with a teenage protagonist - no romance and no sexual tension. IMHO a young teenage boy would love this series.