Rob Stevens - S.T.I.N.K.B.O.M.B. - An Odious Book Review

                                                 

• Pages - 384
• Publisher - Macmillan Children's
• Date - 5 August 2011
• Age - 9+
• ISBN: 978 0 330 53024 8

Twelve-year-old Archie Hunt is a fairly unassuming kind of boy - until the day he is recruited into S.T.I.N.K.B.O.M.B., MI6's fledgling branch of child agents. Their mission? To track down the evasive Doctor Doom, whose sinister experiments to create the ultimate super-being must be stopped. (Seriously. Austin Powers' Doctor Evil has nothing on this guy.) Luckily Archie has been given a few piloting lessons by his fighter-jet-designer father . . . and soon S.T.I.N.K.B.O.M.B. are whizzing around Europe on the search for Doom's lair. They meet friend and foe along the way - including the poor mutants who are the products of Doom's failed experiments. Like Finn: half-man, half-goldfish. He WANTS to lead the team to the hideout, but his three-second memory means that consistency isn't his strong point . . .


This book is jam packed full of many zany moments that will have you laughing on your feet. It's a great easy read that is full of half-breed monsters that have been genetically modified for the good of evil by the power crazy Doctor Doom. I was looking for something easy and up beat to read when I found this on my reading pile. Instantly, I knew that this was the book I was looking for. 


I read this book in one sitting - that's how engrossed I became in the story. It's a pure off-the-wall adventure that is very far fetched. It is certainly not held back by the constraints of reality, as Archie suddenly finds he has unsuspected martial arts abilities and is able to fly his missing father's helicopter at the age of twelve. Although these escapades do produce some high octane moments which are written particularly well.


This is the start of a new series in this comical spoof caper where the secret agents (all children) work for an unofficial branch of MI6. The book is full of suspense and fraught with danger. The clock ticking moments run right through to the very end. 


The characters are engaging and certainly not the run of the mill superheroes. Whilst the so-called 'baddies' are an eclectic mix of species. So much so, that they will have you thinking have I really just read that right. 


Anyone and everyone would enjoy reading this book. It would suit those who consider themselves young at heart and both boy and girl readers alike.
It's a happy and joyous read amongst my pile of books that are written with a more serious and sinister tone. In fact, this was a welcome read and the type of book that I would like to come across more often. Therefore, I send a big thank you to the publisher for making my day.

Chris Ryan - Agent 21 - Book Review

                                     

   

• Pages 320
• Published By Red Fox
• Date 6 January 2011
• Age 14+                          

When Zak Darke's parents die in an unexplained mass murder he's left alone in the world. That is until he's sought out by a mysterious man: ‘I work for a government agency,’ the man tells him. ‘You don’t need to know which one. Not yet. All you need to know is that we’ve had our eye on you. There’s a possibility you could help us in certain . . . operational situations.’

Zak becomes Agent 21. What happened to the 20 agents before him he'll never know. What he does know is that his life is about to change for ever . . .

Finally, a new series is in the offering from Chris Ryan, former SAS soldier, who avoided capture for 7 days and covered 188 miles of desert in subzero temperatures with no food, and little water. His remarkable escape was the longest in the history of the Regiment and earned him a Military Medal. The author has used some of his real-life experiences to good use. These certainly appears to help him in writing high-octane, fuelled action combat/spy books. Each book gives an authentic touch to the story - they will certainly capture the interest of any reluctant reader and encourage them into the power of a good story.

Agent 21 is definitely a book more suitable for the teenage market - it deals with some very strong issues. To be honest, the cover itself suggests that this book has an older reader in mind as well. However, the plot is very well thought out and written - it was a very enjoyable book to read. 

Zak Darke's parents die under mysterious circumstances, in Nigeria and that becomes the driving force behind Zak. However, a mysterious stranger follows Zak, leading him to eventually discover that they actually know more about his parents mysterious deaths. Zak needs to know more. As a result, he is whisked away to a secret location in the north of England and becomes highly trained in the skills and arts of becoming an Agent. 

The story itself is quite simply written especially for a teenage book. At times, I found that there was just not enough detail included. Although, the drug factory encounter had a lot of detail threaded throughout and was particularly engaging.

Another aspect about this book was that there didn't appear to be a sub-plot weaved into the storyline. It is based really around a simple storyline but it told through a frank and no nonsense approach. However, the ending leaves a great potential for the next book in the series and perhaps this will be further developed.

This book is a good read - Chris Ryan's military background shows throughout the book and definitely makes it a more enjoyable read then most. I will continue to keep reading the other books that he's written in the series - they are certainly filled with many great action moments.