Scorpia (novel)

Scorpia

First edition cover
Author	Anthony Horowitz
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	Alex Rider series
Genre	Adventure, Spy novel, thriller
Publisher	Walker Books (UK)
Publication date	1 April 2004
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	369 pg. (first edition, paperback) 388 pg. (second edition, paperback) 312 pg. (third edition, hardback)
ISBN	(first edition, paperback) ISBN (first edition, hardback)
OCLC	54824099
LC Class	PZ7.H7875 Sc 2004
Preceded by	Eagle Strike
Followed by	Ark Angel

Scorpia is the fifth book in the Alex Rider series (stories about the adventures of Alex Rider a 14–15-year-old spy), written by British author Anthony Horowitz. It begins several weeks after the events of fourth book, Eagle Strike, and up to nine days before the sixth, Ark Angel.

The book concerns the plans of a criminal organisation attempting to disrupt UK/US relations by murdering schoolchildren. Alex thwarts them by infiltrating the organisation but at the end is shot by a Scorpia sniper, leaving his fate unknown.

It was released in the United Kingdom on 1 April 2004 and in the United States on 17 March 2005.

Alex Rider goes on a school trip to Venice in order to investigate Scorpia (an acronym for "Sabotage, CORruPtion, Intelligence and Assassination"), an organization that carries out acts of terrorism for money, having been told to do so by Yassen Gregorovitch if he wished to learn about his father. With the help of his best friend Tom Harris, Alex manages to sneak into a party hosted by Julia Rothman, an executive member of Scorpia, and discovers evidence linking the organization to a pharmaceutical company called Consanto Enterprises. Before Alex can learn more, he is confronted by a Scorpia agent named Nile, who overpowers him and locks him in a room that will flood as the Venice tide increases, drowning him. Alex manages to escape into the Grand Canal.

With the help of Tom's brother Jerry, Alex BASE jumps into Consanto Enterprises, and is eventually confronted by Dr. Liebermann, the head of the organization. Nile shows up, but much to Alex's surprise, he kills Liebermann and offers to take Alex to see Rothman. While having dinner with her, Alex is told that his father was a Scorpia agent, and was not killed in a plane crash as MI6 claimed, but was in fact murdered by them while being exchanged for one of Scorpia's hostages, on the orders of Mrs Jones. After hearing this, Alex decides he wants to join Scorpia and begins his training at Scorpia's "school" on the island of Malagosto, an island near Venice. He becomes a top student, but his instructors become concerned upon learning that he lacks a willingness to kill.

During these events, Scorpia mail a list of political demands for the American Government to the British Government, warning them that if the demands are not followed through, Scorpia will use a weapon codenamed Invisible Sword to carry out a massacre of children in London. As a demonstration, Scorpia use the weapon on the England National Football Team reserves as they return from a tournament in Africa; despite the best efforts of the British security services, the team are all killed through an unexplained means. Scorpia take advantage of the chaos at the airport to smuggle Alex back into the country, where he attempts to murder Mrs Jones on Scorpia's orders, his instructors believing the promise of revenge will make him more willing to kill. Though Alex is willing to fire a gun at Mrs Jones, it hits an invisible pane of bulletproof glass, and he is captured by MI6. Alex later learns that he turned the gun away at the last moment.