Alpha Force Books
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The Alpha Force Books are a series of children's books written by Chris Ryan.They are about a group of teenagers who tackle wrongdoing around the world. In every book, Chris Ryan adds his top ten SAS tips on surviving in a situation Alpha Force were in (eg. cliff climbing, surviving around wild animals, surviving in a desert etc.).
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[edit] Characters
Alpha Force (from their names, as well as the Greek, meaning beginning) is a group of teenagers each with special skills, interests and weaknesses:
- Alex is the survival expert, from Northumbria, England, he was taught a lot about surviving in different situations and climates from his father who works in the SAS. Angry whenever his survival kit is misused. He is the only character in the group to get gagged.
- Li is the climbing, martial arts and nature expert from China. Smallest in the group, sometimes gets help from the wrong people and gets herself into trouble sometimes. Her love for Paulo makes her a bit desperate and too hurried to spot danger.
- Paulo is the laid back Argentinian who is a mechanical expert and has great medical skills. A bit naive, known to curse in Spanish and is quite poor at speaking English.
- Hex is the ace hacker from London who is brilliant at code breaking and can bypass most security systems. Spends too much time on his palmtop sometimes and is a bit aggressive.
- Amber is the rich girl from the USA who is a navigational expert. A diabetic, having to stop to inject insulin and a bit overly aggressive, like Hex. Sometimes acts like a snob.
Also Amber's Uncle (her parents were killed on a mission tackling wrongdoing) is a recurring character, providing a base for the team.
[edit] Relationships
[edit] Amber & Hex
Amber seems to take an interest in Hex, as evidenced in Hostage, first when Chris Ryan tells us Alpha Force, and Hex in particular, are the people she loved most, and when she kissed him a little later, despite disliking him in Survival. She risks her life to save him by going to find medical supplies on a hijacked boat. In Desert Pusuit Khalid teases her about her obvious attraction to Hex, when she gives him an affectionate (but discreet, seeing as she loves to make people think she hates him) smile and she is upset with Hex when he goes back to save one of the children in the Unimog. Hex replies that he'll never act as a hero again. They also seem to be good friends outside their Alpha Force adventures as Amber mentions that Hex stayed with her in New York during their holidays.
Hex seems to prefer his Palmtop and loves tormenting her. However, Hex shows his interest in Amber when he gives her his food in Survival and when she stops acting stuck up. He figures out why she wears the Omega necklace around her neck. In Desert Pusuit, Hex has a new Palmtop equipped with technology from Amber's parents' company, ending his grudge against her for throwing his last one into the sea and he clearly shows how much he cares for her in Hostage by saving her from the polar bears. He makes the team stop when Amber found the mountain conditions in Rat Catcher very difficult and always reminds her to check her circulation and blood sugar level. He protects her in Desert Pursuit by covering her while being shot at in the Unimog. In Blood Money, Li asks Hex if he has feelings for Amber. Hex, embarrassed, refused to answer unless Li balanced on a bed spring for a while, but she didn't succeed, so Hex never answered her question. In Fault Line, Hex writes something to Amber on his Palmtop, near death, but he deletes it before Amber or the reader can see. The only evidence it was to Amber was when Chris Ryan tells us the first two words in the "e-mail" were "dear Amber."
[edit] Li & Paulo
They both seem to have taken a fancy to each other. Paulo trying to catch Li off guard in Survival, Li very desperate to find Paulo in Rat-Catcher and Paulo getting very angry and starting to beat Alex up when Li is missing in Desert Pursuit. Li has hugged Paulo a lot and he has tried to help her with her fear of heights in Hunted.More evidence of their relationship appears in Blood Money when Li tried to get Hex to admit his fancy towards Amber, by saying "you wish probably Amber was here instead of me," but Hex retorted with "you probably wish Paulo was here instead of me." In Desert Pursuit, Chris Ryan tells us that Paulo was more fond of Li than he cared to admit and he has been known to give her a fond smile. They haven't been alone long enough to kiss though, though in Rat-Catcher, we are told that Paulo whispered something into his transmitter and kissed it, so it may be him admitting his fancy to Li and kissing the medallion to kiss her..
[edit] Alex?
Alex doesn't seem to have any girlfriend in any of the books, considering there are only two girls in the entire group, both of which are romantically interested in the other two boys. He did seem to take an interest in Amber in Survival, trying to help her get over the fact she didn't get enough food, and kissing her when she came back with Hex's medicine, but that is all.
[edit] Books
(N.B. In the first five books (Survival-Red Centre) one character is somehow unable to take part in the mission because they have either been captured or injured badly. Each description of the titles below have the name of the character and what happened to them. In Untouchable, every character comes close to dying(except possibly Alex).)
[edit] Survival (2002)
The first in the series. The characters are marooned on a desert island where they must survive komodo dragons, sharks and modern day pirates, among others. Character injured/captured: Hex (poisoned by a Komodo Dragon)
[edit] Rat-catcher (2002)
The characters go to South America to take part in a covert SAS operation to catch an evil drugs rat. They begin with the street kids but their adventure takes them high into the isolated mountains. Character injured/captured: Paulo (Captured by Main Villain)
[edit] Desert Pursuit (2003)
Undercover in the Sahara desert, the characters gather evidence of young landmine victims. But they are end up racing across the desert when they discover something worse - a gang of child slavers operating in the area. Character injured/captured: Li (Captured by Main Villain)
[edit] Hostage (2003)
Flying to Alaska to investigate reports of illegal dumping of toxic waste, they must dive into an icy river, cross the harsh landscape on snowmobiles and use their caving skills to complete their mission. But most of all, they need courage and determination when they come face-to-face with a man who is ready to kill to stop them. Character injured/captured: Amber (Taken hostage by man who kills her parents. Nearly gets killed by her diabetes)
[edit] Red Centre (2004)
Alpha Force are in Australia, helping with a TV reality show. But when Paulo spots a dangerous terrorist hiding out in a nearby town, events lead them into adventure as the terrorist seizes hostages and flies off into the bush. Supporting the Australian SAS, Alpha Force have to take action - even if it means flying into the midst of a scary bushfire. Character injured/captured: Alex (Taken Hostage by Main villain along with other hostages. Only character to be gagged)
[edit] Hunted (2004)
Alpha Force head to Zambia to compete in an extreme sports contest. When they discover a horrifying threat to the local wildlife, they take action, only to find themselves facing a flight across the African plains, pursued by a group who are prepared to shoot to kill.
[edit] Blood Money (2005)
When Amber, Li, Paulo, Hex and Alex visit India, they discover an abuse of human rights - the deliberate theft of human organs for transplant surgery. When a young girl is taken, Alpha Force must utilize all their skills to locate her before she is used.
[edit] Fault Line (2005)
Alpha Force are in Belize for jungle survival training, but when they are caught in an earthquake tremor and must help a victim to safety, they find themselves at the epicentre of a massive quake. As buildings crumble, trapping people underground, and surface structures buckle, Alpha Force need all their courage and skills to help as many as possible survive. Character captured/injured: Hex,who is trapped in a dinosaur skeleton.
[edit] Black Gold (2005)
Alpha Force are in the Caribbean, diving, when a sudden oil spill draws them into a new mission. All their skills - powerboating, scuba-diving and jetskiing - are needed when an underwater bomb explodes. An assassin's strike thickens the plot and worsens the situation.
[edit] Untouchable (2005)
In the Scottish highlands, Alpha Force are helping out on a survival outdoors adventure holiday programme for problem youngsters when they stumble across evidence of an illegal drugs laboratory, hidden high on the moors on the laird's land. High-speed chases with quad bikes and 4X4 vehicles across country along with survival skills like rafting, abseiling and hiking ensue, before the plot focuses on designer drugs and their manufacture. Character injured/captured: Everyone except Alex (Hex nearly shot and left to die in a gas-filled chamber, Li nearly gassed to death, Amber nearly drowned by a drugged and insensible Hex and Paulo shot in the arm).
