Anthony Horowitz was born in Paddington, London, into a wealthy Jewish family. He was an overweight and unhappy child and spent much of his time reading books from his father’s library. At the age of 8, Horowitz was sent to Orley Farm, a boarding preparatory school in Harrow, Middlesex.
There, he entertained his peers by telling them the stories he had read. Horowitz described his time in the school as “a brutal experience”, recalling that he was often beaten by the headmaster. At age 13 he went on to Rugby School, and discovered a love for writing.
Horowitz is the author of the number one bestselling Alex Rider books and The Power of Five series. He has enjoyed huge success as a writer for both children and the highly acclaimed Sherlock Holmes novel, ‘The House of Silk’. He was also chosen by the Ian Fleming estate to write the new James Bond novel.
Horowitz has won numerous awards, including the Bookseller Association/Nielsen Author of the Year Award, the Children’s Book of the Year Award at the British Book Awards and the Red House Children’s Book Award. In 2014 Anthony was awarded an OBE for Services to Literature. He has also created and written many major television series, including ‘Injustice’, ‘Collision’ and the award-winning ‘Foyle’s War’.
Stormbreaker – 2000
The book begins with Alex Rider learning that his uncle and adopted parent Ian Rider, has been killed in a car crash. Alex breaks into Ian’s office, discovering evidence of his uncle’s double life before being knocked out. After waking up, Alex meets MI6 head Alan Blunt and his deputy, Tulip Jones. They reveal the truth about his uncle’s job and explain that they had sent Ian to investigate Herod Sayle, a wealthy Lebanese businessman who had developed a revolutionary new computer, the Stormbreaker.
Eaglestrike – 2003
Whilst on holiday in the South of France with his friend Sabina Pleasure, Alex Rider runs into the assassin Yassen Gregorovich, who killed Alex’s uncle in the first novel Stormbreaker. When the Pleasures’ holiday home explodes in a supposed gas leak, Alex suspects Yassen is involved and sneaks on to his yacht. He comes incredibly close to shooting Yassen, but Yassen out thinks him, captures him and enters him in a bullfight as punishment. After escaping, Alex calls a number he found on Yassen’s mobile phone and hears pop star Damian Cray’s voice. He tells MI6 about this, but Alan Blunt, head of the MI6 refuses to follow up on it.
Raven’s Gate – 2005
Raven’s Gate is the first book in ‘The Power of Five’ series. Fourteen-year-old Matt Freeman and his ‘friend’ Kelvin, break into a warehouse late at night to steal electrical equipment, but are caught by the one security guard in the building. Matt is shocked and confesses, but Kelvin sneaks up behind the guard and stabs him in the back leaving him to die. Matt tries to get help, but the police come, arrest Matt and Kelvin and take the wounded man to hospital. In the station, Kelvin blames Matt for the man’s stabbing and Matt is taken by police. He wakes up in the hospital dying of thirst. In a sudden trance, Matt stared hard at a glass of water, smells burning, and stares in amazement when the water and the glass explodes even though he is ten feet away. He went back to sleep thinking it was just an odd dream