Alex Rider: Christmas at Gunpoint
Encyclopedia
Alex Rider: Christmas At Gunpoint is a short story
by British
author Anthony Horowitz
. It features the protagonist
of Horowitz's Alex Rider series
, a young boy named Alex Rider who is forced to become an agent for MI6.
Christmas At Gunpoint is canonical
with the Alex Rider series; it is a prequel
story to the series. It takes place when Alex is thirteen years old, some months before the events of Stormbreaker
, the first Alex Rider novel. The story is unique amongst Horowitz's other Alex Rider works in that it is written in the first person
, with Alex telling the story. All other works are written in the third person.
The story was published exclusively for the Daily Mail
in late 2006. It is released in two parts, Part Two being released one week after Part One. It has also been included in "The Alex Rider Mission Files".
recounts one time he came very close to discovering the truth about his uncle:
Part One
A thirteen-year-old Alex and his uncle Ian are on a skiing holiday at Gunpoint, Colorado
. Alex notices some strange men at the resort, as well as seeing his uncle behaving somewhat unusually around them. Alex is put in a difficult situation when he witnesses the kidnapping of Sahara Sands, a girl he met at the resort. He follows them.
Part Two
Alex has followed the kidnappers and finds out that Sahara has been kidnapped for the ransom of her father's laptop
. When her father hands it over, Alex races down and snatches the laptop from the kidnappers, leading them on a high-speed ski chase to steal it back from him. When they are about to kill him, Ian shows up and saves Alex.
This will now be released by Walker Books
December 1st 2011 in the special Stormbreaker edition.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Craig Horowitz is an English novelist and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series and has written over fifty books. He has also written extensively for television, adapting many of Agatha Christie's...
. It features the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of Horowitz's Alex Rider series
Alex Rider
Alex Rider is a series of spy novels by British author Anthony Horowitz about a 14-15 year old spy named Alex Rider. The series is aimed primarily at young adults. Nine novels have been published to date, as well as three graphic novels, three short stories and a supplementary book...
, a young boy named Alex Rider who is forced to become an agent for MI6.
Christmas At Gunpoint is canonical
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
with the Alex Rider series; it is a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
story to the series. It takes place when Alex is thirteen years old, some months before the events of Stormbreaker
Stormbreaker
Stormbreaker may refer to:*Stormbreaker , a novel by Anthony Horowitz*Stormbreaker , a film based on the novel by Anthony Horowitz*Alex Rider: Stormbreaker, a video game based on the above film...
, the first Alex Rider novel. The story is unique amongst Horowitz's other Alex Rider works in that it is written in the first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
, with Alex telling the story. All other works are written in the third person.
The story was published exclusively for the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
in late 2006. It is released in two parts, Part Two being released one week after Part One. It has also been included in "The Alex Rider Mission Files".
Plot
Alex RiderAlex Rider (character)
Alex Rider is a fictional character, and the protagonist and title character of the popular Alex Rider novel series by British author Anthony Horowitz...
recounts one time he came very close to discovering the truth about his uncle:
Part One
A thirteen-year-old Alex and his uncle Ian are on a skiing holiday at Gunpoint, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Alex notices some strange men at the resort, as well as seeing his uncle behaving somewhat unusually around them. Alex is put in a difficult situation when he witnesses the kidnapping of Sahara Sands, a girl he met at the resort. He follows them.
Part Two
Alex has followed the kidnappers and finds out that Sahara has been kidnapped for the ransom of her father's laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
. When her father hands it over, Alex races down and snatches the laptop from the kidnappers, leading them on a high-speed ski chase to steal it back from him. When they are about to kill him, Ian shows up and saves Alex.
This will now be released by Walker Books
Walker Books
Walker Books is an independent British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker.The success of their Where's Wally? series enabled them to expand into the American market, starting a sister company called Candlewick Press in 1991.Amelia Edwards, co-founder of Walker Books,...
December 1st 2011 in the special Stormbreaker edition.