Welcome, or Welcome back! My name is Amanda and this is where I typically share spoiler-free book reviews but this post will be a spoiler talk about Firestarter. Let’s get Smitten For Fiction.
Firestarter was first published in 1980. I read the mass-market paperback which was published in 1981, and I’ve owned it for…about 25 years. My copy is in really bad shape and is missing the front cover. The cover was my favourite book cover as a teenager. I even painted it in art class once (wish I could find that).
Adaptations:
Firestarter (1984) starring Drew Barrymore, David Keith, Heather Locklear, Freddie Jones, Martin Sheen, George C. Scott, Art Carney, Louise Fletcher, Moses Gun, Antonio Fargas
– Sticks pretty close to the book, but leaves out one of the most horrific moments involving Dr. Pynchot.
Firestarter: Rekindled (2002) TV series starring Marguerite Moreau, Malcolm McDowell, Dennis Hopper
I could only find two episodes. I liked what I watched.
Firestarter (2022) starring Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Zac Efron, Sydney Lemmon, Kurtwood Smith, Gloria Reuben, Michael Greyeyes, John Beasley, Sheila Boyd
– Makes a lot of changes from the book that make no sense whatsoever. Complete waste of time.
How it’s connected to King’s multiverse:
– mentioned in The Mist, Tommyknockers, and The Stand
– The Duffer Brothers took inspiration from Firestarter for Stranger Things
– A doctor and a character in the book It have the same name: Patrick Hockstetter
– mentioned in “The Langoliers”
AWARDS
Locus Award Nominee for Best SF Novel (1981)
Balrog Award Nominee for Best Novel (1981)
British Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (1981)
About The Book 📚
Title: Firestarter
Author: Stephen King
Publication Date: September 1980
Publisher: First edition – Viking
Genre: Horror, Suspense, Science Fiction, Paranormal
Pages: 403
Content Warnings: fire injury, murder, kidnapping, animal death, gun violence, profanity, drugs, suicide, addiction, fatphobia, racial slurs, racism, sexism, transphobia
R Contains profanity, violence, drug use, or nudity.
My Review
› In 1969 Andy and Vicky met at a paid experiment in college. Dr. Wanless injected twelve college students with “Lot 6”, a mysterious mixture that was intended to alter chromosomes and cause recipients to develop paranormal abilities. Most of the students died, committed suicide, or became mentally ill, however, Andy and Vicky developed powers.
› Twelve years later, Andy and Vicky are married and have a seven-year-old daughter named Charlie. Andy calls his ability “the push” which is basically compulsion. He can make someone think or do whatever he wants, but Andy will get a headache afterwards. Vicky had telekinetic abilities to move things with her mind. Charlie has the same abilities as her parents – but stronger AND she also has pyrokinesis – the ability to start fires with her mind.
“You’re a firestarter honey…just one big Zippo lighter”
› Andy and Charlie have been on the run for a year after Vicky was tortured and killed by “the shop”, a government agency that wants to capture Charlie so they can test her abilities. The head scientist of “the shop” is Captain Hollister (Cap). Dr. Herman Pynchot is the head psychiatrist. It’s not clear whether they want to understand her abilities or use her as a weapon. John Rainbird works for “the shop” and is hired to kidnap and trick Charlie. He is a terrifying villain who loves to kill people and only agrees to help “the shop” so he can eventually kill Charlie.
“No, of course you don’t think that is possible. You look at my face and you see a monster. You look at my hands and see them covered with the blood you ordered me to spill. But I tell you, Cap, it will happen. The girl has had no friend for going on two years. She has had her father and that is all. You see her as you see me, Cap. It is your great failing. You look, you see a monster. Only in the girl’s case, you see a useful monster. Perhaps that is because you are a white man. White men see monsters everywhere. White men look at their own pricks and see monsters.”
› Good and Evil are balanced when we see Andy and Charlie getting help from strangers. One of my favourite scenes takes place at Irv and Norma‘s farm.
“You don’t need your gun”
› Reading Firestarter as a mother is a completely different experience from when I read it as a teenager. When I was younger I found myself relating with Charlie, but this time I had a deeper connection with Andy. I couldn’t help but wonder what life was like for Andy and Vicky when Charlie was going through the “terrible twos” stage – every time she’d lose her temper and start fires.
“It’s gonna be all right,” he told her, not really believing it, knowing as every adult knows in his secret heart that nothing is really all right, ever. “It’s gonna be all right.”
› Stephen King dedicated Firestarter to Shirley Jackson (1916-1965). She was an author who wrote The Lottery, We Have Always Lived in a Castle, The Haunting of Hill House, and more. I haven’t read anything by Jackson yet and need to rectify that soon.
“In Memory of Shirley Jackson, who never needed to raise her voice.”
› While reading Firestarter I tried to pay close attention to see if it passed the Bechdel Test and I’m pretty sure it failed. There are not two female named characters who have a conversation with each other about something other than a man. However, I would consider Firestarter a “Good For Her” book.
5 characteristics of a “Good For Her” story as Katie Colson talks about in her video:
1. Female main character
2. The heroine has fallen prey to an unjust system
3. She outwits the system playing by her own rules
4. She feels no remorse for doing this
5. There is catharsis for the heroine and the audience
“Women characters regaining autonomy, often through nefarious or immoral means, inspires the
audience to state cathartically, ‘good for her.'” https://kb.gcsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=english
Getting to see Charlie burn down “the shop” is one of my all-time favourite scenes in any piece of fiction. The best part is the scientists forced her to perform tests of her ability dangling the carrot of being able to visit her dad and it was this practice that enabled her to get revenge.
› Characters: 8
› Atmosphere: 8
› Writing Style: 10
› Plot: 8
› Intrigue: 8
› Logic: 9
› Enjoyment: 8
Average 8.4
My Rating ★★★★
Average Story Graph Rating 3.72
Average Goodreads Rating 3.91
› Final Thoughts
• Firestarter is a dark, tense, adventurous, emotional, and suspenseful novel about fatherly love, power, greed, corruption, and revenge. I recommend this to fans of Stranger Things.
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Smitten For Fiction 