Stormbreaker

"Believe me, it would be better if we didn't meet again. Go back to school. Go back to your life. And next time they ask you, say no. Killing is for grown-ups and you're still a child."

Imagine being a superspy. Think about having all of the gadgets you could possibly dream up at your disposal. Envisage every high-octane car chase you’ve ever watched on television and put yourself in the driving seat of that first car. A dream come true for every teenage boy in the world.

Well, almost every teenage boy. Enter fourteen-year-old Alex Rider, the nephew of a spy. After his uncle dies in a suspicious car accident, Alex is left in doubt as to how his future will play out. With no legal guardian aside from his housekeeper - an American ex-student with no visa - it seems certain that Alex will be put in care. But the Special Operations division of British intelligence agency MI6 have other plans for him. They want Alex to work for them – a child spy with a dangerous mission.

Blackmailed into complying with MI6’s requests, Alex is sent to Cornwall to spy on a Lebanese businessman with an unusual gift for the UK government. Herod Sayle intends on giving every school in the UK a fully working Stormbreaker computer. The Stormbreaker boasts the latest in computer technology as well as a revolutionary new way to teach within the classrooms. So why just give them away? MI6 sent in their best man and he never made it back alive. They need something more, someone who will blend in with the surroundings. Someone with an alias and an innocent demeanour. Someone like Alex. Young and talented, he is the perfect weapon. But the saying famously goes that you are never too young to die and Alex is about to find out just how true that statement might be.

With action that starts right from the word go, Stormbreaker is the first in a series of books following the tales of Alex Rider as he struggles to juggle regular teenage life with a job more difficult than most. As a multi-dimensional character, Alex is put through trials and tribulations that, although slightly unbelievable at times, shape him as both a character and a human being. Connecting to Alex is not difficult as he has the same worries and beliefs as we do. He still has relationship issues and issues with schoolwork like every other normal kid. His reluctance to become a spy is overshadowed by his desire to scrape some normality back into his home life, and as a character, he is both refreshing and lifelike.

Anthony Horowitz has a writing style that is both delightful and intriguing and a plotline that will keep readers hooked right until the very end. Alex and his unique mission make Stormbreaker a must-read for anyone looking to read a book with a realistic character, original plot and action aplenty.