8 replies to this topic

[TheREAL008]

I picked up a copy of stormbringer today but haven't read it yet. I wanted to get a few insights & opinions of the series of the whole series if I decide to continue with book 2.

[Bond... Raybond]

Sorry, but it's Stormbreaker, not Stormbringer. But having said that, yes, they are well worth reading. Just remember though they are aimed at kids and tennagers, but still make good reading. The last one, Scorpia Rising, was released recently. And I do mean the last one as Anthony Horowitz as said he does not plan to write any more Alex Rider books.

They would make excellent films, if done properly (the film version of Stormbreaker was not great) or even as a TV series.

[TheREAL008]

Sorry, it was quite late when I made this post. But thanks all the same.

[Brisco]

Yeah, the Alex Rider books are a lot of fun. Stormbreaker isn't the best of them, though. They get better. My personal favorites are Point Blanc and Eagle Strike. The early ones are all based directly on Bond novels. Stormbreaker is Fleming's Moonraker rewritten for teens and tweens who won't know any better because they've only seen the movie. Point Blanc is OHMSS; Eagle Strike is Goldfinger. Later books aren't as obvious, only swiping certain ideas or setpieces from Fleming rather than whole plots. Crocodile Tears uses Dr. Shatterhand's Garden of Death, for instance. I don't mean to make it sound like they're RIPOFFS or anything; Anthony Horowitz is a great writer and clearly a big Bond fan who came up with a creative twist on Fleming's 007. But I am still of two minds about that. I mean, as much as I enjoy the Rider books AFTER having read the Bonds, I'm afraid that they might take away some of the pleasure of reading Fleming from this generation. Moonraker won't be as much fun if some kid reads it and says, "Hey! This is the same as Stormbreaker!" But I definitely recommend the books nonetheless.

[Jump James]

Sorry, but it's Stormbreaker, not Stormbringer. But having said that, yes, they are well worth reading. Just remember though they are aimed at kids and tennagers, but still make good reading. The last one, Scorpia Rising, was released recently. And I do mean the last one as Anthony Horowitz as said he does not plan to write any more Alex Rider books.

They would make excellent films, if done properly (the film version of Stormbreaker was not great) or even as a TV series.

Sorry but its teenagers not tennagers.

[Bond... Raybond]

Fair point

[Jump James]

Fair point

We have a laugh, don't we.

Never read the books per-say. But the idea of a young lad being a spy didn't sit well with me. Thats why Young Bond worked, because he just got into scrapes and trouble, but wasn't a secret covert spy working for MI6 IMO.

But I haven't read the Rider books so cant offer an opinion. But I would imagine this is quite a lot of fun for Children to read. Never a bad thing that.

[Dustin]

Fair point

We have a laugh, don't we.

Never read the books per-say. But the idea of a young lad being a spy didn't sit well with me. Thats why Young Bond worked, because he just got into scrapes and trouble, but wasn't a secret covert spy working for MI6 IMO.

But I haven't read the Rider books so cant offer an opinion. But I would imagine this is quite a lot of fun for Children to read. Never a bad thing that.

I've read them up to Snakehead. I have to admit I was sceptic at first, but the books have a definite appeal: they don't read as if they were written for children. Even that most unlikely basic supposition of a kid as a spy (or helping the MI6 ort whatever you want to call it) is quickly overcome. With some slight changes - make Alex a bit older, give him a criminal record and basically force him to aid the SIS - the books could make fine thrillers for adults with nobody suspecting a "childrens" background.

They do, however, lean heavily on Fleming, as was pointed out above. The twist here is IMO not necessarily the children/young adult interpretation. To me they read more like a mix of satire, modernisation and affectionate homage to Fleming's originals. They never deny their heritage, never discount it with cheap remarks about 'not being Bond' or some such. Instead, they pick up Fleming's themes and give them an interesting and often unsuspected turn (won't go deeper into detail here as people haven't read them and I wouldn't spoil the fun).

They do have issues at times, and these surprisingly become apparent (for me that is) when they try to ape the films. The one-liners don't fit in IMO, neither do some of the gadgets. For me they spoil - up to a point - the illusion of following the experiences of a troubled youth that is otherwise quite convincing. Another thing that doesn't ring true is the near complete neglection of sex in these books, a topic that in some form would be formating for most young boys of Alex's age and the absence of which doens't ring true for my adult mind.

Funnily enough, in both instances Horowitz caters to the preferences of his readers, most of them boys of around Alex's age. They apparently crave the gadgets and downright hated the girlfriend Horowitz tried to give Alex. So you see what my critique of the Rider books is worth: null.

You probably best pick up one of the Alex Riders and judge for yourself.

[Cody]

I read Stormbreaker last month. A quick read, pretty decent "kid Bond" story.