Young Writers Society

THE AUTHOR

I am quite pleased to be able to write a review for the book ‘Stormbreaker’, as I am personal friends with the Author.

This book has done very well to make a few sequels, Point Blanc, Skeleton Key, Eagle Strike, Scorpia and the much awaited Ark Angel, which will be on sale some time in April. Stormbreaker will also be made into a motion Picture costing around 20 million pounds.

Stormbreaker is written by Anthony Horowitz, a prolific childrens writer-

I’ll introduce you to some of his many titles-

The Alex Rider Series-

Stormbreaker

Point Blanc

Skeleton Key

Eagle Strike

Scorpia

Ark Angle

Diamond brother’s series-

South by south east

The falcons Malteaser

Public enemy number two

The French Confection

The Blurred Man

I know what you did last Wednesday

The Radius of the lost Shark

And the others-

Groosham Grange

Return to Groosham Grange

Granny

The switch

The devil and his boy

The Killing Joke

Magpie Murders

Raven’s Gate

JUST TO NAME A FEW!!!

He has also done the script writing for these popular shows-

Foyle’s War

Murder in Mind

Poirot

Midsomer Murders

+ the horror film, ‘The Gathering’ + the scriptwriting for the movie ‘Stormbreaker’

Anthony’s books now sell in more than twenty countries around the world. His books have been awarded numerous prizes over the years.

He’s married to Jill Green, a T.V producer. And lives in London with his wife and two sons, Nicholas and Cassian and don’t forget his dog, Lucky.

THE CHARACTERS-

Alex Rider- ‘Alex was fourteen, already well built, with the body of an athlete. His hair, cut short apart from two thick strands hanging over his forehead, were fair. His eyes were brown and serious.’, page 7

He becomes recruited as a field agent for MI6. ‘It’s certainly true that you did draw attention to yourself at the breaker’s yard and then at our offices at Liverpool street. And it’s also true that what you know and what I’m about to tell you must go no further. But the fact of the matter is, Alex, we need your help’.

page 49

Alex very soon realised that being a spy is definitely not what he wanted to do.

‘Then we’d better move on to discuss your future. Like it or not, Alex, the Royal and General is now your legal guardian’. ‘Ian Rider has of course left the house and all his money to you. However, he left it in trust until you are twenty-one. And we control that trust. So there will, I’m afraid, have to be some changes. The American girl that lives with you.

Miss Starbright. Her visa has expired. She’ll be returned to America. We propose to put the house on the market. Unfortunately, you have no relatives to look after you, So I’m afraid that means you’ll have to leave Brookland. You’ll be sent to an institution. There’s one I know just outside Birmingham. The Saint Elizabeth in Sourbridge. Not a very pleasant place, but I’m afraid there’s no alternative’

‘Your blackmailing me!’, says Alex

And so Alex Rider decides to work for MI6.

‘Yeah. All right. It doesn’t look like I’ve got very much choice’

page 59 and 60

Alex, being smart, (‘It’s an integrated circuit on a sphere of silicon about one millimetre in diameter. It’s ninety percent cheaper to produce than an ordinary chip because the whole thing is sealed in, so you don’t need clean rooms for production.

Page 52) will have to learn how to look after himself in the spy world.

Jack Starbright

Jack Starbright is the house keeper in the Rider household.

‘‘Are you alright Alex?’’, A young woman had come into the room. She was in her late twenties, with a sprawl of red hair and a round, boyish face. Jack Starbright was American. She had come to London as a student seven years ago, rented a room in the house- in return for light housework and baby-sitting duties- and had stayed on to become house keeper and one of Alex’s closest friends’

page 10

‘Lets get out of here’. Suddenly Jack was at Alex’s side. ‘Cemeteries give me the creaps’

page 16

Alan Blunt

Alan is the head of MI6.

‘As I’m sure you’ve gathered’, he said, ‘the Royal and General is not a bank. In fact it doesn’t exist … it’s nothing more than a cover. And it follows, of course, that your uncle had nothing to do with banking. He worked for me. My name, as I told you at the funeral, is Blunt. I am Chief Executive of the Special Operations Division of MI6. And your Uncle was, for want of a better word, a spy’

page 47

Alan is very serious and it isn’t easy to find him make a mistake, he’s often exactly right.

‘You’ll continue to live at your Uncle’s house’, Blunt said, ‘The housekeeper of yours, Jack whatever, she’ll look after you. And that way we’ll know where you are if we ever need you again’

Need you again. The words chilled Alex more than anything that had happened to him in the past three weeks. ‘You’ve got to be kidding’, he said.

‘No.’ Blunt gazed at him quite coolly. ‘It’s not my habit to make jokes’. Page 229

Herod Sayle

‘Herod sayle was born in complete poverty in the back streets of Beirut. His father was a failed hairdresser. His mother took in washing.’

‘He was walking down Olive Street when he happened to see an upright piano fall out of a fourteenth-storey window. There were a couple of American tourists walking. Herod threw himself at them and the piano missed them by a millimetre.’

‘They were very rich. And so out of gratitude adopted him.

They flew him out of Beirut and put him in a school in England’

‘He mad astonishing progress’

page 51

Herod was enemy’s with the Prime Minister of England and built a plan, including the Prime Minister, to wreck a lot of havoc with a lot of school children, using a device he made, called the Stormbreakers.

‘You ruined everything!’ Sayle howled. ‘how did you do it? How did you trick me? I’d have beaten you if you’d been a man! But they had to send a boy! A bliddy schoolboy! Well it isn’t over yet! I’m leaving England. Do you see…?’

page 233

THE OTHER CHARACTERS

Mr Grin

‘The door had opened and a man had come in, dressed in the black suit and tails of an old-fashioned butler. He was as tall and thin as his master was short and round, with a thatch of ginger hair above a face so pale it was almost paper white. From a distance it looked like he was smiling, but as he drew closer Alex gasped. The man had two horrendous scars, one on each side of his mouth, twisting up all the way to his ears. It was as if someone had attempted to cut his face in half. The scars were a gruesome shade of mauve. There were smaller, fainter scars where his cheeks had once been stitched. ‘‘This is Mr Grin’’, Sayle said, “He changed his name after his accident.”

Page 100

Mr Grin is Herod Sayle’s personal assistant and butler, he is well and truly in with Herod’s game. Mr Grin has a lot of the left handed work.

“I’ve already told you that Mr Grin used to be an expert with knives”, Sayle continued. “He still is. Tell me what I want to know, Alex, or he will cause you more pain than you could ever imagine. And don’t try to lie to me, please. Just remember what happens to liars. Particularly their tongues.” Mr Grin took a step closer. The blade flashed, catching the light.

Page 182

“Eeeurgh!” Mr Grin said.

“Nice to meet you,” Alex muttered

“Ri … Wurgh!” Mr Grin gesture at the door and, leaving Herod Sayle standing in front of his huge captive, Alex left the room.

Page 101

Mr Grin is Very handy indeed.

Wolf

Wolf is at training camp with the SAS … and Alex. And they aren’t exactly pen pals….

‘The leader, Wolf, was the one with the gun . He was short and muscular with square shoulders and black, close-cropped hair. He had a hadsome face, made slightly uneven by his nose, which had been broken at sometime in the past.’

Page 66

Wolf is furious when a fourteen year old is training with him, and so wolf gives him hell. Wolf did everything from kicking Alex in the backside so hard, he flew out of the practice course, and the first time they met, Wolf gave Alex his own name. Double 0 nothing.

But of course everybody has a weakness. Wolf’s happened to be jumping out of a plane with an oversized silk umbrella. Alex was the one that helped him, Alex was the one that made Wolf pass instead of being embarrassingly binned.

‘Alex tried to step round them but he found Wolf blocking his way. “Your leaving,” Wolf said. Somehow he must have heard Alex’s training was over.

“Yes.”

There was a long pause. “What happened on the plane…” he began.

“Forget it Wolf,” Alex Said. “Nothing happened. You jumped and I didn’t, that’s all.” Wolf held out a hand. “I want you to know … I was wrong about you. I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time. But you’re all right. And maybe … one day it would be good to work with you.”

“You never know,” Alex said.

They shook.

“Good luck, cub.”

“Goodbye Wolf.”

Alex walked out into the night.

Page 90

Yassen Gregorovich

Yassen is an assassin. He worked for Herod Sayle, his contract was to kill Ian Rider, he is one of the best in the business. Yassen is Russian, with the body of a dancer.

‘The Russian nodded. It was impossible to tell what was going on in his head. His clear blue eyes gave nothing away.

“Why did you kill him?” Alex asked.

“Those were my instructions.” There was no trace of an accent in his voice. He spoke softly, reasonably. “He had become an embarrassment. It was better this way.”

“Not better for him.”

Yassen shrugged.

“What about me?” Alex asked.

The Russian ran his eyes over Alex, as if weighing him up. “I have no instructions concerning you,” he said

“You’re not going to shoot me too?”

“Do I have any need to?”

There was a pause. The two of them gazed at each other.

“You killed Ian Rider,” Alex said. “He was my Uncle.”

Yassen shrugged. “I kill a lot of people.”

“One day I’ll kill you.”

“A lot of people have tried.” Yassen smiled. “Believe me,” he said, “it would be better if we don’t meet again. Go back to school. Go back to your life. And the next time they ask you, say no. Killing is for grown-ups and you’re still a child.”

He turned his back on Alex and climbed into the helicopter cabin. The blades started up and a few seconds later the helicopter rose back into the air. For a moment it hovered at the side of the building. Behind the glass, Yassen raised a hand. A gesture of friendship? A salute? Alex raised his hand. The helicopter spun away. Alex stood where he was, watching it, until it had disappeared in the dying light.’

Page 235

THE VERY … VERY MINOR CHARCTERS

Mr Crawley- works for MI6.

Mrs Jones- Mr Blunt’s assistant.

Fox- in training at the SAS camp.

Eagle- in training at the SAS camp.

Snake- in training at the SAS camp.

Sergeant- The extremely fit sergeant of the SAS camp.

Smithers- A rather large man who Works at MI6, in the gadget department.

Nadia Vole- Works for Herod Sayle.

THE PLOT

Stormbreaker (shortlisted for the 2001 children’s Book Awards)

Alex Rider is the main character in this novel. He was just an ordinary school boy that lived with his Uncle and lived in London. He went on camps and went to school in Brookland. He kept himself fit and like any other kid, got bored at school. But like I said, he WAS an ordinary school boy. Until one day his Uncle was killed and it was said that he had a car crash and didn’t have a seat belt on. ‘Didn’t have a seat belt, that doesn’t sound like him’, thought Alex. So he came round to find the car, in an ordinary breakers Yard that can be found in the yellow pages. That wasn’t what surprised him. What surprised him was that the car had small holes all over it. Bullets. Alex is soon to realise that his Uncle, Ian Rider, worked for MI6, he was a spy. Ian Rider was assassinated on his last case. His case that was not solved, that needed further investigation, further spying. That’s where Alex comes in. MI6 soon realises that Alex, is extraordinary, curious, very fit and get things done. And has a knack for surviving.

In the end Alex Rider becomes a teenage super spy, working for MI6.

This time, a man named Herod Sayle, a millionaire who gives thousands of computers to schools all over England. Mi6 finds it suspicious. Alex is soon to realise that life isn’t easy, especially when you’re a spy.

REVIEW

This story is action packed, from the Gruelling SAS training to the crushing scene at the Breakers yard, being face to face with the most dangerous Jelly fish in the world, playing with a game boy that’s more dangerous than a grenade, jumping out of a cargo with a parachute on, only to find yourself face to face with the plane, shooting the Prime Minister and don’t forget using all of his karate experience to fight a knife thrower.

Did I say this is action packed?

The story works well as it shows a teenager growing from finishing his maths test to saving the world. It’s loaded with quick humour and has something for everybody.

With Drama, action, adventure, comedy and the only book I know that can beat this, is its sequel.

I’d give this book ten out of ten, not being biased, and suggest this book to teenagers and anyone else that likes an action packed thrill ride from the first page.

PRAISE

“The perfect hero … genuine 21st century stuff.”

The Daily Telegraph

“Is there anybody in Britain who will not enjoy this fabulous junior James Bond adventure?”

The Daily Mail

“Every bored schoolboy’s fantasy, only a thousand times funnier, slicker and more exciting… Genius.”

The Independent on Sunday

“Horowitz will grip you with suspense, daring and cheek- and that’s just the first page!”

The Times