Alpha Force Books
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/* Desert Pursuit (2003) */
The '''Alpha Force Books''' written by [[Chris Ryan]] are adventure stories aimed at teenagers and at the end of each book are the top ten SAS tips from [[Chris Ryan]] on surviving the situation that Alpha Force just faced (e.g. surviving in a desert). Alpha Force are a group of teenagers with unique talents and personalities who were shipwrecked together in the first book (Survival)and after a few struggles learned to survive until help came while becoming great friends. 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 wrongdoing because of their talents and inability to let injustice go unpunished.
== Characters ==
Alpha Force (from the first letters of their names, as well as the Greek, meaning beginning) are a group of teenagers each with special skills, interests and weaknesses:
*'''A'''lex 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. Hardly ever gets wound up and always carries his lifesaving survival kit and knife. He's calm in a crisis and very dependable and caring (in Hostage he was very understanding to LI about the death of her friend)- but he can sometimes be a bit too serious. He's quite a private person making it hard for readers to notice his feelings.
*'''L'''i is half Chinese and the climbing, martial arts and nature expert (her parents are naturalists) are noticed by the other members of Alpha Force. She constantly wants to prove herself and is caring but has an excitement for an addreniline rush. She's the smallest in the group, and sometimes gets help from the wrong people getting herself into trouble. She has a fiery temper when she wants it and is quick to want to fight injustice; she also likes to live her life in the fast lane - often making her to hurried to spot potential dangers. She is also unlikely to give up when there is too much danger as she had strong will power.
*'''P'''aulo (N.B. this is how it's spelt on the book. The correct spelling of his name is Paolo) is the laid back Argentinian who's the medical expert and has great mechanical skills. Although he's seems to be quite lazy, a new mission, engine to fix or Li can always get him moving. A big flirt and quite vain, but everyone loves him. Frequently known to curse in Spanish he can get violent when he's worried about Li. He is an amazing driver as shown in desert pursuit when riding over the sand dunes and loves tinkering with machines.
* '''H'''ex is an ace hacker from East London (who's natural habitat is indoors ) who is brilliant at code breaking, bypassing most security systems. 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. He seems to have a thing for Amber.
*'''A'''mber is the 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, couldn't find the will to live - Alpha Force gave her new motivation. She used to be snobbish 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.
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.
== likness ==
===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 romantically 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 ==
(N.B. In the first five books (Survival-Red Centre) one character is somehow unable to take part in the mission because they have either been captured or injured badly. Each description of the titles below have the name of the character and what happened to them. In Untouchable, every character comes close to dying (except possibly Alex).
===Survival (2002)===
The first in the series. The characters are marooned on a desert island where they must survive [[komodo dragon]]s, [[shark]]s and modern day [[pirates]], among others. Character injured/captured: Hex (poisoned by a Komodo Dragon) and relying on a satelight phone that one of the characters, Amber, finds on board a yacht that had been taken over by modern-day pirates.
===Rat-catcher (2002)===
The characters go to South America to take part in a covert [[Special Air Service|SAS]] operation to catch an evil drugs rat. They begin with the street kids but their adventure takes them high into the isolated mountains. Character injured/captured: Paulo (Captured by Main Villain who calls him self rat-catcher).
===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 [[Slavery|slaver]]s operating in the area. Character injured/captured: Li (Captured by Main Villain <The Scorpion>) 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 [[Organ transplant|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 high on the moors on the laird's land. High-speed chases with quad bikes and 4X4 vehicles across country along with survival skills like rafting, abseiling and hiking ensue, before the plot focuses on designer drugs and their manufacture. Character injured/captured: Everyone except Alex, though he is temporarily incapacitated due to having his drink spiked, (Hex nearly shot and left to die in a gas-filled chamber, Li nearly gassed to death, Amber nearly drowned by a drugged and insensible Hex and Paulo shot in the arm).but alex saves the day.this book is one best ending series book
[[Category:Series of children's books]]