I have a ritual of constantly rereading my favorite King books on weekends. Firestarter wasn't my top favorite among his works. Interestingly, I saw the original movie first. (Honest advice: Don't even think about watching Peacock's Efron version as it will completely ruin the whole premise for you.)

When I was a little kid, seeing the girl from E.T. eject fire through her eyes was the coolest thing for me to watch! It was even cooler than Carrie's telekinesis power!

A few years later, I read the book and I fell in love with Charlie and her relationship with her devoted father who risks his life to protect his girl! It was an epic, action-packed, and exciting journey!

Nearly 30 years later, I'm repeating my routine and rereading this book, and later I'll rewatch Barrymore's version of the movie. If you have enough time to get lost in this action-packed, supernatural, fast-paced, gripping, and dark journey, I highly recommend you do the same!

I first read this article in 2019. Since then, I have been interested in rereading it again.

As I reread, I truly enjoyed reading about the characters Charlie and Andy. Their stories and interactions were engaging and held my attention throughout.

However, I must admit that the ending of the article wasn't as intriguing as the rest of it. It felt a bit rushed or perhaps not as fully developed as I would have liked.

Despite this, overall, it was still an enjoyable read. The vivid descriptions and the interesting plot kept me entertained from start to finish. I would recommend this article to others who are looking for a light and engaging read.

I look forward to seeing what other works the author has in store and hope that future endings will be more satisfying.

Firestarter was my second book by Stephen King.

Somehow, it managed to be a lot worse than Carrie, which was my first. I'll be brutally honest with you. Reading this almost felt like flipping through 520 pages of nothingness. I guess it's easy to forgive this disappointment because this book is early King. And regardless of the fact that I'm not an expert in the King field, it seems that this lacked a certain pizzazz factor which his books are known for. And besides, Fabian is a King expert and he agrees with me - I have backup people, stay back.

I truly don't have much to say about this book, due to lack of inspiration. And like I said before, I would've dumped this before I even got to the next running scene if not for Fabian who wouldn't let us quit. To read his review, please click here ⏩ you'll pay for this. And here goes.

⏩ \\n  THE STORY LINE\\n
Vicky Tomlinson and Andy Mcgee were once participants in a medical experiment in college which left them permanently changed and with special abilities that you and I will never be capable of having (don't you just love Stephen King's mischievous mind?). Years later, the experiment over, we find out that Vicky and Andy married and had a daughter named Charlie. And The Shop, the secret governmental organization which carried out the experiment that caused their \\"abilities\\", is still after them.

⏩ \\n  PROOF OF FACT: RUNNING WILL NEVER BE THE ANSWER TO YOUR PROBLEMS\\n
All Charlie and Andy do is run. Run father run. Run daughter run. For like two-thirds of the book, that is all they do. They run, they get cornered, they escape, and they run. That's it. This was too thin a narrative line to stretch over a long book, a book of 520 pages. Bless our souls. I don't even know how Fabian and I got through this. Now there are two types of running. Adventurous running, which manages to keep you on your toes and galloping through book pages towards the end, and exasperating running - which is simply enervating and very vexatious. By now you'd have guessed that Andy and Charlie adopted the latter. Not even the writing in this book could save it for me because even that I found lacking. It was too simple and boring, almost offensively plain. The only parts I could forgive were those that gave voice to Charlie. Charlie is a 7-year-old girl, and as such, should sound like one - I'll concede to that. But what about the rest of the narration? I just found the writing to be too poor, but of course, that's my subjective opinion.

The conclusive truth is that even if we were the world's most patient readers, you can only wait so long \\n   for something to happen.\\n And when your tolerance is wearing thin and your hope is dwindling, you stop caring - if you even cared at all in the first place, which I'm not sure I did. It was just too late at that point for any kind of turnaround.

One good point: Charlie and Andy were very likeable characters. Even though I didn't like them, couldn't relate to them, couldn't care enough about them. But the point... Is they were.

⏩ \\n  CHARLIE AND ANDY'S RELATIONSHIP\\n
\\n  

The father is the authority figure. He holds the psychic reins of every fixation in the female child. Oral, anal, genital; behind each, like a shadowy figure standing behind a curtain, is the father authority figure. To the girl child he is Moses; the laws are his laws, handed down she knows not how, but his to enforce. He is perhaps the only person on earth who can remove this block.

\\n
It was revealed in the earliest pages of the book that Vicky died. What we were left with were Andy and Charlie trying to evade The Shop, on the run with hardly any monetary support and only their abilities to survive. I imagine that they were drawn close by her absence, and you can imagine the strength of the buddy system formed in such a precarious situation. Charlie and Andy adored each other, worried about each other and helped each other all the way. The buddy system heightened the special father-daughter bond they originally shared. Their love was marked by a state of awareness, a knowledge that this could be the end of the road, and they could be caught at any time. Separated, hurt, or killed. And they acted based on this knowledge. It was one of the good parts of this book: The way it portrayed such a lovely kinship.

⏩\\n  POINT TO NOTE: IT SEEMS KING HAS A SOFT SPOT FOR GIFTED KIDS \\n
And here I make reference to Carrie.

Just sprinkle some ketchup on Charlie and we might as well be talking about Carrie. The Shop is just an organization of bullies after all. I truly love how King delves into the paranormal. But of course, the two stories differ greatly.

⏩ \\n  PYROKINESIS\\n
There's a saying that Fire is a good slave and a bad master. Please don't try experimenting with this theory. It all comes back to King's affinity for the paranormal. Scientific explanations were proffered for this phenomenon here, but pyrokinesis is ostensibly a mind affair. Since I'm weirdly attracted to anything that relates to the psyche and mind, this plotline intrigued me a little bit. In the end, it failed to excite me as much as it should have because I wasn't fully convinced by the displays Charlie made. Or maybe the phenomenon wasn't really explored properly. I don't know, but something was simply amiss. Little Charlie had to struggle with the concept of good and bad and right and wrong using her ability, pyrokinesis, as a compass for gauging. It was disheartening at times, and at other times it was impressive to read about how mature and brave she was. A girl of 7 shouldn't have had to deal with issues which Charlie dealt with. A girl of 7 shouldn't struggle and contemplate so critically about such concepts or be so horribly afraid of the gravity and consequences of powers (aside from pyrokinesis, she also had some psychic powers) she never asked for. This brings me back to Charlie's likeability and how endearing she was as a character.

Other characters that interested me were Irv Manders (who Fabian said he would love to encounter as a major character in another King book, and I couldn't agree more) and John Rainbird - this guy scared me. There was a pattern to his madness, but I can't be too sure about what it was yet.

And my final disappointment. I was so dissatisfied with the ending. It felt unfinished, like something suspended and left in limbo. But no, it wasn't an open ending. I would say the ending was resolved, but it felt like Charlie's story wasn't truly finished. Ordinarily, the feeling of continuity of a story even after the story has ended should be a good thing. Here it felt...not wrong, but just not right.

I always say reading a book is akin to going on a journey. This book was like going carpooling. I don't remember much of the things we saw (I'm not sure Fabian does too), and I was mostly bored watching the sights fly by, but we made it. The book was a fail, but our buddy read - always a success. If you're a King fan, definitely read this. I dare say your experience might be different. If you're a newbie like me, I would say try something else by King. Someone told me King has written about 60 books, it's a whole sea of books. Go fishing.

⏩ \\n  PRE-REVIEW\\n
To say that Firestarter is underwhelming would be a grave understatement. The writing is poor and the story lacks allure. I would probably have dumped this book and bleached it from my memory 60 pages ago but thank the book gods for a buddy reading partner like Fabian. The only thing this story has taught me is to never underestimate the significance of a reading buddy. Life's too short to read a book you aren't enjoying. So why, you ask, do we keep on with this? I won't lie. There's joy in complaining about a book and being frustrated together. And rejoicing in the little breakthroughs we encounter along the way.

I didn't have the same level of enthusiasm for this one as I did for some of his other works. However, it was still a good read.

Since the 1970s, Stephen King's name has been a household word, at least in the U.S.

As a pop culture icon, he's practically synonymous with the field of “horror.” His books are guaranteed best sellers, and his fame has been spread even far beyond the ranks of the reading public by heavily-publicized film adaptations of many of his novels.

Despite my liking for the speculative genres, I've never been a particular King fan. “Horror” for its own sake doesn't appeal to me, and I've always been skeptical of “best sellers.”

However, when a mid-life career change took me to library school and I became a public librarian, I concluded that I needed to sample his work for readers' advisory services.

King's SF here is of the “soft” school, focusing on psi powers. The premise is that a U.S. government agency engaged in unethical research with a psi-enhancing drug.

The source of horror isn't what the characters can do with their minds, but the vision of an unaccountable government agency.

Unfortunately, King self-sabotages any bipartisan message by making sure his characters' partisan ideological labels are firmly in place.

For all that, the depiction of the evil the Shop represents is clear enough that some readers would look beyond the author's ideological labeling.

As a story, it works well. It's vivid, fast-paced, and has a strong sense of suspense and danger. King's characterizations are super-vivid and lifelike.

As a work of “horror,” the novel provides its share of grisly mayhem. There's no sexual content, and bad language isn't particularly pervasive.

It's far from deep literature, but overall, I liked it well enough for the type of entertainment that it is.

Well, that truly blew my mind!

Firestarter is an enthralling novel that follows the adventures of father and daughter, Andy and Charlie McKee, as they are relentlessly pursued by a mysterious government agency known as The Shop. The reason for their flight is simple yet terrifying. Andy possesses the psychic power of suggestion, which he calls "the push," while Charlie is a firestarter. However, Charlie's powers far exceed her father's in both capability and potential. Andy's power comes with limitations, as it can only be used for a certain period before causing brain damage to himself, whereas Charlie's power seems limitless and has no negative impact on her.

The origins of their abilities are deeply rooted in a secret experiment conducted by The Shop on college students, under the guise of a trial for a LSD-like medication. The drug, called Lot Six, altered Andy's DNA and that of another college student, Vicky, who he would later marry and who would tragically lose her life at the hands of The Shop during an attempt to kidnap their daughter, Charlie.

This is my second time reading this captivating story, and while I remember very little about it except for the moments when Charlie unleashes her power, this time around, I am certain to remember much more. The character of Andy McKee is like a more frayed version of Johnny Smith from The Dead Zone. Both possess psychic abilities, both are teachers, and both are fundamentally good people. In a particularly poignant scene, when Charlie is briefly kidnapped by The Shop, Andy chooses to use his ability to disable the two kidnappers rather than kill them outright. This scene beautifully showcases one of the many themes that run through this story. Both Andy and Charlie are good-natured individuals. Andy uses his ability to help others, while Charlie refuses to use hers for fear of hurting anyone. Yet, they are hounded by a ruthless government agency that has no qualms about murdering them, having already experimented on them. As the story progresses, the reader witnesses both characters reaching the breaking point and unleashing their powers on The Shop in a desperate bid for survival.

We are introduced to Andy and Charlie at a time when they are at their wits' end, and through Andy's flashbacks, we learn how he and Charlie's mother, Vicky, met. Although Firestarter is not primarily a romantic book, the small portion of romance between these characters is expertly written and highlights King's remarkable gift for storytelling. However, these sections are mostly seen through Andy's eyes, and as previously mentioned, he feels like a substitute for Johnny Smith. The best part of this story, without a doubt, is when Charlie takes center stage in the latter portion.

Charlie is, without a doubt, King's most powerful and compelling good character. Not only is she capable of starting fires, but there seems to be no limit to her abilities, and she also possesses a range of other powers that are only briefly glimpsed in the novel. What strikes me about this novel is how closely it resembles King's first book, Carrie. In both novels, the central female character possesses a powerful psychic ability. While Carrie is a story about a young woman unleashing her power on those who have tormented her, only to meet her end at the hands of her own mother, Firestarter delves deeper into the question of what would happen if such a person existed and what threat she could pose to the rest of humanity. There are even sections in this novel where Charlie's father contemplates whether she will have to spend her life in isolation for the safety of others. The answer to this question is never given, which only adds to the novel's allure and makes it an even more captivating read.

I have read the review that Grady Hendrix gave this novel in his Great Stephen King Re-Read, in which he links Charlie's power to her coming of age as a woman and the power that this holds over the male-dominated world. It is an interesting theory, and one that I find myself in agreement with when considering that this novel is almost entirely populated by male characters who all have their own motives and desires when it comes to Charlie. Her father only wants her to use her gifts as a last resort, while The Shop and its male scientists want to exploit her power for their own purposes. The most fascinating of these characters is John Rainbird, a scarred assassin employed by The Shop, who is obsessed with death and hopes to gain some understanding of the world around him by ending Charlie's life. In terms of King's villains, he is interesting but not quite top-tier. The rest of the villains in the novel are notable for their incompetence, which makes me believe that this book would make an excellent film in the current political climate, with both the American and British governments being run by individuals who seem to lack basic common sense.

Charlie, on the other hand, is without a doubt top-tier when it comes to King's good guys. It is a shame that we don't get to spend more time with her. I suspect that this may be due to King's own lack of confidence in his ability to write an entire novel from the perspective of an eight-year-old girl, but I have no evidence to support this theory. Regardless, Firestarter is an excellent read and a great starting point for those who are not yet fans of King's work. It showcases his talent for creating vivid and memorable characters, features some truly thrilling action scenes, and is written with his trademark flair and style. The only downside is that it leaves you longing for more books with young female protagonists by King.

First of all, I would like to say that I highly recommend "OJOS DE FUEGO" without hesitation. Now, here is my opinion of the book!

SPOILER. ALERT SPOILER.

In the first half of the book, I was constantly making assumptions about how everything would end, and I was even worried about the uncertain fate of Charlie and Andy.

In the second half, I was on the edge of my seat, feeling tense about how this triangle between Andy, Charlie, and John Rainbird would end. I must say that the book really caught my attention, kept me in suspense, and I devoured it in three days with very well-developed characters. However, there were several things that I didn't like:

1. I hated "La Tienda" and I was hoping that Charlie would incinerate all of them. XD

2. The deaths of Andy and Rainbird bothered and disappointed me. I was expecting much more from them, perhaps a confrontation between the two or a sacrifice.

3. That ending left a bad taste in my mouth because it was OPEN. Yes, I was left with a lot of unknowns and that deducted some points for me, because there are two options:

The first: "La Tienda" triumphs.

The second: Charlie can be free and the world will know the truth. Yes, a very bad ending for a book that was going so well. In my perception.

This was not at all what I had anticipated. I had suspected something along the lines of Carrie, but this was more like a thriller with a touch of sci-fi, especially if one considers psychic abilities to fall within that genre. Additionally, there was an element of horror, as the characters were being manipulated by a shadow government agency.

Andy McGee, a college student in need of money, is persuaded to participate in an experiment. An unnamed drug is injected into the students. However, not everything goes smoothly for those in the experimental group, and the program is ultimately set aside. Nevertheless, it serves as a red flag for what is to come. Andy meets another student in the group, Vicky, and they eventually marry and settle down to a seemingly normal life, despite both having developed some psychic abilities.

Although the experimental program was shelved, the people who were part of it are surveilled long after the program was shut down. Andy and Vicky have a child, Charlie, who develops an extremely powerful ability - the ability to start fires with her mind. Now, the government wants to study her. Andy's wife is tortured and killed, and now Andy and Charlie are on the run, and the thrilling adventure begins.

This book truly captivated me from the very first page.

Andy and Vicky crossed paths at a scientific drug trial being conducted by the US government. They had no idea what was being injected into them; all they knew was that the $200 volunteer fee was badly needed.

Little did anyone anticipate that after the trial, Andy and Vicky would begin dating and eventually have Charlie, a baby girl with the astonishing ability to start fires.

I became deeply invested in this story and its characters. It felt as if it was Stephen King at his absolute best. The storytelling here is simply fabulous, with each scene vividly coming to life on the page.

There are numerous similarities between Charlie and Carrie, and for that reason, I loved Charlie even more, as Carrie is my favorite SK novel. However, while there are echoes, the two books are actually very different, and both rightfully deserve the acclaim they have received.

It's a fantastic read, and I毫不犹豫地 give it an easy five stars.

This is a book that starts with a very good rhythm, extremely fast.

However, as it progressed, it became increasingly burdensome for me.

By the middle, it was already very tedious and I couldn't bear it.

It has approximately 350 pages that are extremely boring, repetitive, heavy, and slow.

Sorry, King, but this book wasn't for me.

There are people who love it, but unfortunately, I can't say the same.

Nevertheless, I have to admit that the ending charmed me.

A positive point - besides the beginning and the end - were the characters. They are very interesting, especially John Rainbird.

In conclusion, it's a King novel that didn't please me as much as others.

The narrative is in the third person with multiple viewpoints, including small scripts with direct thoughts. There are eleven chapters divided into numbered scenes, always according to the location of the events.

The book can be divided into two main parts. The first is basically about Charlie and Andy fleeing and hiding from the Shop, while flashbacks are shown to better understand what is being read. And as if the Shop wasn't already giving us some scares (imagine the nightmare of being chased by your own government and not being able to ask anyone for help), in the second part, it goes from bad to worse and the situation deteriorates with the entry of a character who shows herself to be the worst villain in the plot: a person obsessed with Charlie, but in a sick way. A psychopath who gains power and control over the Shop itself. I really was afraid for Charlie and Andy.

Some action scenes are brutal, like the one at the Manders' residence and the stables. But one of the chapters that I couldn't get out of my head was the one about the experiment they did with Andy and Vicky. King always imagines and describes memorable moments.

One of the highlights is the father-daughter relationship and their complicity. The trust between them as they form a duo against the threats is very intense. Charlie has an enormous potential. The girl has conflicts because she doesn't want to hurt anyone else, as she promised her father when she was still a child, but how to react when he himself asks her to use her powers? And when fires and explosions can be the only protection for her and her father? The greatest fear I felt was not only for what would happen to them, but for the deep pain of a father, in the middle of an endless maze, who only wants to save his daughter. Who desires freedom for her, who is not guilty of being a mutant.

Charlie is an incredibly complex character. She is seven years old, but at the beginning I thought she was so innocent that she seemed even younger, as if she was at most five years old. As the reading progresses and there are several moments of cleverness from the girl, not only in making decisions but also in the intelligent use of her powers, she seemed older to me. She turns eight years old, but at the end of the story I saw her as a pre-teen, eleven or twelve years old.

I recommend it.

Andy and his daughter Charlene, affectionately known as Charlie, find themselves in a desperate situation as they are on the run. The Shop, a mysterious government agency, is hot on their trail. Years ago, when Charlie's parents were broke and naive college students, The Shop administered a secret experimental drug, Lot Number Six, into their veins. This drug had disastrous effects on most of the test subjects, leading to a chaotic mess that required a massive government cover-up.

For Charlie's parents, the drug altered their body chemistry in strange ways. Her mother developed a mild form of ESP, enabling her to occasionally move things with her mind. Her father, Andy, could now "push" people into believing and doing what he wanted. Brought together by this strange experiment, they fell in love and had Charlie. And if you thought her parents' abilities were remarkable, wait until you discover what Charlie can do! She is a human flame thrower, capable of creating fires simply by using her mind to push them out. As she grew older, her powers became even stronger. Now, the government is determined to control her ability and will stop at nothing to capture her.

Firestarter, by Stephen King, is a story that seems to be underappreciated. It rarely makes it onto lists of his greatest works, yet it is a very worthy tale. The strong characters and the story, which feels like it could have come straight out of a late 1970's TV show like In Search Of, make it an engaging read. ESP and government conspiracy cover-ups were popular themes back then, and with the current lack of trust in the government, they still hold relevance today. While it may be easy to compare Firestarter to Carrie and dismiss it as a watered-down derivative, it is much more than that and definitely worth checking out.

4 1/2 Hot Potatoes out of 5

You can also follow my reviews at the following links:

https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com

http://intothemacabre.booklikes.com

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...