Firestarter

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Summary: It kept my heart racing
Review: This book was outstnding. I could harly put it down at any point. Steven King has out done himself with this one. The bad guys get every thing they deserve!

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Summary: Characters are well done, as with all King novels.
Review: I always get very caught up in the characters in a King novel. Yes, he does deal with the supernatural, but I think the characters handle these events in a very real way. This book cried out for a sequel; after rooting for Charlie, you want to know what happens to her.

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Summary: excellent
Review: I have been a Stephen King fan since I was seven, and am rarely disappointed by his novels. This is easily his fastest-paced book with characters you can really care about and a very realistic story (well, you know what I mean). One of his best. Now if he could only write this well EVERY time.

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Summary: A good horror
Review: This is a good, staple for new Stephen King Fans- the tension is gradual, climbing to a peak and then plummeting. Good for a rainy day.

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Summary: SUPER!
Review: One of the best books by Stephen King I've ever read. It was well worth buying. It pulled you in. Once you started, you just couldn't stop.

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Summary: Simply gripping
Review: This book is fantastic. Each Chapter brings a new event, and 'PUSHES' you into reading on! The storyline is brill, and the characters are so real. Anyone into the Uri Geller side of life will also like this book because it deals a lot with mental domination, sci powers and the like. Easily one of King's best. A must for any Horror reader.

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Summary: Amazing! A real thriller!
Review: I really can't understand how you peple could give this book a six. Firestarter was my first of Kings. I enjoyed it immensly. I totally disagree with the point of view "he could have done better." I picked it up and couldn't put it down. Garrentied, some of his most recent books haven't been anywhere as good, this is king at his best. The fact that all of this could really happen, there are organizations that do that, scared the hell out of me. Everyone I know that's read it shares my opinion, they love it. There are always good and bad points to a book. This one had very little bad points. I would totally recomend this book!

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Summary: Firestarter: A New Horror Genre by [e-mail]
Review: In third grade, I read 'Firestarter for fun. The other kids were jealous and vengeful because they weren't as advanced and/or their parents wouldn't let them. I enjoyed it. I used to stay up all night while my parents were asleep with my gooseneck light reading it until I finished. It was worth the effort. I loved it; you will too as well as you thanking yourself for buying it here at Amazon! P.S. I'm ten years old. :-)

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Summary: Report for class
Review: THE AUTHENTICITY OF FIRESTARTER By Errin Delperdang, Jason Kasparek, and Jessica Goldberger

We read Firestarter for a class, and as our collaborative project, we are posting this report. Our assignment is to comment on the authenticity of this book in regards to King's use of psi powers in his novel. We feel that King has used true to life (if psychic powers can even BE true to life) descriptions of the psi activities involved in this book.

Oh, if you want to know if you should buy the book, we'll deal with that in this paragraph. Firestarter is very similar to a Dean Koontz novel. It involves government interference instilling an abnormal psychological power in its research victims. The victims then use their powers to escape the government. In this case, the psychological power is pyrokenesis, the ability to start fires by thinking about it. The government agency is The Shop, a little-known department of the CIA.

The Firestarter's appeal lies in its ability to evoke pity for Charlie and Andy's dilemma. This poor child was cursed with a power, the power of pyrokenesis, that scared her to death and then, put her in very great danger. Not only were Charlie and her father forced to run from the Shop for over a year, but they are then locked up and studied like lab rats. And to top it all off, none of it was their fault. The progression of both characters throughout their trials and tribulations was directly related to the progression of the powers that they possessed. For instance, as Charlie matured, so did her pyrokenesis. Not only was it stronger, but it was easier for her to control. Another thing that changed was her willingness to use the power. When a child is young, the world is painted in black and white, right and wrong, but as one gets older and experiences more, their understanding of right and wrong is mixed with a series of exceptions and the paint begins to mingle, making gray. That is what Charlie started to understand throughout the course of the book. At the ver! y beginning of the story, Andy tells his daughter in the airport that there is a lesser and greater evil. Charlie only realizes this at the very end, when she uses her own power of judgement, along with the consent of her father, to decide to burn down the Shop.

As far as Andy's progression, it would be better described as his regression. Even at the beginning of the book, a year into the chase, Andy demonstrates a loss of will. He says over and over that Charlie is the only thing that keeps him going. After they are capture by the Shop, this is stated bluntly br Mr. King, himself. Andy's numb emotions and loss of the will to move on effects his psi power, mental domination just as one would expect, it weakens, actually deadens it. Only when he is revived by the thought of his daughter during the blackout are his powers revived.

There are only a very few things questionable about King's representation of Psi powers. Perhaps the most obvious of these is Charlie's control problem. Her method of stopping the fires is questionable. If the pyrokenesis is indeed a function of the mind, then the control of that power also lies within the mind. Any outside system is irrelevant. Therefore, Charlie's need to push the fire at water seems almost contrived. This aspect is not even justified by the plot. There is never any place in the novel where the suspense relies on Charlie's inability to stop the power with water. Therefore, the whole water factor seemed unnecessary and used for the sole purpose of description. The only other problem of psi representation is the physical repercussions of Andy's "push." The fact that he is actually wounding himself by using his power seems somewhat unbelievable. If King makes the assumption that a fully developed psi power does no damage do the user, then logically an underdeveloped psi power should not do any damage. It might, of course, be more difficult to use, but it shouldn't cause hemorrhaging. This oversight is justified by the plot, how! ever. Unlike the water factor, a great deal of suspense results from the reader's wondering whether or not Andy will kill himself with his power. Thus, the self-wounding aspect of Andy's push is justified and can be overlooked. These are only small nitpicks; most of King's psi representation was well developed and presented.

Rating:
Summary: The "Hottest" Book of the Year.
Review: Firestarter is not your typical horror story. It doesn't contain any gruesome monsters, vampires, or evil spirits. Instead, the story is about a little girl and her father who are on the run from sinister government agents. The little girl, Charlie McGee, is no ordinary little girl. She has what is called pyrokinesis, the ability to control fire by the power of thought. The most exciting part of the story occurs when events start to "light up" near the end. I give it a 10 because I think the book was beautifully written, and I really enjoyed it myself. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoy fast-paced suspense, and especially to those who are in the firefighting business...Ha..Ha.