Stormbreaker (Alex Rider)

Product Information

Stormbreaker was the only book so far in the series that didn't end with a pitched, climactic battle at the culmination of the story. The next day, Alex is kidnapped by Sayle after hailing a taxi and taken at gunpoint to the top of a tall skyscraper. Before Sayle can shoot and kill Alex, however, he is shot by Gregorovich, who lands on the building in a helicopter. Gregorovich explains he had to kill Sayle because he had become an embarrassment to the people Gregorovich works for. Alex threatens to get revenge on Gregorovich for killing his uncle, but Gregorovich just laughs and flies away in the helicopter. This thriller/action is Anthony’s second book in Alex Rider series. It is also published by the Penguins Group. Point Blank was written for kids aged between 12 and 16. The age range also reflects readability and it doesn’t necessarily reflect content appropriateness. Waking up somewhere out in the country, Alex meets MI6 head Alan Blunt and his deputy, Lale "Tulip" Jones. They reveal the truth about his uncle's career, and explain that they had sent Ian to investigate Herod Sayle, a wealthy Lebanese businessman who has developed a revolutionary new computer, the Stormbreaker. Sayle plans to give a free Stormbreaker to every secondary school in the United Kingdom, accompanied by a grand activation ceremony in the Science Museum, supposedly as a gesture of thanks for the country taking him in when he was a child. In his last communication with them, Ian had warned MI6 that the Stormbreakers could not be allowed to leave Sayle's manufacturing plant, but before he could explain, he was assassinated by Yassen Gregorovich, a professional killer apparently under Sayle's employ, on the return to London.

Stormbreaker Graphic Novel - Alex Rider Stormbreaker Graphic Novel - Alex Rider

A missing chapter was released on the internet for the Stormbreaker book, after being used as a postscript in Never Say Die. It features Alex and K-Unit during RTI (Resistance to Interrogation) training exercise while at Brecon Beacons. It can be found here. A similar idea was used in the "Stormbreaker" movie too, but Alex had to exit the goal through a chimney, rather than through the sewer. It is also one of the two books where Alex is debriefed even when the antagonist is still alive, the second being Point Blank.

Publication Order of Alex Rider Books

In 2005 a graphic novel adaptation of Stormbreaker was released in the United Kingdom and the United States. [9] The graphic novel was an adaptation of the screenplay written for the movie released the year after, [10] and was intended as a tie-in for the film. This action-adventure book is the first book in Alex Rider series. The book was published by the Speak Books which is an imprint of Penguin Group. Stormbreaker was written for children aged 12 years and above. The age group reflects readability and it doesn’t necessarily reflect content appropriateness.

Stormbreaker - Anthony Horowitz - Google Books Stormbreaker - Anthony Horowitz - Google Books

As they approach the city, Alex realizes that he does not have time to land since the ceremony will be taking place very soon. He jumps off the plane in a parachute. Mr. Grin tries to ram the plane into him, but he activates a smoke bomb from his Gameboy which causes the plane to crash into the Thames River. Alex crashes through the roof of the London Science Museum just as the ceremony is about to take place and fires his gun at the Stormbreaker computer to destroy it. He also accidentally shoots the Prime Minister and Sayle, who disappears. Blunt and Jones call off the police and rescue Alex. They tell him that MI6 has managed to recall all the Stormbreaker computers for “safety” reasons. year-old Alex is an orphan. Around 3 weeks prior to the start of the first book in the series, Alex’s uncle, Ian Rider, who had been raising him, dies in a car crash. Alex later finds out that his uncle used to be a secret agent who was working for M16, a premier spy agency in Britain. M16 later forces Alex to take up his uncle’s place in the spy operation. The adventure constitutes the opening book in the series. When Sayle attended school, he was bullied because of his accent and skin colour. The worst bully was none other than the future Prime Minister, leading him to despise English children, as well as the whole of the UK in general. As a result, Sayle plans to take revenge on the Prime Minister and Britain with his "April Fools Joke"; when the computers are activated by the Prime Minister, the virus, a potent strain of smallpox, will be released into every school in the country, killing every schoolchild and teacher in the country, with Sayle gloating that there will be none left by midnight. S T O R M B R E A K E Rperhaps.” He gestured again. He used his hands likea magician, as if he were about to produce a fan ofcards. “I have the office next door. Just here . . .” They went into 1505. It was a large, square roomwith three windows looking out over the station.There was a flutter of red and blue outside and Alexremembered the flag he had seen. The flagpole wasright next to the office. Inside there was a desk andchair, a couple of sofas, in the corner a fridge, on thewall a couple of prints. A boring executive’s office.Perfect for a boring executive. “Please, Alex. Sit down,” Crawley said. He wentover to the fridge. “Can I get you a drink?” “Do you have Coke?” “Yes.” Crawley opened a can and filled a glass,then handed it to Alex. “Ice?” “No, thanks.” Alex took a sip. It wasn’t Coke. Itwasn’t even Pepsi. He recognized the oversweet,slightly cloying taste of supermarket cola and wishedhe’d asked for water. “So what do you want to talkto me about?” “Your uncle’s will . . .” The telephone rang and with another hand sign,this one for “excuse me,” Crawley answered it. Hespoke for a few moments, then hung up again. “I’m in Cornwall, Sayle shows Alex around his mansion, which houses a large jellyfish aquarium containing a giant Portuguese Man o' War. Alex also meets Mr. Grin, a henchman whose name derives from his time as a circus performer, catching knives with his teeth. An accident when his mother distracted him in one of his performances left him without a tongue and two large scars which give him the appearance of constant smiling.

Publication Order of Alex Rider: The Graphic Novel Books

A film adaptation, starring Alex Pettyfer as Alex Rider, was released in 2006, which underperformed at the box office and earned lukewarm reception. Ian Rider was a very cautious man. As a result, when he passes away in a crash without having worn his seatbelt, Alex, his nephew, suspects foul play in his death. Alex wonders why somebody would choose murder a banker. He then discovers clues that later convince him to believe that his long-time guardian wasn’t the man that he actually claimed to be. The series as a whole is heavily inspired by James Bond. The first line of the novel ("When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it’s never good news.") echoes the opening line of Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel ("The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning."). Later, after a debriefing by Alan Blunt and Mrs. Jones, Alex enters a taxi to go home. The driver is none other than Sayle, who holds Alex at gunpoint. He leads Alex to the top of a building where he is about to shoot Alex and gloats about returning to exact his revenge again, but is himself killed by Yassen Gregorovich, who lands in a helicopter. When Alex questions Yassen about why he shot Sayle, Yassen explains that Sayle had become an embarrassment to the people he (Yassen) worked for, so he had to be eliminated. Knowing that he is facing his uncle's killer, Alex tells Yassen he will one day kill him, but Yassen brushes aside the comment and advises Alex to drop the spy business and become a normal schoolboy again, before leaving in the helicopter.

Stormbreaker | Books | Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz is among the most successful and prolific writers working in the United Kingdom. He is unique for working across many media. Anthony Horowitz is a born polymath; juggling writing TV series, films, books, plays and journalism.

Alex nearly lost his life during his first spy mission. As a result, he is now reluctant to work again for M16 yet again. Instead, he wants to enjoy life as a teenager. M16 later convinces Alex to join their operations. However, the young spy is directly enrolled into an international, elite all-boy school known as Point Blanc in France. Mr. Blunt, the M16 director, believes that the school proprietors, Mrs. Stellenbosch and Dr. Grief, are somehow involved in the mysterious deaths of 2 well-known multi-millionaires.