Stormbreaker

By: Anthony Horowitz

Narrated by: Nathaniel Parker

They said his uncle Ian died in a car accident. Alex Rider knows that’s a lie, and the bullet holes in his uncle’s car confirm the truth. But nothing can prepare him for the news that the uncle he always thought he knew was really a spy for Britain’s top-secret intelligence agency. Enlisted to find his uncle’s killers and complete Ian’s final mission, Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, with no way out. The original novel that started the worldwide phenomenon is now a major motion picture!©2006 Anthony Horowitz; (P)2009 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Slam-bang action, spying and high-tech gadgets . . . . a non-stop thriller!" - Kirkus

Great story well written

Painful to listen to. Clipped and choppy voiced narration like someone poking a finger at you in a cadence. Needs a softer sensitive younger voice like a teen finding his way. This sounds like its James Bond more than a kid finding his way and learning to mature into a hero. Wish for a tone more like a young Luke Skywalker but this sounds more like a Jedi

Solid

An impressive start to one of my favorite Novel series. Alex Rider is super relatable and interesting.

Really good adventure.

I didn’t think I would like a story about a child spy, but I was pleasantly surprised. The author showed the logical mistakes a teen would make, and that gave the character realism. The story was appropriate for the situation, and not too outlandish. The narration was very good. Enjoy! 😊

Okay action story held up by an great narrator

What made the experience of listening to Stormbreaker the most enjoyable?

It's hard to care about Alex Rider. As a character, he's simply too perfect. Athletic, intelligent, brave, and rather emotionless except when he's in danger. The plot, as far as I'm concerned, is just another spy adventure. The descriptions in the action scenes were well written, but otherwise, the whole thing fell flat for me. The plot didn't even try to be unpredictable. Even though Alex's young age is supposed to make him an underdog, it never feels that way. Like I said, he's just too much of a clear-cut perfect hero.

Nathaniel Parker's performance did much to bring the story to life. If I'd been reading a paper book, I'm sure I would have skipped over large sections of "blah blah explosion blah blah karate move blah blah cliche monologue" (which would have meant skipping over half the book). Somehow, he manages to infuse even this dry story with excitement, giving Alex a touch of humanity.

Great Read

My son hates to read but he loved it as much as I did !