The Infinity Code

S.T.O.R.M. #1

by E.L. Young

In just a few days Will Knight lost everyone he cared about and his world is falling apart. Then he's invited to join secret organization STORM. He doesn’t know anything about them, but they know all about him – particularly his talent for inventing gadgets. STORM is the brainchild of fourteen-year-old software millionaire Andrew. Other members are Caspian Baraban, a brilliant astrophysicist with an immense ego, and Gaia, a chemistry genius who loves blowing things up. But when Caspian’s father is abducted, evidence suggests he and Caspian have created a world-threatening weapon. Will leads STORM in pursuit from Paris to St Petersburg and finally face to face with a psychopath. Armed with three brilliant brains, iron courage and a remote-controlled rat, can STORM face down the enemy and can Will face the uncomfortable family secrets that their actions uncover?

Genres: Adventure, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Espionage, Action, Fiction, Thriller

245 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2007

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

[Cindee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book it was really well written I liked the characters and the story. I liked the characters especially Will he is well written a very likable and a very interesting character. I liked the story very much it was action-packed from start to finish the story was so very well written. I liked the spy-like things I liked the fact there were child genius characters they were well written as well. So overall I would say I enjoyed this book an will be reading the rest of the series.

[Tom Malinowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

STORM, an organization founded by a teen to help combat global strife. With only four members and one searching for his Dad, it's up to the other three members with specialization in software, gadgets, and chemistry to not only find him but to stop a plot to destroy a space station!

Action and pacing was spot on. I look forward to reading the rest in the series.

[Cory]

This book is to predictable. From the start I could predict everything happening. It was a teenage guy who got recruited by an “elite group” that was supposed to change the world. It was a mystery but in the end, the book was just plain. There were moments when the book was gooad, but overall it was boring and plain. I recommend this book to anyone who likes predictable books. But for a person like me who likes thrill, this book just didn’t cut it. However, I do like the point of view throughout the book. It showed the view of the boy who got recruited and I think that gave me as a reader more of a` sense of where his head's at and what he is feeling throughout the story. Overall, it wasn’t an awful book, but it also one of my favorites. There were good and bad parts, but i’ve read better books.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Add this to your action/boy/spy list. Reluctant reader yes, but mainly the more techy-sciencegeek types - there is major description of gadgets and how they work and lots of particle physics, black holes, and 'strangelets'. In the back is a list of the actual patents and science that the book is based on, so it's not totally science fiction.

[Andy Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

E.L. Young delighted me with the first novel I've read of hers. It was a face-paced adventure, full of mysteries, and unexplained events from beginning to the end. The characters were well drawn teens, under stress from tumultuous events in their lives and dealing with their gifted abilities and trying to fit in with society.

That was before one of them decided to form their own society to solve the world's problems, themselves, at 14.

That's enough of a tease. My one complaint is that some of the events border on improbable with insufficient justification or explanation. These aren't science-related, but simple bureaucratic things, like traveling without passports.

[Allyson Jamison · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the story of this book was intriguing, the writing style made it very difficult for me to enjoy it. I loved the characters and the friend group they created! I also loved all the cool gadgets and Russian bad guys. It was all a lot of fun! It made me sad that it was so poorly written and that I couldn't enjoy it more. Still a decent book though.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book dares to answer the question that no one asked: What if the Mission: Impossible team was a trio of 14-year-old kids? Probably for its target audience of kids, the answer is: Cool! For everyone else: Eh.

[Violet Perry (Just a Bookish Blog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Infinity Code was on my TBR for a while, and I never picked it up, but I'm sure glad I finally did. It is definitely a page turner, with lots of intrigue, mysterious characters, uncertainty, and much more. It's a good book if you want something fast paced with cool characters.

[Ronda Six Garnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book...well written

[JThoma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a crime fighting organization named STORM. STORM contains three teenage genius', Will, the loner and an inventor, Andrew, the software millionaire whiz kid and Gia, who speaks Mandarin, Italian and French and is also a brilliant teen chemist who loves to blow things up. At first, Will was skeptical about joining STORM because of their plan to combat global strife and to Will, it seemed like a childish idea and he thought that Gia and Andrew were too up in the clouds. It was only when the group uncovers a plot to create a deadly revolutionary weapon that would destroy the world Will gives in and joins STORM. Together all three of them have to race from England to Russia to stop the evil psychopathic scientist and dismantle the weapon. Together all three of them combine to make an almost unstoppable force of a software genius, a daring inventor, and a brilliant chemist.
Personally, my favorite part of the book was towards the middle-ish end where all of the secrets in the book pop out and you are left wondering, "Wow I didn't see this coming at all!" I really enjoyed this part of the book because everything started to fall into place after that and it gave me a good resolution to my antsiness throughout the book; I was antsy to find out what was truly going on and who truly was the evil psychopathic scientist. This part just caught my attention because of how much action was in it as well. I am currently a sucker for spy action books and I believe that this one is one to remember. Once started reading this book I couldn't stop, the book was that interesting to me.
I would recommend this book to readers who love action, fiction, and mystery genres. This book contained all three of them and was full to the brim with suspense. I personally loved this book which is why I gave it a five-star rating because the book kept me looking for more as I turned each page. I could easily depict and draw out the story in my mind which shows how much detail is put into this story. Overall I really liked the book because of how much action, suspense, and mystery are in it and it kept me turning each page to find out what happened next. I hope that when you read this book, you will like it as much as I did.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

Will Knight never intended to get mixed up in international crime and political intrigue.

When he first met Gaia, gifted chemistry student, and Andrew, child millionaire and software genius, and heard about their idea to start an organization named STORM which would help in desperate situations around the world, he declared them crazy and walked away. But he can't ignore Gaia when she tells him about a magnetic storm that's about to hit Earth. The group's efforts allow a plane that would otherwise have crashed to safely land, and Will discovers that saving lives makes him feel more alive than anything has since his father's death a few months ago.

Before long, STORM faces a new, far greater challenge. A brilliant scientist has been kidnapped, and his son, Andrew's friend, Caspian, has created an incredible weapon to fulfill the kidnappers' demands. When Will finds out, he knows they must act or risk global tragedy. He and his friends embark on a journey across the continent to stop Caspian and find out who is behind the scheme. Along the way, Will must face truths he'd rather not have known, and all three must learn to work together if they--and the planet--are going to survive.

STORM: THE INFINITY CODE is an exciting, fast-paced adventure that's sure to appeal to fans of spy stories and mysteries. The three main characters are enjoyable companions along the way, heroic but still human, doing as much as three fourteen-year-old teens can. There are many surprises along the way, and while the ending is satisfying, it's far from pat.

From the detailed explanations of Will's inventions to the stark descriptions of the dangers the group encounters, the book is more realism than fantasy, and is all the stronger for it. Highly recommended for readers who like their adventures grounded in the real world.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will’s parents are gone – following his father’s death, his mother sent Will to a friend in London while she goes to her mother’s in Russia to grieve and recover. The only thing that comforts Will as he grieves is working on his inventions and gadgets; gadgets like Rapid Ascent which combines a spear gun, a rope, a harness, and precise engineering to lift a human up the side of a building in mere moments. Soon Will’s caught the attention of three other overachieving teens: Gaia, Andrew and Caspian. Gaia’s a chemical genius who likes to blow things up and Caspian’s specialty is astrophysics. Andrew has money, brains, and ambition, but most of all he has the idea: He wants them to be a team – a force for good in the world – kids who can make a difference on a global level. At first all Will wants is to be left alone, but then Caspian disappears and it becomes clear that something major is afoot, something along the lines of an epically deadly weapon. The trail leads to Russia which Will thinks is a fortunate coincidence that will allow him to reunite with his mother, but Will’s about to learn that there’s no such thing as coincidence.
The STORM series is perfect for fans of Alex Rider and other high tech spy novels, but has the added bonus that every gadget used in the books has a basis in today’s science. Don’t forget to check out the Author’s Note at the back and the “excerpt” from Will’s notebook.

I enjoyed this, but as seems to be usual for me, I'd like to read the second book to see if it's a little smoother now that all the world setup has been done and all the characters have been introduced.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will is a genius kid with a number of spy-type inventions that he has created. He is recruited by another young, rich genius, Andrew, to help form a group to solve the world's problems. Gaia and Caspian are the other two members of STORM. Their first mission is to save a plane that is in danger of crashing due to a solar eruption. However, the big mission is to stop a group from destroying a secret, new space hotel using a black-hole weapon. The father of one of the team members has been kidnapped to create this new weapon, which creates an additional conflict. The STORM team travels across Europe into Russia to find the location of the black-hole weapon, which can potentially destroy the whole planet. Their intelligence and creative inventions are important in the resolution of the conflict. There are a couple of "surprises" along the way, although you'll probably be able to predict them.

I might be getting tired of genius, spy kids solving the Earth's problems, so this book may be worth a rating of five. The conflict is creative, and the internal problems facing the characters add a new dimension to the plot. Caspian is caught in a situation where he leaves STORM to help his father. He also has a conflict, because he helps to create this new invention that can cause the end of the world. Will and Gaia have family issues, and Andrew just seems lonely. All is good in the end, and the door is wide open for the sequel.

[Nick Scholz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was a very exciting, action packed, thriller that kept you on the edge of your seat for the whole book. The science in this book is semi-true as it is being created but not actually operational in real life but in the book it is fully ready to be used at any moment. This aspect of the book i particularly like for science is one of my favorite subjects. This exiting installment of 3 young genuis kids saving people and the world in Storm: The Infinity Code leads me to want to read the next book in the series Storm: The Ghost Machine. This book also has cut scenes to portray other peoples point of view seemingly almost simultaneously. Therefor these reasons leave me to hope that the author of Strom: The Infinity Code brings exciting new tales and features the the next thrilling Storm book.

[Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off great! Amazing action then it just drops. After the first chapter the book gets a little boring. But if you give it a try and keep reading it gets good. Once you find out about What's happening to Caspians father the story slowly gets better. The very end of the book is amazing and it you wanting more. I have just started the sequel and it's better already. Although the great parts of this book make up for some of the boring one, it spends to much getting there and not enough action. The author trys to add things on the way but it's not enough. If she added big twits along the way instead of only at the end it would've been better. I do reccomend this book, but if you are thinking of quitting it, skip to the end.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will's father died and his mom left him with Natalia so she could grieve. Will's started at a school for gifted children, but his true passion lies with inventions. While testing out a new invention, Gaia sees. She reports back to Andrew, a friend and the creator of STORM, an organization created to save the world, as only eleven-year olds can. Then Caspian, one of their members, disappears. In an effort to find him, they stumble upon his equations known as 'The Infinity Code' - a black hole. In an effort to stop Caspian from handing over a powerful object, they find themselves in a much bigger plot. And Will finds his mother is not quite who she claimed to be.

This actually was a pretty action-packed story. Not completely believable, but it was still fun to read.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-paced story about 3 fourteen-year-old who come together to form STORM: Science and Technology to Over-Rule Misery. The book centers around Will, a would-be loner who invents amazing gadgets. After his father's death, Will's mother sends him to London to stay with a friend while she returns to visit her mother in Russia and try to get herself together. Feeling confused, somewhat angry and abandoned, Will keeps to himself until a girl in his class approaches him and invites him to meet Andrew. Together, Gaia and Andrew reveal STORM and the story takes off from there. Mad scientists, a plot for world dominion and plenty of teenage genius and bravery make this a worthy thriller.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will has always been smarter than the kids in his classroom, but he never liked to show off. But when one of his classmates approaches Will and asks him to join her in creating a group that will fight against evil, Will is incredulous. However as events in his own life begin to unravel, Will and his new friends suddenly find themselves on a train to St. Petersburg to stop a madman from creating a blackhole that could destroy the world.
Sounds far-fetched? Yes it is, but for fans of James Bond, Alex Rider etc, it is a fast passed book with lots of twists and turns. Plus the author gets at least a half star for being Australian (sorry I have a thing for Australian authors-they rawk).

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four teenaged geniuses come together to form "STORM" in the hopes that their brilliant minds can help make a difference in the world. Though reluctant at first, their first mission quickly leads to a second mission - one where they must find out why their 4th member has betrayed them to create an extraordinary weapon. Starts out promising, but then the story slows way down and it takes some time before it picks up again. Filled with double crossings and "surprises" that are rather predictable.

[Melisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son started this book and didn't want to continue. It has so many elements that interest him I read it because I wanted to understand why he didn't want to continue. In addition to the thrilling plot and amazing gadgets there is emotionally challenging materiel that he was just not ready to deal with for recreational reading.

I think it is well written and intriguing! I would continue the series but it is not in our library system. So it will have to wait until he shows interest in reading it as well.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

STORM: The Infinity Code is the third book in the STORM series. A cross between the humor of Artemis Fowl and the high tech of Alex Rider, the teen geniuses of STORM are on the trail again when five of the six scientists working on a top secret environment changing device are killed and the lone survivor of the project is on the run. This book is a romp. It is a fast, fun read; Artemis Fowl fans should love it. The gadgets and gizmos are spectacular. But I do think it might be hard to follow if you haven't read the first two. (They were fun to read as well!)

[Richelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad...I probably won't be recommending it for my nephew though, because he won't stop to try to understand any of the science or jargon, he'll get tripped up and won't continue. Maybe when he is a couple years older (10 now).

In addition, book's main theme is solving humanity's problems through science. I love science and think we are making amazing discoveries and advancements. However, I don't think science will be able to "fix" the human condition in a satisfying way. That is a theological matter.

[Gerardo Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading the back of the book and i read it was going to be about a spy organization i knew i wasn't going to put his book down. The characters in the book are will the inventive genius and Andrew the founder of STORM and he is a millionaire. At last is Gaia she is the smart one and chemist. The setting takes place in London. A scientist creates a deadly weapon before he is kidnap. Storm are going to try to not let the weapon fall in bad hands. i will recommend this book if you like the books of Alex Rider and Artemis Fowl because it has a little of both.

[Addison Children's Services · Rating 2 out of 5]

All the reviews say, �??fans of Alex Rider,�?� well it's not Alex Rider. I thought it d-r-u-g on forever. I had very little idea what was going on in the first half of the book. One character was referred to by his first name for two pages and then his last name for two pages. I was left wondering where this new person had appeared from. The last third of the book was reasonably exciting when they finally were confronting the bad guys. It is like Alex Rider in that 14-year-olds are all the stand in the way of world annihilation, and MI6 turns up in the end.

[Raina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great cover with lots of appeal for boys, jr. high/upper elementary kids, and Alex Rider fans. Three kids form a secret organization which spies, develops techie tools, and helps to save the world (!!!).
My understanding is that the kids love it, but the writing was lacking at times for me, and I get irritated when the point of view is constantly changing (without even a section break). Cool technology based on reality, and a good booktalk, but not one that I would look for a sequel for.

[Brandon Youngkrantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was about a group of smart kids that want to fight crime. For the main mission int his book they have to stop a guy name Caspian and stop him from creating a weapon to destroy a secret weapon. To do that they sneak into a food van to get into the the science lab. Then they snuck into where they created the black hole weapon and destroyed it.

This book was very good and action packed .
I recommend this book to people that like action books.

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

14-year old geniuses attempt to survive their teen years and save the world

I think this story would be a good one to recommend to those readers who enjoy teen adventure stories such as young Bond, Alex Ryder, Jimmy Coates, and H.I.V.E. Complex story, with some emotional home-life issues in the background for the teens--lots of high adventure with some great techno-gadgets.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inside the front cover there is a blurb that tells Alex Rider to watch out because a storm is coming. Alex Rider does not have anything to worry about. This is more science and technology based and there was a lot of descriptive language that made my mind tune out. Jacob stopped reading it. That should say something.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, will and his friends form a organisation called storm. They then find the missing scientist vassily baraban, and save the world in the end from an evil mastermind. I picked up this book because i was bored and finished because i was bored. I recommend this book to anyone who enjos science and technology.

[Kilbourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

STORM is a very good book and its about three kids each with a different talent that try to solve strange things like in this one someone is trying to make a black hole to destroy a police station in space. their names are Will, Andrew, and Gaia.