Russian Roulette: An Assassin's Story

Alex Rider, Book 10

By: Anthony Horowitz

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

The final story in the #1 best-selling Alex Rider series! Alex Rider's life changed forever with the silent pull of a trigger. When Ian Rider died at the hands of the assassin Yassen Gregorovich, Alex, ready or not, was thrust into the world of international espionage - the world's only teenage spy. Alex vowed revenge against Yassen and the two have battled ever since. Yet, years ago, it was none other than Alex's own father who trained and mentored Yassen, turning him into the killer he would eventually become. What makes us choose evil? Why did one boy choose to kill while another chose to risk his life to save others? In some ways, Alex Rider and Yassen Gregorovich are mirror images of each other. Yet the paths they traveled turned them into mortal enemies.This is Yassen's story. A journey down a darkened path. International #1 best seller, Anthony Horowitz, delivers a blockbuster thrill ride in this, his final Alex Rider novel.

©2013 Anthony Horowitz (P)2013 Recorded Books

Surprise story

I was surprised that the story was a history of the assassin's life . It was fascinating to watch his life unfold and see the unchosen path it took and yet he maintained compassion for those who shared his fate. Good listen.

Wow

This was one fantastic character analysis.
I was fascinated from start to finish
Choices and turning points are crucial in our development

Great story

I really enjoyed the story, it was compelling and you felt deeply for the character. It was quite an unexpected journey, with heartwrenching twists. Overall very satisfying.
My only criticism is with the narrator. A British accent makes most books pleasant to listen to overall, and this was generally the case here. My issue was that there were a fair few times that other accents were required, specifically Russian. As a native speaker, I am used to cringing at poor pronunciation, but there were times it felt like my ears were going to bleed. I am glad that they said the english translation after the "Russian " chapter names, because otherwise there were times I had no idea what he was saying. The various British accents that were employed for a few of the Russian characters were a very odd choice. Even the "American" accents were atrocious. There are thousands of people who speak Russian and English very well and it would have been a much better choice to choose one of them for a book that had so many Russian characters and words.

Narrators voice.

Great reading. And voice change! Made it very easy to follow along while doing multiple things at once

My favorite book in the series

This is not standard YA - it's got a ton of depth and is utterly captivating.