Alpha Force
Alpha Force is a series of novels written by Chris Ryan, formerly of the Special Air Service. The books are adventure novels aimed at teenagers. The eponymous Alpha Force are a group of five teenagers with unique talents, skills and personalities who were shipwrecked together in the first book, Survival, and after being forced to work together as a team, created strong friendships with each other. Every school holiday they meet up to complete different challenges to test all of their skills but always manage to get sucked into fighting wrong-doing because of their talents and inability to let injustice go unpunished.
Characters
Alpha Force, the series' progagonists. The name originating from the initial letters of the members' first names, it consists of the five main characters in the series, all in their teenage years. Hex had come up with the name in the first book, Survival. Hex had also said that Alpha was the first letter in the Greek alphabet and Alpha meant a new beginning.
- Alex is a survival expert from Northumberland, England. He was taught AbOUT surviving in different Situations by his father who is a member of the SAS. He rarely becomes agitated with people and he always tries to find a logical solution to a situation. He always carries the survival tin that his father gave him and is very attached to it. He is nominated mostly as a team leader by the other four characters, due to his survival skills and experience in the treacherous conditions which he routinely FACES.
- Li is an Anglo-Chinese girl and a martial arts expert. With her parents being zoologists, she knows a lot about nature and animals in particular. She constantly wants to prove herself and is caring but always take the opportunity to do something EXCITING and a little bit dangerous for the adrenaline rush. She has a fiery temper and is quick to want to fight injustice. She has strong will-power and is not one to give up easily.
- Paulo (Paolo) is a laid back Argentinian who is a medical expert, has great mechanical skills, can drive many forms of vehicle and has an affinity with animals, particualy horses. Although he seems to be quite lazy, a new mission, an engine to fix or Li can always get him motivated. He is a big flirt and quite vain, but he is a well-loved character. Paulo is very affectionate towards Li and throughout the series there is an obvious relationship building between the two of them.
- Hex is a skilled hacker from East London and is brilliant at code breaking, bypassing most security systems and cracking into computer systems. Even though he seems a "couch potato", Hex keeps himself very fit by going to the gym and jogging. Although he is always called Hex, it is shown in that his legal name is Melvin. Hex replies that Hex is his real name and that Melvin is what some idiot put on his birth certificate. He seems to be atrracted to Amber although his first love will always be his palm top.
- Amber is a rich girl from the USA - she's a navigational expert, having spent years on her parents' yacht, and is a skilled linguist. She is a diabetic and after her parents were killed on a secret mission she had little will to live; but Alpha Force gave her new motivation. She used to be rather snobbish, selfish and act very spoiled but as the books ProgresS these qualities lessen, although she can still use that snobbish attiude on a mission. After saving his life at the end of Survival, she develops a genuine affection towards Hex, despite their previous enmity in A-watch. Amber's Uncle John Middleton is a recurring character; Providing a base, new challenges and resources for the team.
Relationships
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. Despite her initial dislike of him in Survival, she risks her own life to save his by swimming in shark-infested water to retrieve the anti-biotics necessary to treat a Komodo dragon bite. 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. In Untouchable, when Hex is trying to find music on his palmtop to calm Alex down, we see that one of the albums there is named Amber, which seems to be another small indication he is interested in Amber. In Hostage, Amber kisses Hex on the cheek just before she gets taken hostage in the underwater mines. And in Desert Pursuit, Khalid can see straight through Amber, forcing her into admitting that she likes Hex. She can't let anybody know that she is affectionate towards 'Code-boy', so quickly refuses Khalids statements, however both Khalid and Amber know that she does have a soft-spot for Hex.
Li & Paulo
In Survival, both Li and Paulo take an interest Li is very desperate to find Paulo in Rat-Catcher and Paulo gets very angry and starts to beat Alex up when Li is missing in Desert Pursuit. 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
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 more interested in the other two boys. In Survival, he kisses Amber, but this is the only indication that he has any feelings for anyone in the group.
Books
- Survival (2002)
The first book in the series. A-Watch: an unlikely group of kids, are forced to work together to survive when they are marooned on an Indonesian Island. They unite their individual skills in order to keep healthy and survive. They face many dangers such as komodo dragons, sharks, finding food and water and modern day pirates. Their strength courage keeps them alive and they are rescued. Their adventures have only just begun on their huge journey with alpha force
- Rat-catcher (2002)
Alpha Force go to South America to secretly take part in a covert SAS operation to catch an evil drugs baron. After seeing the huge number of children on the street they come up with A Plan to try to get information about the drugs baron from them. Paulo goes undercover dressed as a street kid and becomes good friends with a young girl called Eliza. When some "adoption men" come to take Eliza to a "new home", Paulo, against strict instructions goes with Eliza to protect her. Paulo and Eliza soon find themselves in a difficult position when Paulo's cover is blown and the remaining members of Alpha Force go on a mission to rescue Paulo and Eliza from an inevitable peril
- Desert Pursuit (2003)
Undercover in the Sahara desert, the characters gather evidence of young landmine victims. But they end up racing across the desert when their friend is taken. Then they discover something worse - a gang of child slavers operating in the area.
- 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.
- Red Centre (2004)
Alpha Force are in Australia, helping with a TV reality show. But when Paulo spots a dangerous [...] hiding out in a nearby town, events lead them into adventure as the [...] 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 full force of an out-of-control bushfire.
- 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.
- Blood Money (2005)
When Amber, Li, Paulo, Hex and Alex visit India to help Build a school , 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
- 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.
- Black Gold (2005)
Alpha Force are in the Caribbean, diving, when a sudden oil spill draws them into a new mission. Having to watch out for assassins, sharks and the bends. 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.
- 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 deep in the moors of the Laird's land; Alpha Force take it upon them-selves to sort out the [...] issue themselves. Potholing, kayaking and racing powerful quad bikes across the moors, the team's expertise and individual skills are pushed to their limit.