I'm truly glad that I finally got around to reading this one. It was yet another enjoyable buddy read experience that I had with my sweet friend, Mel!

Come on, baby, light my fire.

Come on, baby, light my fire.







I don't think the scariest thing about this book is the fact that this tiny kid has the power to potentially crack the Earth in half. Don't get me wrong...the thought of that curls my toes. The genius of this book is that your fear builds with the father's fear.







And it's not just the fear of being captured. He fears what all of this is doing to his daughter. He fears the actions he had to take to keep her safe from herself. The part that really触动 me was when he had to hold up her charred teddy bear to her as a toddler and tell her she was very bad for what she did to Teddy. You could almost smell his guilt and desperation. He didn't want to yell at his little girl, but he had to make her afraid and ashamed. Otherwise, the next tantrum could be disastrous. If you've ever been in such extreme circumstances with your child, you'll understand.





The creation of The Shop was a great addition by King. It's everyone's secret fear that there's an unknown government agency that doesn't follow the rules. The scientists and field agents were also creepy, just doing their job without considering the moral implications.







And Rainbird? Oh my God, that guy was on a whole new level of creepy! Partially because he really did love Charlie in his own sick way. He saw her for who she was and what she could become, and he was proud of her. He felt she was his and was willing to wait for her to trust him. As disgusting as he was, his assessment of her was mostly accurate. That was the scariest thing about him. You want to believe that psychotic and amoral people can't understand others correctly. But in Rainbird's case, his lack of conscience let him see right to the core. He was truly a terrifying character.



You know going in that not everyone will survive, but for a King novel... I thought it had a rather happy ending.

This may very well be one of the earliest subtle horror stories from King. That said, this one wasn't a scare-fest out to make the reader piss himself/herself like many of his early works.

But here the terror is perhaps worse. In this novel, the "monsters" are normal human beings that work for the US government. Agents of The Shop earn a paycheck from the legitimate government to keep America "safe". They just might be scarier than Cujo, Barlow, Pennywise, Annie Wilkes, Tak, and the Crimson King (though they might actually be unwitting agents of that one).

The reason for that is that they're so realistic. This COULD happen. The powers exhibited by Charlie McGee and her father are telepathic/telekinetic, and set in the realm of science fiction. But at the same time, their existence here is plausibly explained. And if it DID happen, who would want to bey that some government agency or another wouldn't react much as The Shop did in this novel?

But the novel is well written, and a great case in character study. Charlie has a terrifying power, but is such a sweet and charming girl. The reader can't help but love her and want to set fire ourselves to all the mean Shop agents that just won't let her be. But on the flipside of that is the principal villain of the story, John Rainbird. This might be the first King baddie where we get to see inside his head as well and understand what makes him tick. He is charming in his own way just as much as Charlie. He's sincere in his albeit twisted love for her, and that makes him all the more intimidating. Not only that, but his instincts are seriously hardcore. A fly couldn't fart without this guy catching scent of it.

Firestarter was one of the first group of King books I ever read. Back then, it was the ONLY group of King books. This was before anyone knew who Richard Bachman was, before Drew Barrymore had been cast as Charlie in the film version (though she had already done E.T. by this time). I hadn't re-read it until recently, and it was certainly a joy to become reacquainted with Charlie, Rainbird, Andy, Orville and Norville, and old Cap. Even Cap's friggin' snakes and pretty little Pynchot.

King's Firestarter is a captivating and thought-provoking work. The combination of science fiction elements and a realistic portrayal of government agents creates a unique and chilling atmosphere. The characters are well-developed, with Charlie and Rainbird being particularly complex and engaging. The story keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, wondering what will happen next and how Charlie will escape the clutches of The Shop. Overall, Firestarter is a must-read for fans of King and anyone interested in a good horror/science fiction novel.

Muy entretenida. La persecución es una fórmula que siempre atrapa. Desde el principio, me enganchó y no pude dejar de leer. El último tercio fue especialmente emocionante. No pude parar de leer para enterarme de la resolución. Y esa resolución no decepciona en absoluto. Me hizo recordar a Carrie. Ella también tenía una historia similar, con muchas emociones y desafíos. Esta historia me hizo pensar en cómo a veces la vida nos pone en situaciones difíciles, pero siempre hay una manera de salir adelante. Y eso es lo que me gusta de este tipo de historias, que nos dan esperanza y nos hacen creer que todo es posible.

The world, despite being brightly illuminated by fluorescents, incandescent bulbs, and neon lights, still harbors numerous strange dark corners and disconcerting nooks and crannies.

As Stephen King so eloquently put it in "Firestarter." This particular book was a prime example of one that I recalled being far superior than it actually was.

I first read it during my childhood. However, as an adult, I had forgotten not only the name of the book but also a significant portion of its content.

Thankfully, I did manage to locate it and decided to give it a reread. But unfortunately, I was left disappointed.

It's not that the premise wasn't captivating. In fact, when the book commences, it's truly gripping. But then it employs a certain device that I'm not particularly fond of in books, known as a plot device.

The story follows a pattern of: Run, the bad guys are coming. Run again. Manage to get away. But wait, here they come again. Run once more. Oh no, we are captured. Let's escape. And this cycle continues.

So, I definitely enjoyed it more when I was younger. What can I say? Perhaps my tastes have simply evolved. Somehow, I had remembered all the great aspects but completely overlooked the less-than-stellar ones.

I found myself a bit bored. A large part of this book is centered around action and chasing sequences, and I just couldn't get into it, although, as I mentioned earlier, I did thoroughly enjoy the beginning.

SPOILERS:

Honestly, by the time I finished reading, it felt like I had run a marathon. I had forgotten just how grim this read is, and the ending is rather dismal. I suppose it's implied that she's safe, but the second half of the book seems to consist of nothing but endless chase scenes.

“Just as always, the power attracted her like a strange and terrible toy, whose full possibilities were only now beginning to be revealed.”

“Firestarter” (or “The Burner”) is an extremely powerful and emotional thriller! Stephen King has told a supernatural story through which he skillfully keeps readers on the edge of their seats while simultaneously igniting thoughts on important themes for every society. How beneath the beautiful phrase “national security” sometimes lurk evil and immoral practices, how different people behave towards strangers who have fallen into misfortune, how a child controls her powerful but also dangerous gift... The book somehow reminds me of the feeling of reading and has similar moral lessons as “The Running Man”, although there are significant differences between the two terrifying novels.

In “Firestarter”, we follow the touching story of a father and daughter with supernatural abilities who are running and hiding from a mysterious government agency called The Shop. Its employees are determined at all costs to create different parapsychic powers and then mercilessly use the people who possess them... The little girl Charlie can set everything on fire with her mind, so The Shop mainly wants to capture her alive. Her father Andy, however, tries to protect her and they flee from the kidnappers, and later they are involved in even greater dangers...

“— Everything will be okay — he reassured her, not believing it himself, because like every adult, deep in his heart he knew that in fact nothing was ever okay.”

“Cap sat and looked at Rainbird. His mind seemed to split like a three-ring circus. Part of him was thinking that he had never heard Rainbird tell so much at once. Another was trying to get used to the idea that this maniac knew everything about The Shop's operations. And a third was remembering a Chinese curse; a curse that sounds deceptively pleasant until you sit down and seriously think about it: ‘May you live in interesting times.’”

“They are only interested in RESULTS, motherfuckers like the dream of a big win at the gaming table. So they killed the money, and then they gaped at the useless green pieces slipping through their fingers and started wondering what the hell had happened.”

“— Yes — Mrs. Gurney said firmly. — The mind is a muscle that can hold the world.”

“...they say that hell is nothing compared to the wrath of a betrayed woman, and if even half of what he believes about Charlie is true, then she is fully capable of creating a hell or a perfect replica of it.”

“If he gets out unscathed — Andy thought to himself, — I'll tell everyone: teach your children well, teach them from a young age, those at the top claim to know what they're doing, and sometimes that's the case, but most of the time they're lying.”

But whatever it was, n’est-ce pas? If nothing else, at least he would make them sweat for their money. But that thought did not bring him any sense of relief or understanding towards the people who had committed all this injustice. In his reconciliation with himself, he had stoked the fire of his hatred towards the faceless bureaucrats who had done everything in the name of so-called national security.

“— All of this is meaningless — Rainbird continued. — Everything, except you and me. We have to be honest with each other, Charlie. That's all I want. To be honest with you.

And she felt that he was telling the truth, but beneath his words lay some darker truth. There was something he was withholding.”

“...sometimes the laws are no better than the people who use them.”

“Her father, she explained, had told her that if you have a really difficult question, you should look for its answer in the library, because there they knew the answers to almost all questions.”

This was the very first novel of Stephen King that I purchased - well, to be precise, it wasn't exactly me who bought it. I was confined to bed with a dislocated knee, and my dear aunt bought it for me to help me get through those monotonous days.

However, for some reason, I never got around to reading it at that time. It was only approximately a year later, after I had finished reading The Shining, that I finally picked it up. By then, I was more than willing to love anything written by Stephen King, and this book did not disappoint me in the slightest.

Charlene McGee is a girl who possesses a remarkable gift - pyrokinesis, which means the ability to set things on fire using only her mind. Her father and mother are also gifted individuals: her dad can influence people's thoughts (he refers to it as "pushing"), and her mom has the power of telekinesis. They are the creations of a secretive government organization known as "The Shop", the outcome of an experiment that went awry. Nobody expected two of the subjects of the experiment to get married - but they did, and they created a person with even greater gifts.

Now, "The Shop" desires to have her - to utilize her power for military purposes. Its leader, Cap, and his murderous henchman named Rainbird will stop at nothing - not even murder.

This novel is an absolute page-turner. It is not a horror story in the traditional sense (although Rainbird is plenty scary), yet it manages to grip you from the very beginning and keep your nose firmly glued to the page. The ending, however, is rather predictable.

I've had a Stephen King phobia my whole life.

This is the first book I've read by him, and it was truly amazing! I'm now excited to explore more of his works.

Although I'm still a bit nervous, I'm definitely more open-minded than before.

I think it helped that this particular book wasn't a horror one.

Previously, the only thing I knew about him was related to his horror books.

Moreover, watching "The Shining" on late night TV decades ago had a lasting impact on me.

For anyone else who has a fear of Stephen King's works, this is an excellent starter book.

It might just change your perspective and open the door to a whole new world of his literary genius.

I can't wait to see what other surprises he has in store for me.

“It’s gonna be all right,” he told her, not really believing it. As every adult knows deep in their secret heart, nothing is truly all right, ever. “It’s gonna be all right.”

\\n  Firestarter is the captivating story of Andrew and Charlie McGee. They are a father and daughter constantly on the run from a mysterious government agency called The Shop.\\n

During his college days, Andy took part in a Shop experiment involving "Lot 6", a drug with hallucinogenic effects similar to LSD. This drug gave his future wife, Victoria Tomlinson, minor telekinetic and telepathic abilities. Andy himself developed an autohypnotic mind domination ability he calls "the Push". However, both their powers have physiological limitations. For Andy, overusing the Push leads to crippling migraine headaches and minute brain hemorrhages. Their daughter Charlie, on the other hand, developed a terrifying pyrokinetic ability, and the full extent of her power remains unknown.

After a tragic mistake by Shop agents, Vicky was killed and Charlie was taken. But Andy, using the Push, managed to rescue her, and the two have been fleeing ever since...

This is classic Stephen King. The characters are extremely well-developed, and their presence seems to leap right off the page. The story starts out quite fast-paced but slows down as it unfolds. There is an undertone of horror and SciFi, along with plenty of action and an imaginative storyline filled with enough conspiracy to create mystery without going overboard.

Firestarter is a moving, upsetting, sad, and engaging story that truly tugged on my heartstrings. Charlie is a regular kid with an extremely irregular power. I was glad to see that despite having this immense power and being able to do almost anything she wanted, she still loved and tried to obey her father and cared for the animals. In one of the final scenes, when Charlie really unleashes her power, the heat and damage are overwhelming, and the details are amazing. I liked the idea that if they hadn't forced her to practice her power, she might not have been able to cause as much destruction. At this point, she was melting bullets and blowing up cars with ease. It's a fantastic story.

Highly Recommend

**Firestarter: A Reassessment**

2020 Update

My thoughts on this book haven't changed much; if anything, they've only deepened. While perhaps not an all-time favorite King book, I'm still giving it 5 stars—what a talent he is. Certainly one of his most underrated books from the “classic” era.

2015 Review

Stephen King began the 1980s with a thrilling start through "Firestarter". The story revolves around an eight-year-old pyrokinetic girl, Charlie, and her father, Andy, on the run from a government branch called The Shop. Their escape adventures make up the first third of the novel, followed by their capture and imprisonment, and finally their escape. It's an exciting read that maintains a high level of intensity, ranking among King's most readable works like "Cell", "Mr. Mercedes", and "The Long Walk".

However, for a long time, I didn't like this novel. I even numbered it among my bottom five King books. The main reason was the circumstances in which I read it for the first time. In early 2012, while staying with my dying grandfather, I read a few chapters of "Firestarter". The association with that difficult day negatively impacted my initial impression.

On rereading, I discovered something I had missed before. The 400 pages contain some of King's best character development. Although the plot has its lulls and isn't overly complex, the essence of the story lies in the relationship between Charlie and Andy, and their struggle against a government that wants to use them for malicious purposes.

Like some of King's other works, "Firestarter" is about characters' distrust of the American government. Set against the backdrop of Watergate, it's a paranoid novel that explores the lengths the government will go to achieve its goals. The human monsters in this story, rather than supernatural beings, make it one of King's most unnerving works.

Another aspect that makes "Firestarter" unique for King is his handling of sex. The story of a young girl on the verge of sexual development brings sexual cues to the surface, adding an interesting layer to the narrative.

In conclusion, "Firestarter" is a highly involving and exhilarating novel. It features strong character work and a powerful story that is both sweet and frightening. It deserves to be ranked among King's best and is highly recommended for fans of horror and sci-fi.

King connections include references to The Shop in later works and a character named Patrick Hockstetter. The favorite quote, "Either way, the hurt, the cost, was enormous. Was this what being grownup was about? Dealing with that hurt? That cost? If it was, she hoped she would die young," captures the essence of the story. Up next is "Roadwork".

Stephen King is a renowned author, and I always worry that the ending of his works might not be "good." However, in the case of this particular book, the ending was excellent.

The story has its ups and downs, but mainly ups. I will provide a complete review soon, but for now, I highly recommend it.

[UPDATE]

"Firestarter (1980): A story about mutant children before the phenomenon of Stranger Things."

After reading "Everything's Eventual," I wanted to return to King's works from the 80s. I waited for signs to help me make a decision, and when I saw that a new adaptation of this book was即将上映, I thought it was the right time. I loved the story and couldn't help but think of other similar stories like X-Men and Stranger Things. Even Pixar's "Red." The idea of children going through a special ability can be especially traumatic or fun (depending on the author). In this case, King takes it to a terrifying level, with elements of Science Fiction, and it hooks you in the first five pages.

Regarding the characters, the relationship between father and daughter is excellent. It ranges from unconditional love, "All for my daughter," to the other side of "What will happen to her without me?" Charlie stands out as a six-year-old character with the maturity of a traumatized person, which is highly believable given the circumstances she is in. She is not a normal child, but neither is she "grown-up" just because the story requires it. She is a believable child.

As for the antagonistic organization in this book, The Shop, it is a formidable villain that has resources (both human, economic, and influential) to cover up everything and be everywhere. I loved that because when you think nothing can go wrong, The Shop comes and messes everything up and annoys even more.

The story is simple. It's the story of the cat and the mouse that has to flee and never stay still to survive. There are moments when you feel a break when the characters provide context about their decisions. There are well-placed time jumps that are simply explained and that hint that this time was not important for the plot but was for the characters.

There is a moment when the pace slows down as it becomes a plot with psychological elements that feel out of place. It's like having a black and white suit, but with a bright yellow hat. The hat matches the suit, but the color doesn't. And the psychology combined with the Science Fiction proposed up to that point felt strange, but it's not very extensive, so it's forgivable.

The ending, like many of King's, had me worried. Since many of the Master of Terror's books are famous for having bad endings despite excellent developments, but in this case (without spoilers), this book has an ending that gives a sense of peace in that regard. Especially because it's an ending that leaves you at ease about how the story continues without the need to really know it.

For this year's adaptation, I have high hopes, not because they will make it faithful, but because it will be entertaining, with the necessary changes (to update a story that's 40 years old) and that it feels like a different proposal.

In summary, I highly recommend it if you liked books like "Carrie" or "The Mist." The story is entertaining and feels very light. The villains are excellent, and the ending leaves you satisfied with what you've read.

I also recommend:

- Carrie (1973)

- Red (2022, Pixar)

- Stranger Things (Netflix)

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)

- Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2005)

The Tsaritsa and her father lived a peaceful life until the special talent that the Tsaritsa possessed caught the attention of some who seemed determined to control or marginalize her.

Thus, father and daughter began to live like the hunted and tried to survive without any idea if they would ever have a normal life again.

The story is quite well-written with interesting characters, both main and secondary. There is continuous development and action, and if you are a fan of action scenes and pursuits, you will surely enjoy it more than I did. Most people consider it a page-turner book, but for me, all this running around in the first half of the book tired me. Later, when things calmed down a bit and we saw some more psychological elements, it gained my interest more.

Nevertheless, because I had been imagining almost from the beginning what the outcome of the story would be, so I never said, "Wow, what I'm reading." I feel that this particular book lacked that extra something that King gives to his stories, the food for thought.