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Firestarter

Collected in Omnibus (Eyes of the Dragon / Firestarter)

Firestarter

HorrorScience Fiction
Pages
300
Published
1980
Language
English

Synopsis

A young girl named Charlie McGee possesses pyrokinesis, the ability to create fire with her mind. Her powers, a result of a secret government experiment, make her a target for a shadowy agency known as The Shop. Charlie and her father must go on the run, evading capture while trying to understand and control her dangerous gift.

Prose complexity
3/10

Collected in

Book cover of Omnibus (Eyes of the Dragon / Firestarter)
Omnibus (Eyes of the Dragon / Firestarter)

Vibe

TenseDarkEmotionalThought-Provoking
Reluctant HeroSurvivalChosen OneRoad TripSacrifice

Genres

Horror Science Fiction Suspense Thriller Mystery

About the author

S
Stephen King

Stephen King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author whose work has defined popular horror fiction for more than half a century. Born in Portland, Maine, he grew up in poverty after his father abandoned the family, and credits his mother's resilience and a voracious reading habit as the foundations of his imagination. He began selling short stories to men's magazines while working as a high school English teacher, and published his first novel, Carrie, in 1974—his wife Tabitha retrieved...

Characters

Charlie McGeeProtagonist
All characters in Firestarter

Frequently asked questions

  • What is Firestarter about?

    Charlie McGee is a young girl with the ability to start fires with her mind—a power so strong she can incinerate anything she focuses on. She and her father Andy, who has mild psychic compulsion abilities, are pursued by a shadowy government agency called The Shop, which created their abilities through a drug experiment and wants Charlie as a weapon.

  • How did Charlie McGee develop her pyrokinetic power?

    When Andy and his future wife Vicky participated in a drug experiment called Lot Six as college students, the drug altered their DNA. Charlie was born with pyrokinesis as a result—a direct genetic consequence of the experiment. King uses this to criticize secret government medical experimentation on unwitting subjects.

  • What is The Shop and does it appear in other King works?

    The Shop is a black-budget government agency that conducts secret experiments and operates outside normal oversight. It reappears in 'The Secret Sharer' and other King stories. The organization is King's recurring emblem of institutional evil—the government as monster.

  • Was Firestarter adapted?

    A 1984 film starred Drew Barrymore as Charlie and David Keith as Andy. It was poorly received. A 2022 remake starring Zac Efron and Ryan Kiera Armstrong was also made, to mixed reviews. The 1984 version remains better known despite its limitations.

  • Is this book connected to other Stephen King stories?

    The novel is dedicated to Shirley Jackson, and some readers draw thematic parallels between this story and Carrie due to the focus on young protagonists with uncontrollable psychic abilities. While it exists within the broader landscape of the author's work, it functions as a self-contained narrative.

  • Are there film versions of this story?

    This novel has been adapted into multiple films, including a 1984 version and a 2022 remake, as well as a 2002 television miniseries titled Firestarter: Rekindled that serves as a sequel to the 1984 film.

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