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 and her father Andy are victims of scientific experiments, in that Andy was unknowingly made into a psychic in a drug-trial, and Charlie's abilities are a later consequence. They're constantly on the run from government agents who mean them harm, and the humanity expressed through their interactions amplifies the reader's empathy toward their situation. Firestarter is a prime example of a page-turner, more attuned to someone interested in a thriller.