Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Firestarter

I grew up hearing all about the legends of Stephen King. The King of Horror, many call him. I was only convinced to read the first book I have picked up by him since hearing rumors over the years: Firestarter, when I saw the movie release trailers for the second adaptation. I was not disappointed by the novel. The storytelling was beautiful and vivid. The characters were deep and astonishing. Everything came together with rhyme and reason in tandem. However, despite the greatness of the story and its writing, I note a few issues within it. One being that at some points the main characters knowingly and willingly walk into danger, dreading it, when they could easily avoid it altogether. Second, this book was marked as Science-Fantasy Horror-Thriller. I will preface this by saying I am not easily scared or excited, but this book did not feel scary or tense to me. I have read contemporary non-horror books with what felt like harsher and more gripping stakes. Third, I have to say that the end of the story is completely predictable, at least to me. I found it easy to assume which events would happen before they came to pass. Otherwise, Firestarter by Stephen King was a masterpiece. It showed his prowess in painting detailed settings and giving the readers an inside look of life through the eyes of Andy and Charlie McGee.

Content Warnings

bookbelle5_17's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Review of Firestarter

By: Stephen King

College students Andy McGee and Vicky Tomlinson, just wanted to make some extra cash by participating in an experiment, but little did know was it would result in them having psychic powers. Getting married their daughter Charlie is born with powers, she’s a Firestarter. The government agency, The Shop, who experimented on them, want Charlie and they’re hunting Charlie and her father down.

Another exciting thriller from King with his signature supernatural flavor. King always finds a way to nail down a kid character and how they would feel, as well as act. In the afterward, he discusses what inspired this novel and that his daughter Naomi helped him give an accurate portrayal of Charlie. She’s scared but also enjoys having this power. She constantly fears losing control and burning an innocent or someone she loves, but she desires to be able to punishment those who deserve it. She’s vulnerable and naïve, because she’s only a little girl, but she also has a strong will. This is another one of those stories that shows people’s worse fear about the government; that they are taking humans and experimenting on them and making them weapons. That’s how The Shop sees Charlie, a weapon. One of the antagonists who I find a compelling and scary character is John Rainbird. He understands people and knows how to gain Charlie’s trust. There’s a dream sequence where Andy compares him to Long John Silver of Treasure Island. It’s a perfect comparison, because Long John Silver plays someone nice and innocent like John Rainbird does, and they gain the trust of a naïve child. He’s also a Vietnam Vet. King has a way of writing characters that you hate or love. Even though oftentimes King’s novels tend to be long it still goes by fast. His plots are always moving, but they have moments of character development, but something is always happening. Of course, there are always those aspects of his novels that can make the reader uncomfortable like foul language and characters who are sexist or racist. This is a thrilling and at times heartbreaking read.

Content Warnings

keen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

marionlundqvist's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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