Fire-starter

by Stephen King

1981

Status

Checked out

Publication

Berkley (1981), 416 pages

Description

Fiction. Horror. Literature. Thriller. HTML:Master storyteller Stephen King presents the classic #1 New York Times bestsellerâ??now a major motion picture! Andy McGee and Vicky Tomlinson were once college students looking to make some extra cash, volunteering as test subjects for an experiment orchestrated by the clandestine government organization known as The Shop. But the outcome unlocked exceptional latent psychic talents for the two of themâ??manifesting in even more terrifying ways when they fell in love and had a child. Their daughter, Charlie, has been gifted with the most extraordinary and uncontrollable power ever seenâ??pyrokinesis, the ability to create fire with her mind. Now the merciless agents of The Shop are in hot pursuit to apprehend this unexpected genetic anomaly for their own diabolical ends by any means necessary...including violent actions that may well ignite the entire world around them as Charlie retaliates with a fury of h… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member bragan
In the 1960s, Andy McGee volunteered to be the subject of a psychological experiment in which he was injected with an experimental hallucinogenic substance. He got two things out of that experience: a meeting with the woman who would be his wife, and an ability to influence people's minds. Now, he
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and his wife (who received some minor telekinetic abilities) have a daughter whose abilities far exceed either of theirs: she can start fires with her mind. And the evil government organization that originally ran the experiment is very, very interested in that little girl.

This was an OK read, not King's best and not his worst. It lacks any of the sense of creepiness that he sometimes does so well, but, although it's not exactly a taut novel, it also lacks the bloat that characterizes a lot of his later work. There are some nice, well-done details about the way the characters experience their psychic abilities, but other, larger, aspects of the story are far less convincing. And the whole premise has a slightly tired, entirely unoriginal feel to it that's unusual for King, although I suppose it was less of a cliche in 1980, when the novel was first published.
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LibraryThing member KBroun
This Stephen King thriller is an entertaining read. King has created an interesting cast of characters, ranging from a giant homicidal Native American to a sweet young girl with the power to burn things with her mind. As is common with King (think of The Stand), the book seemed unnecessarily long.
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Some parts, especially flashbacks, seemed repetitive and unnecessary. Although the protagonist is still a child, young adults should have no problem relating to her character. In fact, I believe teen readers will enjoy the fact that the most poweful character in the story is also the youngest.
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LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
"...the little girl was pyrokinetic- a fire starter."

That girl is Charlie McGee, also described as, "... the little girl in the red pants and the green blouse...". She and her dad Andy are on the run from the Shop, an 'evil' government agency. This is a really good story with a very satisfying
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climax and ending! Rereading this as a father of a young daughter really changed, and deepened, my appreciation for this book! Also, I did some "tests" in college too, so that really, creepily, deepened my connection with the story, and with Andy. Sadly, I don't have his powers. That I know of...
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LibraryThing member bookwormteri
Charlie's parents underwent an experiment in college that they thought was harmless, and they needed the $200. Now Charlie's father has the ability to control minds, her mother has mild telekinesis, and Charlie, well, she can start fires with her mind. The outfit that gave the experiments is now
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looking for Charlie and her family.

Good book, a little slow. Not my favorite of King's works.
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LibraryThing member Jonathan_M
One of the highlights of Stephen King's early career: a tight, suspenseful tale that's just long enough, with characters who are interesting, believable and sympathetic. (I won't synopsize the book here, since anyone reading this review is surely familiar with the plotline.) At this point King was
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popular but not yet a god, so his work was still subject to the editing process. For that, the reader should be grateful. There's not an ounce of fat on Firestarter; it's a rare example of lean, mean storytelling from the world's best-loved author. Too bad that the film didn't quite live up to the novel's standard.
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LibraryThing member LibraryCin
4.25 stars

7-year old Charlie and her dad, Andy, are on the run. In 1969, as college students, Andy and Charlie's mom met while volunteering in a psychology study, where they were pumped full of unknown drugs. As a result, Andy became able to "push" people's minds to do what he suggests to them. As
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a baby, Andy and Vicky learn that Charlie can start fires with her mind when she's upset. Now, Charlie and Andy are running from the people who originally started all this in motion with the drug tests done on the unsuspecting students in '69.

This was really good. It pulled me right in at the start and was suspenseful throughout. There was some going back in time to get the background story (some of which I've described here, but that's only the basics), and thinking back while I was reading, I did get a little confused on the exact timeline/order of events, but the exact timeline didn't really matter for the overall story, so it really wasn't a big deal. Firestarter is right up there with some of King's best, I think.
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LibraryThing member andyray
How could one not be drawn to the predicament of the little girl?King seems to go hot and cold on his ability to draw characters. In this book, he did an adequate job. Maybe more than adequate, actually.
LibraryThing member jseger9000
Since a couple of reviews mentioned it: Firestarter was indeed made into a movie in the early '80's. Drew Barrymoore played Charlie and George C. Scott played Rainbird.

Firestarter has all the usual Stephen King hallmarks. Strong characterization, a good sense of pace and enough research to make
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readers accept the supernatural aspects. Yet even though he has all the right ingredients, Firestarter is not his best dish.

The characters are believable and well drawn. Charlie McGee is a believable eight year old placed under incredible stress. John Rainbird is a corrupt, evil and insane character who is nonetheless fascinating.

The plotting is expertly handled. It starts out in the middle with our heroes Charlie and her father Andy being chased by a shadowy government agency. The tale then both moves forward and flashes back at the same time. Like the beginning of The Gunslinger we don’t know why they are being chased or who is doing the chasing. The flashbacks work to fill in the story and they also show just how bad the bad guys can be.

The book rockets along to the inevitable explosive finale. He manages to make it all flow organically from the events this particular group of characters find themselves in. Reading the book, you never feel like he is making his characters act against their natures for the sake of his plot.

Also, he shows that he has done his research. He works to make the impossible (or at least improbable) forces of pyrokinesis and mental domination into something that is at least plausible enough in the story.

And yet, for all the good that is here there is something off or missing in the book. With both The Dead Zone and Firestarter it feels like King was moving away from the straight up horror of his earlier works into thriller territory and he was still on unfamiliar ground. He would nail it later with Misery, but with Firestarter he’s not quite there yet.

The book is worth a read and is better than his previous novel (The Dead Zone), but Firestarter is middle tier Stephen King. As with everything Stephen King writes, it is much better written than most pop novels, but stacked up against his own best work Firestarter falls a little short.
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LibraryThing member jimmaclachlan
I'm not much of a King fan, but find I like his earlier books better than his later ones. This is less wordy than some & the premise is interesting. Plenty of action without too much wandering.
LibraryThing member phaga
Originally i didn't want to read this. I though 'well wasn't Carrie about a girl with telekinesis, isn't this a little too similar' but it was a book club read so I was a good sport about it. Turns out it was actually pretty good.
LibraryThing member honeydew69862004
Firestarter is about a father and daughter with powers with the govenment after them. In my opinion a good book but the ending was slightly disappointing. I must admit that I think that I might of started tearing up at some parts.
LibraryThing member lovelyliquid
Good book, yet seemed a bit short. I felt there was a lot more that could have been said and done in this writing. Still worth the read.
LibraryThing member RebeccaAnn
When Andy was in college, he participated in an experiment in which he allowed himself to be place under the influence of a hallucinatory drug: Lot Six. What he wasn't told was those drugs would influence his being on the cellular and chromosomal level, giving him powers. Powers that others want to
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both use and study. What he also didn't know is that his daughter, Charlie, would also inherit his powers, but in the form of pyrokinesis. Now they're on the run from the Shop, a government organization out to get Charlie and harness her fire starting ability.

I liked this book. I don't think it was King's best and it certainly won't be going on to any of my lists of favorites or top reads of the year, but it passed the time and made my heart race at the more suspenseful parts so I'm satisfied. I thought the book got just a tiny bit redundant after awhile (wait, you mean they're still running? Again? Shock!) but some parts of the book were just brilliant. I thought the scene in which you see the experiment through Andy's eyes was just chilling. That was, far and above, the best part of the book for me. I thought their capture was good part of the book as well, but it didn't hold up to the experiment scene at all.

I recommend this book if you're already a fan of Stephen King (or the thriller genre - I wouldn't call this horror because it's not really scary) but otherwise, you probably won't be missing much by not reading this one. King has so many better books out. Read those instead.
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LibraryThing member AnnieHidalgo
An oldy but goody. In the Stephen King - evil government experiment wreaks havoc genre that he used to do more of, back in the '70s and '80s. When I think of untoward secret governmental experiments, this book does come to mind. That, and his short story, "The Jaunt" (I think that one's in Skeleton
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Crew, but it could be in Night Shift). If you like one, you'll like the other. Both highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member isabelx
I much prefer Steven King's earlier novels, and "Firestarter" is probably my favourite out of all of them. I especially love the ending.
LibraryThing member dragonasbreath
This was defintley a fun romp, which will have you laughing and thinking all the way through.
after all, what would YOU do if your 2-month-old set the stove on fire because her bottle didn't come fast enough?
LibraryThing member barpurple
One of the few early King books I hadn't read. An interesting concept. Strangely enough this one didn't set me on fire. Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun!
LibraryThing member krystalsbooks
this was scary then and now
LibraryThing member kmoynihan
This was the first King book I ever read, and it is still one of my favorites.
LibraryThing member gopfolk
An oldie but one I had not yet read. I remember the movie but reading it is always so much more fun. I love King’s stories…the characters are so vivid and scene is always so well set. Just losing myself in these books is always a pleasure.
LibraryThing member srboone
A lackluster tale with a great central character, but blase villians.
LibraryThing member srboone
A lackluster tale with a great central character, but blase villians.
LibraryThing member AlCracka
Drew Barrymore is exactly the same age as me; my crush on her started with ET and never went away.
LibraryThing member Kaethe
I was okay with the paranormal aspect of this story because it wasn't really the point. It's a story about people who want to take a little girl away from her father, and his efforts to protect her. And that was a good story.
LibraryThing member Marlene-NL
This is one book by Stephen king, I've only read once. Don't think I have a copy. Dutch or English. Must check.
I do want to re-resd it but i am sure I can find it for the Kindle

Awards

Locus Award (Nominee — Science Fiction Novel — 1981)
British Fantasy Award (Nominee — August Derleth Fantasy Award — 1981)
Prometheus Award (Nominee — Novel — 1982)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 1980)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1980-09-29

Physical description

416 p.

ISBN

0451099648 / 9780451099648

Barcode

1601920
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