The Death Web

S.T.O.R.M. #5

by E.L. Young

S.T.O.R.M. are: Will Knight: Inventive genius. Creates cutting-edge gadgets. Andrew Minkel: Software millionaire. Founder of S.T.O.R.M. Gaia Carella: Brilliant chemist with a bad habit of blowing stuff up.

A scorned movie director is taking his dastardly revenge - on those who panned his latest film, and on the world When S.T.O.R.M. take a trip to Palm Springs, they discover that Benedict Belvoir's retreat for sick kids is not what it seems - and the mind-boggling truth is more sinister than any movie . . . .

Fast paced, gadget-packed action - perfect for adrenaline junkies

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Middle Grade

240 pages, Paperback

First published February 6, 2009

About the author

E.L. Young is a science and technology journalist with extensive knowledge of the gadgets that appear in the story, all of which are based on real-world inventions or projects currently in development. Young writes for New Scientist, a British science magazine, also published in the United States. She learns about the latest and most important research in all kinds of fields and gets to go directly to the scientists for the full story – which helped in writing the STORM series. STORM: The Infinity Code marks her worldwide fiction debut.

Reviews

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Our heroes and heroine encounter a mad scientist aiding a wealthy, bitter and twisted movie director. I think one of the better S.T.O.R.M. books, but the villain didn't seem very scary, because the threat was so scientifically obscure.

Many issues were resolved but it didn't feel like the end of the series. It's been 9 years since I started this series so I may have been more invested if I had read the books closer together.

Likes:
* Will's inventions, of course
* Cool science
* Andrew is still in contact with Lydia in Australia

* Toothphones placed on a molar
* Building a world based on your YA movie
* Sean helping kids
* Barrington's unofficial help
* Palk, Barrington's Oxford roommate, a helpful nanoscientist from Nanoscience Institute at UCLA
* Security orb
* Attack wasps triggered by pheromones


Dislikes:
* Reclusive, eccentric movie director, Belvoir

* Can you eat with the toothphone in?
* Project Genesis with new life form
* Parasitic life form
* Barrington not telling Sean or kids that he was sending Palk to them
* Gaia being overheard
* Ratty being chased by wasps
* Will flying unfamiliar helicopter so easily
* Andrew dodging McCann's bullets with Sean


With-reservations:
human experimentation, murder, terrorism, biohazards, violence

[Chandril · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5. the pace is bit erratic and difficult to follow sometimes. the gadgets are okay. the plot is bit nerving but overall characters are good.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book featuring the S.T.O.R.M team sees them head to L.A. in the hope of finding out what happened to Will's father. As always in the series there's lots of gadgets and technology which make it all seem more real. An American equivalent of S.T.O.R.M was a nice idea but overall I would say this book is not as engaging as it's predecessors. The end result is really predictable and the ongoing plotline of Gaia and Will having a crush on each other dragged a bit.

Still a great boo but disappointing compared to the rest of the series.

[Melanie Au · Rating 3 out of 5]

Action-packed novel with plenty of super technology. There's very little character development but it may be a good recommendation for those who like the Alex Rider series. Different from the Alex Rider series in that kids are working in a team. Includes a little romance. For upper elementary and maybe even middle school readers.