Innocence and beauty ignite with evil and terror as a young girl exhibits signs of a wild and horrifying force.
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Jan 20, 2012
Chris
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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 W More...
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 W More...
Sep 14, 2010
Miss Kim
rated it:
It all started with twelve broke college students. Andy’s friend told him about a drug trail at the university that was paying each participant $200. Thinking ‘easy cash’, Andy goes for it. He ends up spending an undetermined amount of time there and is given the drug which also contains some kind of hallucinogenic. He also meets the woman that would later become his wife, Victoria, and during the trial, they both realize they can communicate with out speaking. After it was over, both were u
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Jan 19, 2009
Stefanie
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The story begins with a man and his 7 year old daughter running from persons yet unknown. Through flashbacks, we learn who is chasing them and why.
When Andy McGee (the above-mentioned man) was in college, he joined in an experiment to make a quick two hundred dollars. This experiment was run by the government and injected into 12 students a “light hallucinatory” substance labeled Lot Six. During the experiment, Andy meets another student, Vicki Tomlinson who later becomes Vicki McGe More...
When Andy McGee (the above-mentioned man) was in college, he joined in an experiment to make a quick two hundred dollars. This experiment was run by the government and injected into 12 students a “light hallucinatory” substance labeled Lot Six. During the experiment, Andy meets another student, Vicki Tomlinson who later becomes Vicki McGe More...
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Jul 11, 2011
Erik
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After reading The Stand and getting a sense of why King was so immensely popular in the eighties, I borrowed my roommate's copy of Firestarter, then The Shining, then Pet Sematary. I definitely liked Firestarter the most.
The reason I liked Firestarter--and the movie based, somewhat raggedly, upon it--was because it contained several elements of interest to me: LSD, CIA, MK-ULTRA and wholesome family values. I'm a sucker for family values--or at least for my peculiar take on what wo More...
The reason I liked Firestarter--and the movie based, somewhat raggedly, upon it--was because it contained several elements of interest to me: LSD, CIA, MK-ULTRA and wholesome family values. I'm a sucker for family values--or at least for my peculiar take on what wo More...
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Mar 13, 2009
Nikki
rated it:
I really liked Firestarter. It's not a plot I've read Stephen King doing before (yet, anyway), although I suppose there's shades of Carrie. It's more science fiction/thriller than horror, definitely.
It's much denser than the books I've been reading lately by King -- Cell and From A Buick 8. More description, more stopping and starting, a longer time frame. It worked, for me, I got caught up in the story, I didn't want to put the book down, I got close to the characters and worried ab More...
It's much denser than the books I've been reading lately by King -- Cell and From A Buick 8. More description, more stopping and starting, a longer time frame. It worked, for me, I got caught up in the story, I didn't want to put the book down, I got close to the characters and worried ab More...
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Nov 24, 2007
Monk
rated it:
This is one of Stephen King's rare forays into science fiction. Though just about every bookstore will lump it into the horror section, this book doesn't belong there.
It's the story about a man and a woman who were involved in a round of clinical experiments when they went to college. The drug they took was not only a hallucinogenic - it induced psychic abilities on the participants, however, it drove most of them nuts or killed them outright. Escaping this gruesome fate, as well as More...
It's the story about a man and a woman who were involved in a round of clinical experiments when they went to college. The drug they took was not only a hallucinogenic - it induced psychic abilities on the participants, however, it drove most of them nuts or killed them outright. Escaping this gruesome fate, as well as More...
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May 26, 2010
Dustin Crazy little brown owl
rated it: 
Exploding Chickens! I thoroughly enjoyed this book :-) This is my favorite Stephen King book so far. If you like Firestarter try By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz. If you like By The Light of the Moon, try Firestarter :-) Other Koontz similarities with the sci-fi and/or conspiracy element bring to mind False Memory and Sole Survivor. Firestarter was chosen as the March 2010 monthly group read in the Stephen King Fans group, but the audiobook on CD wasn't released until April 1st, so I was
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Feb 01, 2012
Stefan
rated it:
When I read this one the first time in junior high, I distinctly remember not being able to finish it. After re-reading it, I have absolutely no idea why. King has put together a moving, engaging story with characters that you care about and some very well-written antagonists.
If you don't know already, the story is basically about a couple who participated in a research project in college where they were injected with drugs that produced some psychic powers, these drugs have had some r More...
If you don't know already, the story is basically about a couple who participated in a research project in college where they were injected with drugs that produced some psychic powers, these drugs have had some r More...
Jan 13, 2011
Austin
rated it:
Firestarter, by Stephen King is a tightly plotted thriller that is hard to put down. It is about a secret government agency, called The Shop, a father with the mental ability to "push" people into doing what he wants, and his daughter, who has the gift or curse of pyrokinesis.
This isn't the first time King has dealt with telekinesis. His first book, Carrie, also used telekinesis as a plot device. But it did so through the prism of high school adolescence. Firestarter take More...
This isn't the first time King has dealt with telekinesis. His first book, Carrie, also used telekinesis as a plot device. But it did so through the prism of high school adolescence. Firestarter take More...
Jul 09, 2009
Sarai
rated it:
By Will Culp "Livin' After Midnite, Rocking Till... from Amazon
While the novel revolves around pyrokenesis, it also describes the secrecy and greed of the government, and how they manipulate their citizens to satisfy their own needs. Charlie McGee, an innocent little 7 year old, has a terrible secret. In the flick of an eye, she can start fires, and she is oftentimes unable to stop them. Because of Charlie's inhuman abilities, The Shop(an elite branch of the CIA), constantly pursues C More...
While the novel revolves around pyrokenesis, it also describes the secrecy and greed of the government, and how they manipulate their citizens to satisfy their own needs. Charlie McGee, an innocent little 7 year old, has a terrible secret. In the flick of an eye, she can start fires, and she is oftentimes unable to stop them. Because of Charlie's inhuman abilities, The Shop(an elite branch of the CIA), constantly pursues C More...
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Dec 16, 2011
01jonathanb
rated it:
Firestarter, in my opinion, was one of the best books I have ever read. Stephen King did an amazing job of writing one of the best syfy books ever. In all honesty, there really wasn't any part of the book that was bad. However, I did find a couple of spelling errors and some parts of the book were not as exciting as others, but that only makes u want to read more. The best part of the book is when The Shop trys to capture Andy and Charlie on the farm and Charlie starts getting angry and sets
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Nov 15, 2011
I first read Firestarter many years ago as a young, perhaps impressionable young woman. At the time, I was in awe of Mr. Kings talent and slightly, I think, starstruck. By the time I read Firestarter I had already read his previous novels and knew him to be quick and funny and irreverent. I liked the irreverence the best.
The years passed and while I have always maintained that Stephen King is a fine writer, the language became too much for me to bear ... which is funny, considering t More...
The years passed and while I have always maintained that Stephen King is a fine writer, the language became too much for me to bear ... which is funny, considering t More...
Dec 04, 2008
Odin
rated it: 
Un début qui démarre super bien avec une action omniprésente, une course poursuite qui n'est pas sans rappelé celle de "Running man", sauf que là ou "Running Man" continue, Charlie s'arrête !
Seconde partie du livre très très endormante sur une durée de près de 250 pages ! L'histoire stagne, plus d'action, une histoire qui se developpe peut être trop mais une histoire immobile. Les personnages restent dans le même lieu, le cycle se met en place avant de se répéter More...
Seconde partie du livre très très endormante sur une durée de près de 250 pages ! L'histoire stagne, plus d'action, une histoire qui se developpe peut être trop mais une histoire immobile. Les personnages restent dans le même lieu, le cycle se met en place avant de se répéter More...
Dec 12, 2010
eric
rated it:
First, allow me to complain bitterly that the cover for this one on Goodreads absolutely does not match the copy I am holding, which is the Stephen King Collector's edition published by Plume in 1994. I even tried searching by ISBN. Why people sell these things to McKay is beyond me.
Complaints aside, I'm having much fun revisiting early Stephen King. I'm still trying to decide where to draw the line between "early" and "recent." The man published Carrie in 1974. By More...
Complaints aside, I'm having much fun revisiting early Stephen King. I'm still trying to decide where to draw the line between "early" and "recent." The man published Carrie in 1974. By More...
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Nov 02, 2010
♥Xeni♥
rated it:
This is one of my most favorite King novels, primarily because it deals with such inexplicable things like telekinesis and pyrokinesis.
The story seems plausible to me, seeing as what we have since been let to know about government projects like MK Ultra and the Project Dragonfly. (Although, in those cases the aim wasn't so much supernatural powers as much as mind control, brainwashing and creating multiple compartmentalizing personalities).
Also, Charlie is a protagonist tha More...
The story seems plausible to me, seeing as what we have since been let to know about government projects like MK Ultra and the Project Dragonfly. (Although, in those cases the aim wasn't so much supernatural powers as much as mind control, brainwashing and creating multiple compartmentalizing personalities).
Also, Charlie is a protagonist tha More...
Feb 09, 2011
Jamie
rated it:
Stephen King's Firestarter is a departure from the usual genre of his older works, but a retread of his older ideas. King once again delves into the lives of psychics, much as he did with Carrie, though the frantic mother-daughter relationship of his former novel is replaced with a father-daughter grouping with a greater sense of emotional stability. While this pertains more to dramatic science fiction than horror, the state which the characters are thrust into isn't any less terrifying. Charlie
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Mar 13, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
This is, hands down, my favorite Stephen King novel. Not just out of his few science fiction novels, but out of his entire collection. Hopefully, one day I will see the 1984 film they made of this book.
The main character, Charlie, is a young girl with pyrokinesis- the ability to start fires with her mind. She was born with ability because both of her parents had went into a program in their younger years and their chromosomes altered by a substance called Lot Six.
Charlie's fa More...
The main character, Charlie, is a young girl with pyrokinesis- the ability to start fires with her mind. She was born with ability because both of her parents had went into a program in their younger years and their chromosomes altered by a substance called Lot Six.
Charlie's fa More...
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Jul 03, 2011
Stephanie
rated it: 
Lot 6 - der Name eines Drogenexperimentes zu Andy McGee's Collagezeit - würde sein Leben grundlegend ändern. Andy lernte dort nicht nur seine Frau kennen, sondern er entwickelte eine besondere Fähigkeit: Menschen mit seiner bloßen Gedankenkraft zu beeinflussen. Seine Frau entwickelte leichte Telekinese-Fähigkeiten. Ihre gemeinsame Tochter Charlie jedoch wurde mit dem pyrokinetischen Talent geboren. Die McGee's werden von der Firma, einer geheimen staatlichen Organisation, verfolgt. Sie wollen Ch
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Sep 09, 2011
Cherie
rated it:
My ratings system is as follows. One star is GOOD. The book is entertaining, easy to read and you don't want to stop reading because something about the book is compelling you not to. Two stars is GREAT! This time the story is not only entertaining, but highly creative, unique, easy to read and hard to put down. Three stars is EXCELLENT. Here the book has all aspects of one and two stars, but now the book is thought and emotionally provoking. Four is AWESOME. This is the read that is not onl
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Jun 08, 2011
Jay
rated it:
I went through a big Stephen King movie phase when I was ten, and this is one of the movies I most remember. I got it in my head I should go and read, but it took months and months to find a copy of Firestarter. I was starting to think I'd need to buy it online when I stumbled across it in a bookstore.
In the relative short time between writing Carrie and Firestarter, Stephen King exponentially improved his writing. This book does have some of the stylistic aspects Carrie has- the it More...
In the relative short time between writing Carrie and Firestarter, Stephen King exponentially improved his writing. This book does have some of the stylistic aspects Carrie has- the it More...
Aug 22, 2009
Jim
rated it:
I am not a Stephen King fan, and that might be why Firestarter is my favorite of his books, because it is not a typical King outing. The plot concerns a couple who met when they both volunteered for a secret government experiment into developing/enhancing ESP powers. They later married, and their daughter was born with natural pyrokinetic ability as a result of the experiments. Now the government wants the child for themselves, they've already killed the mother, and father and daughter are on th
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Dec 17, 2011
David
rated it:
Comparisons to "Carrie" will be inevitable: there's a girl with some seriously wicked psychic powers. The main difference between the two books are that "Firestarter" isn't as much as a horror book as it is a thriller with obvious elements of sci-fi. As often with King, the characters are well-written and it's easy to sympathize with it's protagonists. Sure, the baddies are very obvious the bad ones, and the good vice versa, but in the case of this book, it doesn't really mat
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May 26, 2008
Sandi
rated it:
I'm not a Stephen King fan. I can count the number of Stephen King books I've read on one hand. But, I loved this one both times that I read it years ago. I still remember so much of it. It's really more of a sci-fi thriller than a horror novel. I love the character of Charlie. I just wanted to protect her from all the bad guys that wanted to use her. I cheered for her all the way.
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Dec 07, 2011
Natasha
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This is a suspenseful novel crammed with conflict, one right after the other. Luckily, it has been so long since I've seen the movie that I didn't remember a whole lot of it as I read. During his college years, Andy participates in a scientific study for a little extra cash. He comes out with much more than he bargained for. He falls in love and marries one of the other participants in the study. Since the experiment, Andy has the ability to get inside a person's mind and change the way th
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Oct 19, 2011
chucklesthescot
rated it: 
I read this book years ago and didn't like it.It's a weird story about a girl called Charlie who has supernatural powers because of a secret government experiment.Now her family are on the run from those who want to use her.
I never did finish it and thought it was a bit on the boring side.Kind of hard to do a proper review when I can barely remember it!
I never did finish it and thought it was a bit on the boring side.Kind of hard to do a proper review when I can barely remember it!
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Jan 03, 2011
Mark R.
rated it:
Solid Stephen King thriller involving a government conspiracy and a psychically talented man and his psychokinetic daughter.
I saw the movie version on TV as a kid. Taped it, as I taped almost every movie I watched on TV, and watched it a lot, but, as an adult, mostly forgot it. I picked up the novel recently, as it's one of the few early Stephen King novels I hadn't read, and got a kick out of it.
This isn't one of King's best stories, but is very well-written and fast-pa More...
I saw the movie version on TV as a kid. Taped it, as I taped almost every movie I watched on TV, and watched it a lot, but, as an adult, mostly forgot it. I picked up the novel recently, as it's one of the few early Stephen King novels I hadn't read, and got a kick out of it.
This isn't one of King's best stories, but is very well-written and fast-pa More...
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Sep 21, 2010
TJ
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
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Jun 11, 2011
Ashley
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last page of this story is my favorite piece of literature! good intro to Stephen King, his writing and his views of the world! Graphic in many places. The young protagonist has a special gift after her parents volunteered for testing at the local university. They have been on the run ever since her young mother had gone missing.
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Jul 27, 2011
firestarter is one of king's better single novel forays into the paranormal - not overlong like many - and not one of his many dull short stories - it rips along at a brisk yet accomodating pace and involves that very stasfying simultaneous event style that king does so well.
7 year old has the power to start fires, but she's really almost a nuclear weapon. her father also has the power of mental domination
what is great in this one is not only the plot which is convincing and well honed, but the More...
7 year old has the power to start fires, but she's really almost a nuclear weapon. her father also has the power of mental domination
what is great in this one is not only the plot which is convincing and well honed, but the More...
Sep 18, 2011
Shelly
rated it:
To be honest, going into this book I wasn't sure what to expect. A Stephen King book without overt themes of horror? Though, I suppose you could look at the medical testing to be a 'horror' aspect, but I don't consider it one. This also took me a very long time to read as I'd get bored with it. It's very slow moving, and while there are scenes of intense action--I can't bring myself to fully commit to caring about Charlie and her father. I just can't. Andy is a character, who while trying to pro
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