43 pages • 1 hour read
Anthony HorowitzStormbreaker
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2000A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 13-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary: “The School Bully”
Alex wakes handcuffed in a dark room. He feels guilty for not stopping Sayle. He is led to Sayle’s office. Alex feigns ignorance, but Sayle demands the truth. Alex explains everything, and Sayle is both amused that MI6 sent a 14-year-old boy and amazed at how much Alex knows. Sayle says that he grew up loving England, but he was bullied by schoolboys for his short height and received racist and xenophobic treatment. The worst bully became the current prime minister. Sayle says that he plans to use the Stormbreakers to spread a genetically modified form of the smallpox virus and kill England’s schoolchildren as revenge for his mistreatment. Alex tries to reason with him and chastises him for trying to murder children. Sayle disregards him, telling him that he is like the boys who bullied him. He leaves and tells Mr. Grin to kill Alex.
Chapter 14 Summary: “Deep Water”
Alex sits handcuffed on a chair. He remembers that he has cream from Smithers that melts metal, but he cannot reach it. Soon, Mrs. Vole arrives and, to Alex’s surprise, takes off his handcuffs. She tells him that she works with MI6. They go up the stairs toward a statue. Mrs. Vole twists the statue’s arm, causing the stairs to disappear under Alex. He falls into the jellyfish tank, where Mrs. Vole says he will succumb to exhaustion within hours. Alex tries to stay calm and dodge the jellyfish, but it grabs his foot, and Alex has difficulty swimming as Mrs. Vole creates a current in the tank. Alex remembers the cream and sees that the tank is held together by iron girders. He applies the cream to the iron, causing the glass to break. The room becomes flooded, and Alex finds the jellyfish on top of Mrs. Vole, stinging her repeatedly. Alex leaves the room. He is unsure of what to do until he hears an aircraft and goes outside.
Chapter 15 Summary: “Eleven O’clock”
Alex sees a cargo plane departing. He knocks out a guard (forgoing the chance to kill him), takes his pistol, and drives his Jeep toward the plane. Realizing he cannot reach it, he attaches the nylon on the yo-yo to a harpoon gun. Security guards fire at Alex, but he dodges them. He shoots the harpoon into the bottom of the plane and pulls him and the Jeep toward it. He climbs inside the plane and finds only Mr. Grin. Alex pulls out the pistol and tells Mr. Grin to take him to the Science Museum in London.
Chapters 13-15 Analysis
Chapters 13-15 are a transition between the rising action and climax of the novel. Alex continues to grow as a spy and shows his integrity as he confronts Sayle and his servants. He refuses to listen to Sayle’s justifications for the Stormbreaker project and criticizes his actions. In Chapter 15, Alex has the opportunity to kill a security guard near the Jeep. However, he decides that he will not kill in cold blood for anyone, including MI6. Alex’s decision reflects his desire to hold onto his moral convictions and not let MI6 turn him into a killer. It also foreshadows his encounter with Yassen, where he tells Yassen he will kill him to avenge Ian. Alex’s ambiguous relationship with espionage and killing reflect The Moral Complexity of Espionage. Alex refuses to kill except in self-defense, but he might make an exception for Yassen.
As the novel approaches its climax, Perseverance in the Face of Difficulty becomes more intense, persistent, and fast-paced. Alex must survive swimming in a tank with Sayle’s jellyfish, a feat that Mrs. Vole notes is impossible. Alex escapes using the metal-melting cream. He then uses a Jeep to catch up to the cargo plane. This scene is fast-paced and exaggerated. The unreality of it reflects the fantasy that often appears in action/adventure fiction. The protagonist possesses implausible daring, luck, and skill, and these character elements mirror the exaggerated plot as the narrative races toward its climax. The Interplay of Technology and Espionage is critical in creating tension in these scenes. Alex uses the metal-melting cream to escape the jellyfish tank. He then uses the nylon yo-yo string to attach himself to the cargo plane. While these uses of technology are not quite realistic, they highlight Alex’s talents. The rush to stop a calamitous crime with only moments to spare is a common trope in young adult spy fiction.
The Judgment Day painting reappears in Chapter 13 as a symbol of Sayle’s vision for England. The painting reflects his self-image as a divine judge punishing England for the prime minister’s sins. Alex describes the figures as “writhing in agony” and fears that “the image would soon be repeated all over England” (179). This event gives Alex a stronger sense of urgency and makes him more critical of Sayle’s logic.
The jellyfish also reappears as a symbol for Sayle, reflecting his nature as a vicious killer who delivers a quick but agonizing death. The jellyfish tries to attack Alex when he is in the tank, similar to how Sayle tried to have him killed him in Chapter 13. Sayle’s connection to the jellyfish foreshadows his attempt to kill Alex directly in Chapter 17.
The novel provides two twists in Chapter 14, with Mrs. Vole revealing herself as an MI6 agent only to betray him. Mrs. Vole’s betrayal shows her ability to deceive others and Alex’s naivete as a teenage spy on his first mission. Alex’s tendency to trust the wrong people, as he trusted Sayle initially, has not been completely cured by experience.
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