Storm Catchers [Hardcover]

Tim Bowler (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (May 1, 2003)
• ASIN: B001I7UL5S
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bleak thriller, September 18, 2006

By 

Reader "kpcetal" (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Storm Catchers (Hardcover)

Unfortunately, the 'kid reviewers' above don't give their ages. My daughter was assigned this book as required reading, but the teacher pulled it after parent complaints. It is very heavy going for 12 year olds, on many levels.

First, it is very scary, with an opening that will keep many tweens from being willing to babysit!

Second, the issues are very complex. It's fairly clear, even before it comes out in the story, that the seemingly perfect dad has had an affair, that resulted in the birth of a child (while his wife was pregnant with their 2nd child). But the sins of the father- first the affair, then his 'hit and run' approach to the death of the child- are then visited on the children.

Third, the book does not have a single moment of humor, kindness, grace or redemption. The ending is grim for everybody.

Although it is not clear what a reader would take from this book, it is a real page-turner, hence the 2 stars. For a reluctant reader who is hardened to scary thrillers and doesn't care too much about what happens to the characters, it would be just fine.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Storm Catchers, May 12, 2004

By 

Sarah .Y (Greenwich, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Storm Catchers (Hardcover)

Dear Amazon.com,
I read StormCatchers by Tim Bowler, in less then one day! It was a great read, with an exciting beginning, a captivating middle, and a surprising ending. It's definitely a page-turner. Here's a review.

"She was simply crying. Crying as the rain drove into her face, crying as the gate opened before her. Crying as he took her away."

Tap.Tap.Tap. Fin has gone to check out Billy's new computer, and leaves his brother and sister, Sam and Ella, at home. Little does he know that something devastating is about to take place. In the middle of this coastal storm, Ella has been stolen away by a mysterious kidnapper at night. The Parnell family is shocked-and is being torn apart by Ella's kidnapping. The kidnapper is showing no sign of relenting, giving any information on Ella's state, and saying what he really wants. Until one day, he reveals his plans, and tells the Parnell family what he wants with Ella. On the other hand, Sam has been frequently running towards the old Pengrig lighthouse to catch the Storm. Sam has been talking to himself. When asked, he simply replies, "It's a secret." As time goes on, the Parnell family is forced to unravel their past, full of their deepest, darkest secrets. Maybe getting Ella back wasn't as easy as they thought.

Tim Bowler binds the reader with this science fiction book with surprising twists. As the suspense builds up, you find out who the real criminal is. Love mystery? Then this book is for you. A mystery with a long past-it can't get any better than that!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bland thriller, saved by a few moments of drama, February 6, 2007

By 

Inspector Gadget "Go Go Gadget Reviews" (On the trail of Doctor Claw) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Storm Catchers (Hardcover)

Tim Bowler wrote one of my favorite books ever, Starseeker. I felt obliged to check-out his other work and soon made my way through Apocalypse, which felt like a two unfinished books melted into one. One of his earlier works, Storm Catchers seemed like a more accessible and down-to-earth premise, so I thought I'd give that a go. Trouble is, it's just kind of ordinary and doesn't go to either extreme.

A wealthy family in Cornwall lose their teenage daughter to an intruder in the middle of the night and older brother vows to get the maniac, blaming himself for not being there to protect her. It could have been a solid story of searching for clues and detucting who the culprit is, but Bowler hurries through it quite quickly and blandly. Characterisation is piss-poor, there are no stand-out scenes of mystery or intrique and no defining thrilling moments. The end, in which two apparently seperate plot threads are tied together, makes up for it. But it lingers on after that with melodrama instead of going out on a high.

If Bowler expanded the story (it lasts an anorexic 200 pages) and gave enough time to build character and suspense then it could have been a great book. I have no doubt he has it in his power to write a good book, but sacrificing much of Storm Catchers potential for the sake of a quick time-waster was a mistake.