Alpha Force Books

The Alpha Force Books written by Chris Ryan,(an ex-SAS soldier and now popular author) are adventure stories aimed at teenagers. At the end of each book are the top ten SAS tips from Chris Ryan on surviving the situation that Alpha Force just faced in the story. Alpha Force are a group of 5 teenagers with unique talents, skills and personalities who were shipwrecked together in the first book (Survival) and after having to be forced to work together as a team, they had created strong friendships with each other. Every school holiday they meet up to complete different challenges that test all of their skills but somehow always manage to get sucked into fighting wrong-doing because of their talents and inability to let injustice go unpunished.

Characters

Alpha Force; aptly named Alpha, made up of the initial letters of all their names and also the first letter of the Greek alphabet symbolising a new beginning, are a unlikely group of teenagers each with unique talents, skills and personalities.
*Alex is a survival expert, from Northumbria, England. He was taught a lot about surviving in different situations from his father who works in the SAS. He rarely get agitated with people and he always tries to find a logical soloution to a situation. He always carries, and treasures his Survival tin that his Dad gave him. He is a calm, collected and caring character who is sympethetic yet still very down the earth. He is encouraging character and keep his word when he says: "You'll live". He's quite a private person making it hard for readers to pick out how he is feeling.
*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 when she wants it and is quick to want to fight injustice and is definitely not scared of a fight. She has strong will-power and is not one to give up easily.
*Paulo is a laid back Argentinian who is a medical expert, has great mechanical skills and can drive just about anything. Although he's seems to be quite lazy, a new mission, an engine to fix or just Li herself can always get him motivated. He is big flirt and quite vain, but he is a well loved character. Frequently known to curse in Spanish he is also quite protective about the one's he loves when they are in danger. He is an amazing driver as shown in desert pursuit when riding over the sand dunes and loves tinkering with machines. Paulo is very affectionate towards Li and throughout out the series there is an obvious relationship building between the two of them.
* Hex is an skilled hacker from East London and is brilliant at code breaking, bypassing most security systems and hacking into computer systems. Even though he sounds a like a coach potato Hex keeps himself very fit by going to the gym and jogging. Prefers his own company and often spends too much time on his palmtop - he can get a bit aggressive when it's taken from him. He is very caring and will fight injustice readily but logically, and is quick to spot the difference from an accident and murder, while the rest of the team quickly assume it to be an accident - as shown in Hostage.Although he is always called Hex, it is shown in red center that his real name is Melvin. Hex replys that Hex is his real name and that Melvin was is what some Idiot put on his birth certificate.
*Amber is a rich girl from the USA - she's a navigational expert having spent years on her parent's yacht and is a great linguist. She's a diabetic and, after her parents were killed on a secret mission she just couldn't find the will to live but Alpha Force gave her new motivation. She used to be rather snobbish, selfish and act very spoilt but as the books progress she gets better. Amber can be a bit bossy at times but is very caring and loves Alpha Force and her Uncle. After saving his life at the end of Survival, she develops a genuine affection towards Hex even though they were close to arch enemies before hand in A-watch.

Amber's Uncle John Middleton is a recurring character; providing a base, new challenges and resources for the team. He doesn't like the idea of Alpha Force to begin with, but it grows on him once he sees the team's spirit and skills.

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, and when she kissed him a little later, despite disliking him in Survival. She risks her life to save him by going to find medical supplies on a hijacked boat. In Desert Pursuit Khalid teases her about her obvious attraction to Hex, when she gives him an affectionate (but discreet, seeing as she loves to make people think she still hates him) smile and she is upset with Hex when he goes back to save one of the children in the Unimog. Hex replies that he'll never act as a hero again. They also seem to be good friends outside their Alpha Force adventures as Amber mentions that Hex stayed with her in New York during their holidays.

Hex seems to prefer his Palmtop and loves tormenting her. However, Hex shows his interest in Amber when he gives her his food in Survival and when she stops acting so stuck up. He figures out why she wears the Omega necklace around her neck. In Desert Pursuit, Hex has a new Palmtop equipped with technology from Amber's parents' company, ending his grudge against her for throwing his last one into the sea and he shows how much he cares for her in Hostage by saving her from a polar bear. He makes the team stop when Amber found the mountain conditions in Rat Catcher very difficult and always reminds her to check her circulation and blood sugar level. He protects her in Desert Pursuit by covering her while being shot at in the Unimog. 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. The only evidence it was to Amber was when Chris Ryan tells us the first two words in the "e-mail" were "dear Amber." 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.

Li & Paulo

They both seem to have taken a fancy to each other. They flirt a lot in Survival, 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. Li hugs Paulo a lot and he has tried to help her with her fear of heights in Hunted. 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. They haven't been alone long enough to kiss onstage though it is heavily implied they may have kissed offstage.

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. He seemed to take an interest in Amber in Survival, trying to help her get over the fact she didn't get enough food, and kissing her when she came back with Hex's medicine. But the matter of the food may have been because of her diabetes, as she needs to get enough otherwise she will go into a hypo, and when he kissed Amber, it is probably because she had to swim in shark-infested waters to get antibiotics, to save Hex, and she both survived (as they thought she had been killed by the sharks) and had retrieved the medicine. It is noticeable, however, that the kiss he gives her is the only kiss in the series that is done on the mouth.

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 and Hex receives a nasty bite on his leg. They soon find out the bite gets infected and Hex is great danger of dying unless they can get to some antibiotics fast. They venture across the island only to find some modern-day pirates who have taken over a rented yaught. Amber, a strong swimmer, swims through shark-infested water to the boat to get some antibiotics for Hex. She manages to get the drugs but fails to get through to her Uncle in America. The team have to run for their lives from the ruthless pirates. Their strength courage keeps them alive and they are rescued. Their adventures have only just begun...

Rat-catcher (2002)

Alpha Force go to South America to secretly take part in a covert SAS operation to catch an evil drugs barron. After seeing the huge number of children on the street they come up with a plan to try and get information about the drugs barron 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. The plot twists and soon all the members of the team find themselves at a dead-end, fighting to survive against the evil barron.

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. Character injured/captured: Li (Captured by Main Villain ) and then stabbed with a knife in the stomach).she survives and save all the other children

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. Character/s injured/captured: Amber (Taken hostage by the man who killed her parents. Nearly gets killed by her diabetes by having a hypo). Alex (Falls through ice, dislocates his shoulder and suffers from minor hypothermia.).

Red Centre (2004)

Alpha Force are in Australia, helping with a TV reality show. But when Paulo spots a dangerous terrorist hiding out in a nearby town, events lead them into adventure as the terrorist 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 midst of a scary bushfire. Character injured/captured: Alex (Taken Hostage by Main villain along with other hostages. Only character to be gagged.)

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.Character captured/injured: Hex, who is trapped in a dinosaur skeleton.he thinks he's going to die and send amber a message but later on rubs it

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. Character injured/captured: Alex, and Paulo who have too many nitrogen bubbles in their lungs, and Amber, who nearly drowns in a salt pond and she is sick a lot.

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 drug issue themselves. High-speed chases with quad bikes and 4x4 vehicles ensue in combination with Alpha Force's individual skills. The plot focuses on designer drugs and their manufacture and the Alpha Force team find themselves in near peril throughout the adventure. After Alex is temporarily incapacitated due to having his drink spiked the other members soon find themselves in worse scenarios. Hex is nearly shot and left to die in a gas-filled chamber, Li almost dies of Carbon Monoxide poisoning, Amber is nearly drowned by a drugged and unaware Hex and Paulo is shot in the arm. Alex remains reasonably unscathed and he ensures that he helps and in some cases, rescues his friends when they are in need.