- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Speak; Mti edition (Aug 22 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0142406562
- ISBN-13: 978-0142406564
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 136 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (101 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,873,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Spies are great currency for exciting storylines, but few authors manage to successfully concoct realistic scenarios for a willing readership expecting chases, gunshots and thrills aplenty. In the first of what could easily become his most memorable series of novels to date, Anthony Horowitz has added a tongue-in-cheek quality to Stormbreaker that lifts it above several others in the same genre.
Horowitz knows that his main character, 14-year-old Alex Rider, is a normal teenager and he never forgets this when he thrusts his young hero into the thick of several truly edge-of-seat scenarios. There is humour alongside the action too--some great characters and cutting one-liners--that helps to ensure that entertainment is high on the agenda throughout.
Orphan Alex thought he knew his Uncle Ian Rider--until the elusive banker is killed in a tragic car accident. Immediately, Alex's life starts to get stranger by the day as his guardian's friends and colleagues start showing up and contradicting everything Alex thought he knew about the man he'd called Dad for so long. Maybe Ian Rider was not a banker after all? Surely the bullet holes in his Uncle's totalled car reveal that he had not died in an accident, but was murdered? Everything is explained when Alex decides to track down Ian Rider's real employers, but Alex is in for a surprise when they decide to contact him. The truth is hard to take, but maybe by following in his uncle's secret footsteps he might get the chance for revenge.
Apart from a slightly over-the-top finale involving a helicopter and the roof of London's Science Museum, Stormbreaker is a refreshingly energetic yarn that is required reading for fans of the contemporary thriller. --John McLay --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Readers will cheer for Alex Rider, the 14-year-old hero of British author Horowitz's spy thriller (the first in a projected series). When his guardian and uncle, Ian, is mysteriously killed, Alex discovers that his uncle was not the bank vice-president he purported to be, but rather a spy for the British government. Now the government wants Alex to take over his uncle's mission: investigating Sayle Enterprises, the makers of a revolutionary computer called Stormbreaker. The company's head plans to donate one to every secondary school in England, but his dealings with unfriendly countries and Ian Rider's murder have brought him under suspicion. Posing as a teenage computer whiz who's won a Stormbreaker promotional contest, Alex enters the factory and immediately finds clues from his uncle. Satirical names abound (e.g., Mr. Grin, Mr. Sayle's brutish butler, is so named for the scars he received from a circus knife-throwing act gone wrong) and the hard-boiled language is equally outrageous ("It was a soft gray night with a half-moon forming a perfect D in the sky. D for what, Alex wondered. Danger? Discovery? Or disaster?"). These exaggerations only add to the fun, as do the creative gadgets that Alex uses, including a metal-munching cream described as "Zit-Clean. For Healthier Skin." The ultimate mystery may be a bit of a letdown, but that won't stop readers from racing through Alex's adventures, from a high-speed bike chase to a death-defying dance with a Portuguese man-of-war. The audience will stay tuned for his next assignment, Point Blanc, due out spring 2002. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
James Bond for Teens,
By
This review is from: Stormbreaker (Paperback)
Alex Rider is 14 years old, and he's a spy. He was just a normal boy until a few weeks ago, when his Uncle Ian was killed. They told Alex that it was a car crash, but he knew they were lying. When Alex tracks the lies back to MI6, Britain's top-secret intelligence agency, they see fit to give him a job.It turns out that Ian was a spy, and that he was killed trying to investigate a new computer called the Stormbreaker. The launch of the computer is only weeks away, and MI6 is convinced there's something sinister about Stormbreaker. So Alex takes a contest-winner's place, and is welcomed into the Stormbreaker compound. And what he finds there is horrifying. With short, cliff-hanger chapters and a breathless pace, Anthony Horowitz's Stormbreaker is an excellent choice for reluctant readers. In short, it's James Bond for teens. The "Alex Rider" series includes: 1)Stormbreaker 2)Point Blank 3)Skeleton Key 4)Eagle Strike 5)Scorpia 6)Ark Angel 7)Snakehead 8) Crocodile Tears
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Novel Hovel Says, " A great book for younger teens!",
By The Novel Hovel (North Bay, ON) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stormbreaker (Paperback)
Alex Rider thought his Uncle and guardian was a banker who traveled a lot. Little did he know that after his Uncle is killed he learns that he was really an MI6 spy. After finding out the truth Alex is recruited by MI6 to complete his Uncle's final mission. Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, with no way out.Although I technically wouldn't classify this book as Young Adult fiction I thought I would review it anyways. My brother is 13 and going into grade 8 where they have to start writing book reports and what not. Knowing that my brother is a jocky little boy I knew the likelihood of him completing one of these successfully would be slim. So... I went on a hunt for a book that I thought he might enjoy. Little did I know that after reading this book on a whim I would enjoy quite a bit too. The novel is fool of twists and suspense not to mention cool spy gadgets. There was even a movie made based on it. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would especially recommend it to slightly younger readers. [...].
5.0 out of 5 stars
Alex Rider Stormbreaker: Book ONE,
By Connor Jakes "Connor" (Bristol) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stormbreaker (Mass Market Paperback)
This is a brilliant book, I loved it, The start to the finish, it's better than the film version, although that was good too.I love Alex Rider, Jason Steed, Cherub and Jimmy Coates books, they are in a cvlass of there own, better than Spy high and young James bond. 10 out of 10
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