| Title | : | Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 014240165X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780142401651 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 256 |
| Publication | : | First published September 4, 2000 |
| Awards | : | South Carolina Book Award Junior Book Award (2005), Iowa Teen Award (2005), California Young Readers Medal Young Adult (2005), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (2004) |
Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, #1) Reviews
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I read this book because it is so popular with my students. I can see the appeal: espionage, a kid caught in everyone else's plans, having to take care of himself while saving the world. Action, adventure, violence. The boys eat this stuff up. I just wish Horowitz had written it with his readers in mind as the young, impressionable audience that they are. I hate all the label dropping! Do we need to know that our character wears Nike and Gap? Absolutely not. Why feed into this consumerist crap, especially for a young audience that is already so consumed with having to have what is cool. And the car details! Give me a break! Most of the kids and teens reading this have no clue what the differences between engines are. And then there is Alex himself, who appears to me to be an arrogant, showboating, hotshot who thinks he can do anything on his own. Such a bad role model.
This book left me very conflicted as a children's librarian. My elementary students like the books. I think the first one (I cannot testify for the rest of the series as I haven't read them) is full of all the things that I do not want to promote in the collection for which I am responsible: violence, consumerism, and a disrespectful protagonist. They get enough of this is every other form of media. However, kids who don't like to read will read Alex Rider. It has reluctant reader appeal. So do I add it to the books to be discarded and face alienating my students with my conservatism? Do I want a library full of "classic novels" that no one will read? Or do I continue to buy and shelve books like the Alex Rider series and Wimpy Kid series which are immensely popular but set bad examples for their audience? -
Q: You're never too young to die. (c) Q: Killing is for grown-ups and you're still a child. (c)
I have been reading it, in minuscule installments, since when the universe was still young and hot and the dinosaurs were frisky yet. At least it feels so. I have no idea why I kept coming back for more. A glutton for cheese, maybe?
This is cheesy enough to need a cheese cutting wire. I was amazed to actually see it provided in the plot! Very thoughtful on the part of the author, cheers!
Q:
It was only the glint of the sun and the sight of the grass slicing itself in half that revealed the horrible truth. The two cyclists had stretched a length of cheese wire between them. Alex threw himself headfirst, flat on his stomach. The cheese wire whipped over him. If he had still been standing up, it would have cut him in half. (c) -
You know how there are those books that you see everywhere, in every library, in every bookstore, and then one day you just break down and pick it up? This is one of those books.
And I should have just left it.
The first few pages were fine--I was all prepared to get sucked into this book . . . I mean, I'd seen it EVERYWHERE, after all. It had to be good, right? It happened with the Pendragon books, it'll happen here too, yeah?
And then everything after those pages was complete nonsense. I was immediately disenchanted. But before I go into large-scale issues, I'd like to mention that these are the paragraphs that immediately set me against this book:
"'We can't just send in another agent . . . He'll be expecting a replacement. Somehow we have to trick him."
"We have to send someone in who won't be noticed. Someone who can look around and report back without being seen. We were considering sending down a woman. She might be able to slip in as a cleaner or a kitchen helper.'"
. . . I kid you not, this is actually in the book. The whole novel had this sexist voice, and the worst of it is that this is set in the current time. Really! She can slip in as a cleaner or a kitchen helper.
Also, a thing of note: the only PoC in this book was the villain . . .
The whole book was empty. Empty motives propelling empty actions. I couldn't even tell you what Alex's character is like. He's just a cardboard vessel that the "plot" throws around. Not to mention that I was shaking my head at each new "twist" because they were all impossible and completely ridiculous. I can't even tell you how many times I've had to close the book for a moment to groan and try to surpress the urge to throw the thing at the wall (it might have been the fact that it's a library book that saved it).
Dialogue was sometimes laughable . . . and way out of character. Alex, a 14-year-old boy saying "Nor can I" (or something along those lines)? Really? Does that actually happen or . . . ?
Oh and I wouldn't want to leave out this lovely example expressed by the villain: "'You've done well, Alex. . . I congratulate you. And I feel you deserve a reward. So I'm going to tell you everything."
Wooooow.
This is great literature right here.
It's like Horowitz is trying to reinforce the assumed notion: oh kids are only interested in violence and action and BOOMS! Everything else is dispensable.
Because at the end I think I counted at least 4-5 huge mushroom explosions. That were completely unnecessary. But OH GOD EXPLOSIONS, MAN.
He's trying to trick his readers into thinking something epic is happening when it's really something trivial.
I'd advise everyone against reading this book. It may keep young readers turning pages, but there's better literature out there that'll do the same without the cheap effects and gimmicks. -
All the way back in 2007, I randomly decided to borrow the audiobook version of this book from my local library. I'd heard about it before; the movie adaptation was mentioned in Nintendo Power magazine, but didn't seem to stay in cinemas very long. Still, when I listened to this book, I was enthralled, and soon sought out the rest of the series, mostly via the 'berries in my area.
That was years ago; though I read the newer volumes a few years ago, I figured: Why not start from the beginning? I found that I enjoyed it; I'd forgotten a lot of what happened, and I found myself remembering the film instead of the novel, though the latter is vastly superior. Maybe I'm just a kid at heart, but, I had a blast with this one...and I can't wait to read the sequels (again!) -
Why do I like Alex Rider and similar books, such as Jason Steed, CHERUB and Young James Bond? To start with they are all about my age, a little bit far fetched but a great place to escape too. Both Alex Rider and Jason Steed are more intelligent than most of the adult around them, and can drive a variety of vehicles.
This is book 1 and one of my favourite books. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is plot and action heavy and the pace is fast. The chapters are short and punchy and there isn't a great deal of philosophy or serious emotional stuff going on here. The book starts with the assassination of Alex's uncle, the man who has been his guardian since he was a baby, and Alex copes with his loss remarkably well. The story just speeds forward onto the next action sequence and the next. It is written very much like a computer game, one problem gets solved, the next one immediately springs up, and it is generally one which requires a great deal of physical action and not a terrible amount of anything else.
It is a relatively quick read, which I think is also an enormous part of the appeal.
It turns out his uncle was a spy!! And so we are on what has become a great series, a film and now to be TV series.
The writer successfully sets the scene for use during the whole book. Especially during his training as it makes you feel like your there. The way he goes into detail about the characters also makes you have very strong views on them.
The film for Alex Rider was not great, it was just OK, the New TV series I hope is good but they have a 25 year old playing (Otto Farrant) a 14 year old boy!!!, that will be unbelievable. At least in the Film the actor was actually 14 at the time. I guess TV producers think they know best!
Back to the book, I would recommend it and others I have mentioned if you like fast, exciting teen spy books. -
Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, #1), Anthony Horowitz
Alex Rider is a series of spy novels by Anthony Horowitz about a 14-15-year-old spy named Alex Rider. The series is aimed primarily at teens and young adults. The series comprises eleven novels, as well as five graphic novels, three short stories and a supplementary book. The first novel, Stormbreaker, was released in the United Kingdom in 2000 and was adapted into a motion picture in 2006 starring Alex Pettyfer.
Alex, the main character, is recruited by MI6 after discovering the truth about his uncle's life and death. He is sent to complete his uncle's latest mission: To investigate a multimillionaire named Herod Sayle and his creation, the revolutionary and newly developed computer called Stormbreaker, which Sayle is donating to every school in England. Alex later discovers that the Stormbreakers contain a deadly virus and that Sayle is planning to kill British schoolchildren. In the end, Alex foils his plan and succeeds in his first mission.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه مارس سال 2010 میلادی
عنوان: موج مرگ؛ نویسنده: آنتونی هوروویتس؛ مترجم: مهدی قراچه داغی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، ایرانبان، 1387، در 205 ص، شابک: 9789642980642؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان انگلیسی قرن 21 م
عموی آلکس رایدر به طرز مشکوکی میمیرد، پس از آن، زندگی پسر چهارده ساله ی داستان زیر و رو شده، تا جاییکه ظرف چند روز، آلکس از یک پسر بچه ی مدرسه ای، به یک جاسوس بزرگ، بدل میشود. آلکس به اجبار در سازمان جاسوسی ام.ای.6 استخدام میشود، و ابزارهای سری، و ویژهای، به او میدهند، تا عازم نخستین ماموریت خود شود. انگار نخستین ماموریت او، آخرینش نیز هست ولی ... ا. شربیانی -
Well, the writing in this book is actually not bad. The problem here for me is sort of 2 pronged (though one of the prongs may be "mufti-pointed"). First, this book is very young in some ways. With this plot it has to be, and that's the other problem.
I just couldn't get my head around a 14 year old super spy. I know, I know I like Harry Potter and I liked the Ranger's Apprentice books as well as other books with young heroes. But those are set in fantasy universes where magic exists and so on. If I can accept wizards then a wizarding school isn't a stretch....and lets face it, they were kids in school. The Ranger's Apprentice was, "an apprentice". Here we get a story line that will require a much more beefy set of suspension of belief muscles.
The idea of MI6 recruiting a 14 year old is just a bit much for me. To be honest though as I said below in a conversation, when I was 14 (and heavily into The Man From U.N.C.L.E., James Bond and other "spy-fi") I'd probably have loved it.
So, there is some good action writing here, some daring-do with our young hero at the heart of it and so on. The writing isn't bad and I suspect that younger readers will eat this up. For me the picture of a 14 year old spy just kept intruding...sorry.
Not for me, but if it's for you enjoy. -
My son loved this book and so I promised to read it too. To be honest, it was not my cup of tea, but I'll review it from my kid's point of view. This is the first of 10 novels about the protagonist Alex Rider who becomes unwittingly a secret agent after his father is killed. It is a nice fantasy with plenty of spy craft and exciting chase scenes and a pretty evil villain. My kid loved the action and suspense at the end of each volume and wanted me to give it 5 stars. I'll appease him by giving it 4 because I think that perhaps, in a few years, he will be able to read the Smiley books or the James Bond ones and see how real spy stories are written. Nonetheless, I can recommend it for boys between, say, 9 and 12 as an easy and exciting read without excessive violence or bad language and no sexual undertones.
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For years, I have been hearing shouts, whispers, and raves about Alex Rider. I’m so happy to have finally met him.
Stormbreaker is book one in Anthony Horowitz’s action packed series. Fourteen year old, Alex Rider stumbles into the spying world after the death of his uncle. But soon realizes he’s good at the spying game. Running, diving, and snooping around! The action is nonstop. I liked how Alex’s mind worked—he was observant, calm, and smart. One of my favorite parts was the way he talked himself down from panic—“he couldn’t make an enemy of his imagination”. The mission, gadgets, and characters pulled me right in. Both Alex and the big bad guys—especially Mr. Grin!--made me smile and cheer. And the humor mixed into the adrenaline had me grinning ear to ear…
”Whoever these people were, they had tried to run him down, to cut him in half, and to incinerate him. He had to find a way out before they really got serious.” Haha…..
The story did lack emotion for me though. I never felt the loss of Alex’s Uncle. That surprised me. Perhaps, Mr. Horowitz wanted to focus on the adventure.
This book was a blast to read! A fun, Bond like adventure that had me flipping pages faster and faster. At around 150 pages, I thought to myself—This is fun, but I don’t see myself continuing on with the series. Ha…*shakes head & chuckles* Silly, silly me. Just wait. Wait for the ending! I loved it!
I am on to the next one. -
I read this book for a book club hosted at one of the schools that my library serves.
I was expecting more from the book as it was/is so popular with younger boys and this first book spawned a whole series as well as a movie (though I do know that the movie bombed).
I just found the book to be boring and predictable. It was hard for the group to come up with something to discuss during our meetings because the book is totally plot driven. There's not much wrong with being a plot driven thriller, but that doesn't really work well for discussion.
The other big problem I had with the book is that the main character seems so emotionless. Anyone -- teen or adult -- should have an emotional response when they find out that the only adult in their life has died mysteriously. Alex Rider seems more interested in finding out why his uncle didn't buckle his seat belt than he is in having a real emotion. For that reason, I find it hard to cling to anything real in the book. If I can't care for the main character, do I really worry when he's in jeopardy? Not really. Because I know that when we're this divorced from reality there is no chance of Rider pulling off his James Bond stunts with nary a scratch. -
3 Silver Stars
with Golden Sparks
I decided to write a review for this instead of book 2, as I prefer to write one at least for book 1 of the series, if for none of the others
Mystery, thrilling Espionage middle Grade/YA
exciting
fun (sassy 14 yo Alex! funny narration)
I liked it more than Artemis Fowl, even with the lack of Fantasy element here. the characters are better (I think I like Alex)
my only problem beside the translation, was getting confused with all those gadgets he uses, at least when they introduced them to him all at once (either, I can't memorize it or comprehend it) but when he uses it, I know how they work.
& also, my all-time problem with these kind of books (mysteries I guess) , the lack of a proper main villain (yet?). it feels like a tv shows each episodes set to a different case. the come & go challenges & encounters between the hero & the villain (in which sometimes the villain wins) & making him miserable. the main plot that threads between books.
so they are not my all-time favourite series, but I still like to read them.
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Plot: ★★★/5
World Building/Premises: ★★★/5
Characters: ★★★/5
Written style: ★★★★/5
General idea: ★★★/5 -
I picked this book up in my high school media center during study hall when I was bored and had nothing else to do. I read it in about three days and proceeded to rip through the next four books in the series.
Still can't really explain why I like these books - Horowitz's target audience is clearly 14 year old boys who don't read much. I guess it's because I'm a James Bond fan, and the Alex Rider series could have been retitled "007 - The Middle School Years." Seriously, the plot of every book is a carbon copy of a classic Bond film: there are crazy gadgets, weird villains with even weirder plans for world domination, drawn-out attempts to kill Alex (in Stormbreaker, he gets thrown in a tank containing a giant jellyfish), lots of high-speed chases, and even the required Bond-girl character is present in Alex's friend/potential love interest, Sabina Pleasure (I wish I was kidding about her name. But I'm not). The only thing missing is the martinis.
Good light reading if you want to avoid doing your homework and still look like you're doing something academic. -
চৌদ্দ বছর বয়স্ক অ্যালেক্স রাইডারের জীবন রাতারাতি বদলে যায় চাচা ইয়ান রাইডারের মৃত্যুর সাথে সাথে। ছোটবেলায় বাবা-মা কে হারানোর পর চাচাই ছিল তার সব। গাড়ি দুর্ঘটনায় চাচার মৃত্যু হবার পর, অ্যালেক্স বুঝতে পারে, এতদিন তার কাছে সত্য লুকিয়ে রাখা হয়েছে। ওর চাচা ইয়ান রাইডার কোন সাধারন ব্যাংক কর্মকর্তা নয়, বরং সিক্রেট স্পাই এজেন্সি MI-6 এর একজন গুরুত্বপূর্ণ সদস্য ছিলেন। তার মারা যাওয়াটা নিছক দুর্ঘটনা নয়, পরিকল্পিত হত্যাকাণ্ড।
সাধারণ এক স্কুল পড়ুয়া কিশোরের পরিচয় পেছনে ফেলে অ্যালেক্স রাইডার কে ঘটনাচক্রে বাধ্য করা হয় স্পাইয়ের জীবন বেছে নিতে। বুদ্ধি, সাহস দক্ষতা আর উদ্যমের জোরে নিজের যোগ্যতা প্রমাণে দেরী হয় না। ভয়াবহ এক মিশনের জন্য প্রস্তুত করা হয় তাকে। আধুনিক সব গ্যাজেট আর পুরোদস্তর প্রশিক্ষণের মাধ্যমে সর্বেসর্বা করে তোলা হয়। কিন্তু ভুলে গেলে চলবে না, এই মিশনের কারণেই চাচাকে প্রাণ হারাতে হয়েছে। পদে পদে তাই প্রাণ নাশের আশঙ্কা...
হ্যারল্ড সেলের আবিষ্কৃত সুপারকম্পিউটার স্টর্ম ব্রেকারের জয়জয়কার সারা বিশ্বব্যপী। দেশের প্রতিটা স্কুলে স্টোর্ম ব্রেকার স্থাপনের সিদ্ধান্ত নেয়া হয়েছে। তবে বিখ্যাত হ্যারল্ড সেলের প্রতি সিক্রেট এজেন্সি MI-6 এর খুব একটা ভরসা নেই। কিছু একটা ঝামেলা তো আছেই। স্কুল পড়ুয়া বাচ্চাদের ভেতর থেকে অনলাইন প্রতিযোগিতার মাধ্যমে একজনকে বেছে নেয়া হয়, যে কিনা হ্যারল্ড সেলের ব্যাক্তিগত ফ্যাক্টরিতে গিয়ে নিজ হাতে স্টর্ম ব্রেকার অপারেট করতে পারবে।
MI-6 এর পরিকল্পনা অনুযায়ী ভোল পাল্টে অ্যালেক্স রাইডার ঢুকে পড়ে সেখানে। বের হয়ে আসে একের পর এক অজানা তথ্য। শুধু চাচার মৃত্যুর সাথে সম্পৃক্ততাই একমাত্র গোপন সত্য নয়, পুরো বিশ্ব আজ হুমকির মুখে। সিংহের খাচায় পা দিয়ে তার বিরুদ্ধে লড়াইয়ে নামার যৌক্তিকতা কতটুকু? অ্যালেক্স কি পারবে নিজেকে রক্ষা করে এই ষড়যন্ত্রকে রুখে দিতে?
এই সিরিজটি মূলত ইয়াং এডাল্টদের জন্য হলেও, আমার ধারণা যেকোনো বয়সী থ্রিলার প্রেমীদের কাছে ভালোই লাগবে। সিরিজের প্রথম বই হিসেবে স্টর্ম ব্রেকারের কাহিনী কিছুটা দুর্বল, তবে জমজমাট। টানটান উত্তেজনায় ভরা পুরোদস্তুর স্পাই থ্রিলার - জমজমাট একশন, অ্যাডভেঞ্চার আর টুইস্টে ভরপুর।
সিরিজের পররবর্তী বই থেকে কাহিনী আরও শক্তিশালী হতে শুরু করে। তবে পড়তে গিয়ে হতাশ হবেন না, এটুকু নিশ্চয়তা দিতেই পারি। -
I'd seen a lot of references to this series over the years, but I'd never connected it to Anthony Horowitz whose name I'd always seen in connection with more literary adult detective fiction like The Magpie Murders and The Word is Murder. So I was curious to read something pitched at younger teens yet written by someone known for their skillful and stylish prose.
Storm Breaker sits firmly in its spy adventure genre, featuring a fourteen year old Alex Rider becoming by rather incredulous means an agent of a secret MI6 division of the U.K. Government. He's all the things one might expect of a young action here: preternaturally physically skilled while acting as if he's just a regular teen, acting utterly brave while telling us he's scared. Adults talk about him being young yet treat him very much as a grownup.
My experience with these kinds of books has been that the story tends to fall apart through contrivance and convenience at some point, with menaces and reprieves appearing whenever the plot requires them, often with no real credible explanation. That's somewhat the case here, too, with the villain being particularly moustache-twirling. However with Stormbreaker at least the level of bombast in the plot is largely consistent from beginning to end, unlike so many books that pretend at realism in the first chapters only to descend into preposterous nonsense by the climax that results in unintentional parody of the genre.
The prose in the novel is simple and straightforward, but still more elegant than most books I've read of this type. I'm not a style snob, but it's nice when the sentences flow and they do here.
I can't say I'm likely to read more Alex Rider books, but then, they aren't meant for me. I think a lot of younger readers looking for a fun adventure hero they can root for will enjoy Stormbreaker a great deal, and be pleased to find there are so many more Alex Rider books in the series. -
যদিও ইয়াং এডাল্ট বই কিন্তু একটু ভিন্নতা আছে, কারণ এই বয়সের প্রোটাগোনিস্টদের নিয়ে সাধারণত যে বইগুলো হয় তার বেশীর ভাগই ফ্যান্টাসী। কিন্তু এটা পুরা স্পাই থ্রিলার্। :) পুরা জেমস বন্ড স্টাইল এ মারামারি, থ্রিল, কমিক ভিলেন দরকারী সব উপাদান ই আছে পরিমাণ মত। তবে আমার কাছে এলেক্স রাইডার কে একটু ঠান্ডা ঠান্ডা মনে হয়েছে। হিউমর কম। অবশ্য MI6 এর একজন এজেন্ট এমন ই হবে।
ঘটনা হল, বই এর শুরুতেই এলেক্সের চাচা যে কিনা একজন স্পাই সে মারা যান, তার যায়গায় নিরুপায় হয়ে যোগ দেয় এলেক্স। ঘটনাক্রমে কেচো খুজতে গিয়ে সাপ বেড়িয়ে আসে আর শেষ মেষ এলেক্স সব সমস্যা ঠিকই সমাধান করে ফেলে। হাজার হোক থ্রিলার, তাই শুরু থেকে না হলেও মাঝামাঝি থেকে ভালো রকম উত্তেজনাই আছে। পড়তে পারেন হাতে সময় থাকলে। :) -
Alex Rider isn't just any fourteen-year-old. He's mentally quick, knows self defense and adheres to a strong code of justice. Give him some gadgets and he'd make the perfect spy. After all, who would suspect a kid? And that's why MI6 wants him so badly!
The series isn't just made up of individual adventure stories of espionage. The titles start becoming linked a little further into the series. It seems like Alex has a history. And because of it, his future with MI6 seems shaky and will leave the readers guessing.
I enjoyed these!
Ages: 12+
Cleanliness: A typical “good guy vs bad guy” story so morals are straight forward. There are some mild obscenities sprinkled throughout, most of which are used by the villains. If you’re from the UK or Down Under, the b-word is used once or twice in each book, so be aware of that. There’s no romantic relationships (a short one only in book four) and while there is violence (these are spy books after all) it is not too graphic or disturbing - similar to most Marvel movies. If this was a movie, it would probably be rated PG for action sequences and a little language.
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on Etsy! -
“You're never too young to die.”
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This was a fantastic read! I have no idea why I thought as a kid that I wouldn’t enjoy this. I stormed through it (get it? Because it’s Stormbreaker! Haha I’m so funny) and thoroughly enjoyed it.
All the things that surprised me in this book:
1. The level of violence. I know, I know, it’s a teen spy book, what did I expect, right? Well, not what happened, that’s for sure!
Alex was: . As far as I can remember no teen spy book I read as a teen had that much near death experience in it! I actually loved all the action. It wasn’t edge of your seat stuff, sometimes it was blink and you miss it, but it was very thrilling.
2. How distant Alex seemed. Emotionally you don’t get to know much about him. Even when discussing his recently deceased uncle who practically raised him as a father he doesn’t emote enough to make you weepy. Maybe he’s just not very emotional but I would like to see more of his deep emotions in the future. I find it odd that Maybe that’s a different emotion than I expected: quiet rage.
3. Alex’s moral dilemma. He’s forced into doing this and the whole time he doesn’t want to do it but in the end he sees it through because he doesn’t want to let people get hurt. It’s very unique to have a teen spy who doesn’t want to be a spy. Quite refreshing actually!
4. How smart and dumb Alex is at the same time. It’s not something I’m mad about, I actually found it really amusing to see how someone as smart as Alex clearly is can still trip up and make basic mistakes.
5. How well written this was. The descriptions were fantastic! I almost found myself taking notes it really was so well-written.
I’m really looking forward to reading about Alex’s next adventure in
Point Blank although I’m not sure how much of it I’ll enjoy considering I watched the first season of the show so I’ve most likely seen the majority of the plot of book 2... -
Stormbreaker was another book on my #MustReadin2019 list. The Alex Rider series is wildly popular around the world with 14 novels in the series, some prequels, and some additional supplementary books on the market. And now I know why the fandom is so large among teens, tweens, and young adults. Alex is only 14 years old when he loses his uncle, Ian Rider (who just so happens to be his only guardian). Shortly after his uncle’s death, Alex discovers his uncle was a legit spy. This realization turns his world upside down. And, as luck would have it, Alex is now lured into the business to help finish what Uncle Ian started. This was very fast-paced and hard to put down. I read some chapters and listened to others on audiobook and one thing I found interesting was the obvious differences between the audiobook and the book. For example, in one they said “hairdresser” while in the other it said “oral hygienist.” Or the person would answer “no” in one book while saying “of course” in another. Or it was “two weeks” in one edition, but “eleven days” in another. There were numerous differences and entire sentences or sections eliminated from one edition, so it was interesting to see how the story had been edited over the years. In any case, it was an exciting adventure and I’ll continue with the series.
My dad passed away very unexpectedly on August 31st of 2012 and about a week or two before his passing, he and my mom took a vacation to the Texas coast to relax with my aunt and uncle at their beach house. It was during that trip that my dad and mom began reading the Alex Rider series. Mom said that dad was flying through the books and she could barely keep up. After the funeral, my mom sent me back home with the series. Then this year, my 14 year old son said I HAVE to read them because he loves them so much. So this week was a good beginning. I miss my dad so much, but it brings me some comfort to be enjoying books that he enjoyed. ❤
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at
The Miller Memo! -
Fourteen year old Alex Rider, an orphan since a very young age, has been raised by his Uncle Ian, (a banker in London) to be not just self-sufficient, but keenly observant as well as trained in karate, languages and math skills. So following the death of his uncle in an automobile accident, it is not so surprising that young Alex notices some suspicious abnormalities that lead him on his own personal investigation that proves the man was, in fact, murdered. Assassinated would be a better word. This brings him to the attention of his uncle’s real former employers who happen to be none other than MI-6. With Ian’s death, MI-6 has the need for a replacement spy in the investigation of a humanitarian who might be something else entirely. A 14-year-old might just be able to assist them in a small task that will help gather some critical intel without ever being suspected as a spy.
The first in the massively popular Alex Rider series was just what I expected (and hoped for). It’s a YA book to be sure, filled with unlikely escapades by an incredibly gifted teenager who always manages to escape from dangerous situations at the last second. He goes far above what MI-6 has asked of him and, in fact, risks his life many times to save the day. The character of Alex Rider is, perhaps, a little over-the-top at times but he combines that with a down-to-earth perspective on life and people. He is very relatable. He makes mistakes which often get him into deeper trouble but his intellect wins out in the end.
I expected a YA version of James Bond, and that is exactly what this is (the movie version of Bond: pre- Daniel Craig). This sort of thing could be really absurd but in the hands of Anthony Horowitz, it’s done right. This is a fun ride and I am happy to hang on through the entire series. -
Not bad. It was pretty much exactly what I expected to be: one of those cool adventure stories intended to hook reluctant tweenage boy readers. And although I am not a reluctant tweenage boy reader, I still found it entertaining. Is this book a deep exploration of human nature and the meaning of life? No. But sometimes it's a relief when all of that is thrown aside, and one can just read something that makes them feel pleasantly stupid. What matters is that this book wasn't intended to be intellectual; it was intended to be fun, and that's all that it was. The usual stuff: explosions, people trying to shoot each other/cut each other in half, parachutes, weapons, futuristic technology, giant killer jellyfish--you name it. The whole thing is pretty cliché, and the whole "evil plot" is pretty dumb. ("I was bullied as a child and now I'm a bitter old man! Now I'm going to create an evil computer to give all the little English schoolchildren smallpox! HEE HEE HEE!") But other than those few parts that made me roll my eyes, it was an entertaining read.
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Before I start my review, I would like to acknowledge the fact that this was written as Middle Grade. I may have liked it better when I was the targeted audience.
I don’t know where to start. I guess to simply put it, I didn’t like the book. All of the characters felt one dimensional, the plot wasn’t anything I haven’t read before, and the story just didn’t grip me.
Edit: I also found myself uncomfortable at the way the author described bigger people. There are ways to talk about people that are overweight without describing how their bottom fills the chair and more. -
Following the death of his spy uncle, Ian Rider, 14 year old Alex Rider is recruited into the MI6 to complete his mission. After eleven days of intense SAS style training, Rider is set on his first mission where he investigates the work of Herod Sayle and his Stormbreaker computers. Weaving through old tin mines and underwater caverns, Rider uncovers the unfortunate truth behind the Stormbreakers, a bout of lethal smallpox encased within. At the press of a button all the children of the UK could face a dismal end.
Having already watched Horowitz's Foyles War, I had high hopes of his Alex Rider series, however I was left a little disappointed by the literary content, but that may only be due to my age. However with it's James Bond-esque action scenes and gagetry it is sure to entice reluctant young readers in KS2. For use in the classroom I feel it would be a good book to have at hand to get the boys reading, furthermore the gadgets mentioned in the book can be the basis for children to design and make their own mock ups.
'Stormbreaker' is most certainly a book aimed towards boys, and it's simplicity is easy for even the most reluctant readers to follow and it might even spur them on to continue with the Alex Rider series. In regards to age range I would encourage ten year old's to give it a go, unless there are any precocious readers. There is a lot of death and violence which may not rest well with younger audiences. -
3.5 stars
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Alex Rider Stormbreaker is written by Anthony Horowitz is a fictional book about a teenager sent under cover for the MI6 agency. Alex was now 16 and had recently lost both of his parents in a plane and was now living with his uncle Ian Rider. Alex awoke to sirens one night and found out that his uncle was now dead and was told he was killed in a car crash. Ian Rider was a banker but Alex had soon figured out that his uncle was not being completely truthful to him. Alex starts to do some digging into the mystery death of his uncle and discovered that he was murdered and had worked for the MI6 and was not a banker after all. The man that had Ian killed was Herod Sayle and he is a multimillionaire that was working on something that could kill millions of people.
Alex Rider is recruited by the MI6 to go on an undercover mission to find out what Herod was working on. Alex goes through many weeks of training for this assignment and goes undercover as the prize winner to be the first person to test the first stormbreaker computer. When Alex arrives to Sayle Enterprises to investigate what Herod is doing he is caught sneaking around and is captured. While he is held captive Herod leaves to go to London to see his master plan unravel. When Alex finally escapes he hurries to London to stop Herod.
I think this was an overall good book, it really made me feel what it was like to be an undercover agent. It was a well written book but i feel it was meant for a younger audience from ages ten to thirteen perhaps. In my opinion its was an overall easy book to read it doesn’t take too much to understand what was going on in scene it was in. I think that they should have made the character a little older than fourteen years old. In my opinion no fourteen year old could stop a terrorist the way that Alex did in this book. My overall positive response to this book was very good with its descriptions with the settings and feelings of the character.
I will say this is still a really good book but only for people that are in to action and adventure. I would recommend this to middle school guys mostly because the whole book is based around a guys point of view and most girls won’t understand what Alex is thinking in some situations. I do think the ending was a little lazy but I understand why he did what he did with the ending because it raised suspense for the second book.
