274 pages
English language
Published April 12, 2004 by Puffin.
After getting involved involuntarily with M16 after his uncle Ian Rider, a M16 agent is murdered Alex Rider seems to be a favorite inlistment of Alan Blunt, M16 Comander. Alex is sent in to spy in a rich-kid boarding school located high in the secluded Swedish Mountains. With no near communication or back-up Alex is all for himself in figuring out the school. All the teenagers attending the all boy school seem to be hypnotic until Alex stumbles upon knowing that they are specially made robots. How will Alex stop the creation of his own look-alike robot taking his place and from the eccentric owner from taking over the world with his crazy creations, or will Alex stop him?
This is pretty much a second template adventure for young alex. There isn't a huge deal of character development, although we do start to see his dissolution with normal life. Although apart from that there's not much extra, a bonus point for the utterly captivating ending. A sprig of healthy doubt is good for the soul
