Stormbreaker is the very first novel in the Alex Rider series, a collection of books that left the imagination of my ten year old wannabe-spy self reeling for hours. In the pages of Stormbreaker we learn of seemingly ordinary fourteen-year-old Alex Rider, whose life becomes incredibly extraordinary, and considerably more dangerous, after the suspicious death of his uncle. Alex finds himself plunged into the depths of the MI6 spy world, along with all the gadgets, villains and adrenaline fuelled action that this entails. After becoming the youngest ever spy to be recruited by MI6, Alex finds himself in the midst of a high energy mission revolving around a certain multi-millionaire named Mr. Herod Sayle - but not before he has to go through a gruelling and intensive training programme.
Stormbreaker is everything that a spy novel should be: action-packed, impossible to put down, fast-paced and yet lined with plot twists aplenty, just so you don’t get too comfortable in your seat! I have read Stormbreaker numerous times since I first lay eyes on it about 8 years ago, and it is still just as captivating today as it was the very first time I read it. Alex Rider is something of a hero of mine, and it is no hidden fact that I am incredibly jealous of his job. Horowitz’s excellent writing in Stormbreaker makes it very obvious as to why the Alex Rider books have become such a phenomenon, and it is safe to say that they are not going to be forgotten anytime soon – even 15 years after Stormbreaker’s initial publication.
I would recommend this book, and in fact anything written by Anthony Horowitz, to any person who is seeking a little adventure or excitement in their lives, I would also highly recommend it to both boys and girls of any age, whether reading it with your parents, as your first ‘proper’ book or, like me, for the seventh or eighth time.
- Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
