Stormbreaker

Background Information

 

Stormbreaker is a mystery novel written by Anthony Horowitz. It is the first book in the Alex Rider Series. It takes place in the modern day world. Alex Rider is a 14 year-old British, schoolboy, who has had no special involvement with any intelligence agencies prior to his uncle’s death.

 

Summary

 

Alex Rider is a normal 14 year old British schoolboy, who lives a very normal life with his uncle, bank manager Ian Rider, and housekeeper Jack Starbright. One day, Alex is told that his uncle died in a car crash. But when Alex finds his uncle’s windshield riddled with bullet holes, he knows that his uncle was murdered. It turns out that his uncle was a spy for MI6 and was murdered while in the middle of a top-secret mission. Now, MI6 want Alex to finish what his uncle started. Herod Sayle, a wealthy businessman, is developing a revolutionary computer called the Stormbreaker, and plans to give one to every child in Britain. But shady dealings with foreign countries, communications with killers, and the use of a heavily-guarded facility have given MI6 reasons to be suspicious. It is up to Alex to find out what Sayle is up to. Should he fail, every schoolchild in Britain will be murdered in cold blood.

 

Main Setting

 

Sayle Enterprises

 

Located in Port Tallon, Cornwall, UK. This is where Herod Sayle conducts his business and manufactures the Stormbreaker computers. Alex is sent here to spy on Sayle and find out what he is really up to.