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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Brought back a lot of childhood memories!
My problems with this book:
Alex Rider kills two men and feels no remorse.
The bad guy's motivation is hilariously dumb. I mean, bullying? Seriously?
Alex Rider rarely feels scared and is an expert on spying despite having only 11 days of training.
Alex Rider has nothing interesting going for him. That's probably because the author wants 14-year old boys to put themselves in Alex Rider's shoes but whatever.
Alex Rider doesn't call his spy peeps when he sees the man who killed his uncle and who's also a professional killer who could easily kill him.
The spy organisation could easily send in trained spies but they choose to send in an untrained boy instead. Like, they say that it's because adult spies couldn't get in, but spies are trained for these things and Alex Rider is not!
Plus, Alex Rider shoots the main villain despite it being established that he didn't want to shoot people in cold blood. Like, what the fish?
Despite all these, I recognize that it's meant to be enjoyed and not thought about. I still liked at least some of the aspects of the book. I might even consider reading the sequel/s in the future.
Alex Rider kills two men and feels no remorse.
The bad guy's motivation is hilariously dumb. I mean, bullying? Seriously?
Alex Rider rarely feels scared and is an expert on spying despite having only 11 days of training.
Alex Rider has nothing interesting going for him. That's probably because the author wants 14-year old boys to put themselves in Alex Rider's shoes but whatever.
Alex Rider doesn't call his spy peeps when he sees the man who killed his uncle and who's also a professional killer who could easily kill him.
The spy organisation could easily send in trained spies but they choose to send in an untrained boy instead. Like, they say that it's because adult spies couldn't get in, but spies are trained for these things and Alex Rider is not!
Plus, Alex Rider shoots the main villain despite it being established that he didn't want to shoot people in cold blood. Like, what the fish?
Despite all these, I recognize that it's meant to be enjoyed and not thought about. I still liked at least some of the aspects of the book. I might even consider reading the sequel/s in the future.
I haven’t enjoyed a book this much since Cherub, which was many years ago. So for that reason I gave it 5/5. What a thrilling read! Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
Anthony Horowitz is simply amazing. The idea of a young boy as a spy is pretty good, but the thing that is most impressive is that the idea did not seem far-fetched like most other teenage spy stories are. Alex Rider did not train miraculously in a month, or isn't some sort of prodigy. He is a regular boy. The fact that his uncle was a spy is quite convenient, but the link to MI6 is the strongest that can be imagined.
Ian Rider had unwittingly trained Alex since he was young; skydiving, mountain climbing, karate, multilingual, etc. were just some thing Alex had picked up from his uncle. He already had the talents, which made him the ideal spy. There was no hairbrained scheme explaining how he acquired those talents, it was natural.
Another thing that was impressive is that the idea of Stormbreakers used for biological warfare is new. The story of computer viruses crippling the economy/education/healthcare is cliched and old. But the story of hiding smallpox in the computers is simply genius! It was a "I never would have thought of that" moment. Horowitz cleverly exploited our predictable ways of thinking and slammed something amazing in our faces, and thats what makes him such a great author.
Alex is likeable and pretty good at what he does. The writing style Horowitz uses appeals to everyone due to its straightforward style. He doesn't try to make it sound flamboyant; he lets Alex do that for him. Which is quite commendable.
The book is a recommended story for anyone interested in adventure and sci-fi stuff. Alex Rider is like a modern world Percy Jackson. Or a buff, and smart yet not as smart as Artemis Fowl. You enjoy Percy Jackson and Artemis Fowl, then you'll enjoy Alex Rider as well.
Ian Rider had unwittingly trained Alex since he was young; skydiving, mountain climbing, karate, multilingual, etc. were just some thing Alex had picked up from his uncle. He already had the talents, which made him the ideal spy. There was no hairbrained scheme explaining how he acquired those talents, it was natural.
Another thing that was impressive is that the idea of Stormbreakers used for biological warfare is new. The story of computer viruses crippling the economy/education/healthcare is cliched and old. But the story of hiding smallpox in the computers is simply genius! It was a "I never would have thought of that" moment. Horowitz cleverly exploited our predictable ways of thinking and slammed something amazing in our faces, and thats what makes him such a great author.
Alex is likeable and pretty good at what he does. The writing style Horowitz uses appeals to everyone due to its straightforward style. He doesn't try to make it sound flamboyant; he lets Alex do that for him. Which is quite commendable.
The book is a recommended story for anyone interested in adventure and sci-fi stuff. Alex Rider is like a modern world Percy Jackson. Or a buff, and smart yet not as smart as Artemis Fowl. You enjoy Percy Jackson and Artemis Fowl, then you'll enjoy Alex Rider as well.
It's like James Bond for kids. Not realistic, but an intense page-turner and action-packed. Violence and death makes me say this is better suited for grades 6-8.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book required the sort of willing suspension of disbelief that I do not naturally possess. While an interesting premise, and not badly executed, the plot really left something to be desired in terms of believable details. There is a great deal of standard trope here, with pretty much the entire plot forecast from the beginning. It's perfectly readable though, and I can understand why it would be so popular among its target audience.
One of my favourite series as a kid and the first book still holds up! I can’t wait to keep reading and hopefully finish the series this time around.