#ATBR2020 Review: Firestarter by Stephen King @jessmapreviews #BraveTheBacklist #ChronologicallyKing
Firestarter
by Stephen King
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 them—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 seen—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 her own.....
My Review:
My first read of Firestarter and to be honest, I expected this one to be a slower read for some reason and I have NO idea why. I do think King has a tendency to be over descriptive and wordy but in this read, things move at a pretty fiery pace (see what I did there? *groan*). I remember watching the move EONS ago but don't remember much of it outside of a few key scenes so was happy to go into this relatively blind.
I wasn't expecting so much with Andy's power but really enjoyed learning his background and how detrimental this could be to him. But, as a father, he will do anything to protect his daughter. It was enraging and heart breaking to see how the government, as usual, are trying to cover their tracks and omg, these people were definitely NOT paid enough for this trial - I don't care what decade this book was written in!
As we know, King writes in a variety of genres and this one is more into the thriller/science fiction category rather than horror fiction. I feel these types of reads run that fine line into horror, which is just win win in my book so yay for readers like me! I'm actually surprised this book isn't more well known amongst readers - I even rarely see King fans discussing this one. We all should be though. And for those new to King, I think this is could be a great one to begin with.
★★★★
Jessica's Review:
This was one of the first few King books that I ever read, and this
was definitely due for a reread. FIRESTARTER is one of those King books
that doesn’t fall solely in the horror genre, but instead it has some
great science fiction elements, with a thriller kind of pacing. I forgot
what great characters there were in this book and how quickly this
books moves.
Andy and his daughter Charlie are on the run from The Shop – a secret
government agency. Why are they on the run? Well, they both have powers
that The Shop agents are wanting to control. Andy has what he calls
“the Push”, which is a mind domination ability, while his daughter is a
powerful pyrokinetic. The big difference between the two is that Andy
has limitations with his powers before he begins to feel dangerous side
effects, but nothing seems to hinder Charlie’s abilities.
I loved getting to know Andy and Charlie again as I revisited this
story. I forgot how persistent The Shop is, but when a secret government
agency wants someone or something to stay hidden, they will do
everything they can to keep it that way. I think this one is perfect for
those new to Stephen King. It has a solid pacing, great characters,
plenty of suspense, and those glimpses of horror in a few parts.
4 stars
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