First up in the month long Stephen King Tribute is Firestarter, originally published in September of 1980.Warning, the following review does contain spoilers, just in case you have never read the book.
Firestarter opens with eight year old Charlie McGee and her father Andrew on the run from a secret organization known as The Shop. Through a series of flashbacks we learn that Charlie's parents participated in a Shop experiment that gave her mother telepathic powers while her father developed a mind control power he referred to as The Push. Charlie's power, obviously, is pyrokinesis. After an incident that cost her mother's life, Charlie and Andrew escaped from The Shop.
The Shop chases after the duo, desperately wanting to contain their experiment. "Cap" James Hollister enlists the aid of Cherokee John Rainbird, a Vietnam veteran, to capture the two fugitives. Rainbird becomes obsessed with Charlie and eventually brings the two back to the Shop. After months of separation, the two are reunited and plan another escape. In an attempt to stop Rainbird, Andrew pushes his power too far ending in a stroke. Charlie, filled with rage, incinerates Rainbird. Andrew's dying request is for Charlie to expose The Shop.
Charlie burns the entire Shop complex. The whole thing is covered up as a terrorist firebombing. The book ends with Charlie on her way to New York to tell the whole story to Rolling Stone magazine.
This book is one of Stephen King's best early works. It combines his great character development and storytelling with a fast paced thriller's edge. This book is hard to classify as purely horror or purely a thriller. It has so many different elements and that is what makes Stephen King's works so great.
A lot of Stephen King's works have been made into motion pictures, including this one. While I am a fan of his written works, the movie versions almost always leave something to be desired. This movie is pretty terrible. It actually has some big name stars such as Drew Barrymore, Heather Locklear, George C. Scott and Martin Sheen. But they could not save the movie.
Firestarter is a great read. There's a quality about the older King novels that really draws you in. If you have missed this one, check it out.
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