Anthony Horowitz - Stormbreaker

Two and a half stars. Almost okay, but too flawed to make the grade.

This is a fast-moving read, but the characters are regrettably flat. Alex Rider is defined in terms of his physical capabilities, rather than by how he relates to his friends and enemies. Herod Sayle and his henchmen are little more than caricatures of Bond villains, and the mechanisms of their villainy are stereotypically over-the-top and implausible. The groundwork is clearly present for a series of thrilling adventure stories, but I'd hope that in the further volumes, Horowitz provides more of a reason to care about Alex Rider.