Scorpia Rising facts for kids

Scorpia Rising is an exciting spy novel, the ninth book in the popular Alex Rider series by British author Anthony Horowitz. It was released on March 31, 2011. In this thrilling adventure, teenage spy Alex Rider faces his most dangerous enemy yet, the criminal organization Scorpia.

Alex's Final Mission

The story begins with Zeljan Kurst, a leader of the criminal group Scorpia. He meets a very rich man from Greece, Yannis Ariston Xenopolos, who is very sick. Xenopolos wants the famous Elgin Marbles to be returned to Greece. British intelligence agency MI6 tries to catch Kurst at the British Museum, but he escapes after a big fight.

Scorpia's main leaders meet in Paris. A new member, Abudl-Aziz al-Razim, takes charge of the plan to return the Elgin Marbles. He also plans to get rid of Alex Rider, who has caused Scorpia trouble before. One of Scorpia's members, Levi Kroll, argues against the plan and is killed by a sniper. Kurst then uses Kroll's body as part of Razim's plan.

Meanwhile, Scorpia helps Julius Grief escape from a secret prison. Julius is a clone who looks exactly like Alex Rider. Scorpia then makes it look like Levi Kroll's body was found in the River Thames. MI6 finds clues on Kroll's body, making them think Scorpia will attack a college in Cairo, Egypt.

Alex Goes to Cairo

Alan Blunt, the head of MI6, wants Alex to go on this mission. Mrs. Jones, his deputy, is against it because it's too dangerous for Alex. At Alex's school, a sniper tries to attack him during math class. Alex chases the sniper, causing their helicopter to crash.

Later, Alan Blunt and Mrs. Jones visit Alex. They convince him to go to Cairo to investigate the Cairo International College of Arts and Education (CICAE). MI6 thinks something is wrong there, especially since the school's old security chief died mysteriously. Alex's guardian, Jack Starbright, insists on going with him to keep him safe. Smithers, MI6's gadget expert, also joins them.

Alex starts investigating Erik Gunter, who works at the college. Alex finds Gunter at a secret floating workshop called the House of Gold. Gunter buys a sniper rifle there and then kills the seller. Gunter then blows up the workshop, and Alex is thrown into the Nile.

Captured and Rescued

An unknown group captures Alex. They question him very intensely at their headquarters. It turns out they are the CIA. The head of the CIA, Joe Byrne, explains they are there to protect the American Secretary of State, who is visiting Cairo. Alex tells Byrne about Gunter's involvement in the murder. Byrne agrees to watch Gunter.

Thinking the CIA will handle Gunter, Alex and Jack decide to go back to England. They visit Smithers to tell him their decision. But Scorpia agents attack Smithers' house! Alex and Smithers barely escape using many cool gadgets, like a trap door and a secret tunnel in the fridge. Before leaving, Smithers reveals he has been wearing a special suit that makes him look bigger than he is.

Jack's Fate and Alex's Revenge

When Alex gets home, he finds that Jack has been kidnapped by Scorpia. He is told to go to a cemetery called the City of the Dead. There, he meets Julius and Gunter. Alex is taken to Razim's fort, where he sees Jack again. They are watched closely. Jack tells Alex she plans to escape that night.

That night, Alex is taken to Razim's lab. Razim reveals he knew about Jack's escape plan. Julius then blows up Jack with a car bomb, despite Alex's desperate protests. Alex is overcome with sadness and passes out.

The next night, Alex is taken back to Cairo. In a van, Gunter tells Alex Scorpia's full plan. Scorpia has made up fake evidence claiming MI6 used a teenage boy (Alex) to kill the American Secretary of State. They plan to use this fake evidence to force the British government to return the Elgin Marbles. This would also ruin Britain's reputation.

However, Alex manages to fight and kill Gunter after Gunter is stung by a scorpion. Alex grabs Gunter's pistol and chases Julius. He stops Julius from shooting the American Secretary of State. Julius is hurt in the chase but tries to shoot Alex again. Alex has to shoot back to defend himself, killing Julius.

Alex then returns to the CIA. The CIA and the Egyptian secret service form a team to attack Razim's fort in the desert. Alex goes with them to help. Pretending to be Julius, Alex turns off the fort's defenses. The CIA and Egyptians then attack. Alex confronts Razim on a bridge. Razim tries to shoot Alex, but Blake Lewinsky (a CIA agent) shoots the bridge, making Razim fall into a pile of salt. Razim dies by suffocating in the salt. The task force defeats Razim's remaining men.

Aftermath

After the mission, the remaining Scorpia members, including Kurst, are caught or dealt with. Scorpia is completely destroyed. Back in England, Alan Blunt retires from MI6, and Mrs. Jones takes over as the new head. She tells Alex that Blunt had ordered the sniper to shoot at Alex's school.

Because of the terrible things that happened, like Julius's death, Razim's gruesome end, and the supposed death of Jack, Alex is very broken. Mrs. Jones promises never to use Alex as a spy again. Alex is now living with Sabina Pleasure's father, Edward. He is preparing to move to America, where he hopes to finally live a normal life.

Main Characters

Heroes

• Alex Rider - A very skilled teenage spy. After this mission, Alex is deeply affected by everything he has been through.
• Jack Starbright - Alex's housekeeper and like a mother to him. Jack is very protective of Alex. Her love for him plays a big part in the story.
• Alan Blunt - The tough head of MI6. He faces losing his job and eventually retires at the end of the book.
• Mrs. Jones - Alan Blunt's deputy. She is kind but also tough. She becomes the new head of MI6.
• Smithers - MI6's gadget expert. He is very kind-hearted. He uses a special suit to make himself look different.

Villains

• Razim - A very intelligent but emotionless villain who wants to cause pain.
• Julius Grief - A clone who looks exactly like Alex Rider. He is obsessed with killing Alex.
• Erik Gunter - A former war hero who betrays his country to work for Scorpia.
• Zeljan Kurst - A leader of Scorpia. He is arrested at the end of the book.