FireStarter

[cwalrus]

I'm in the middle of Firestarter right now. I'm up to the point right after Andy and Charlie get captured at Tashmore Pond. It took me a while to get into this story for some reason, but now I'm enjoying it a lot more. I like the interaction between Rainbird and Cap. Rainbird reminds me so much of Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men. I really enjoy the angle that SK is giving by showing us with the Shop in this story. He could have just kept the Shop as some faceless villain but he shows that these beaurocrats and agents are real people with flaws and desires just like everyone else. When I first picked up the book, I thought all of the focus would be on Andy and Charlie, and even though the bulk of the story is concentrated on them, my favorite parts are the ones where we see things from The Shop's point of view. I'm not sure what's going to happen between Rainbird and Charlie, but seeing as I'm only halfway through the novel, I'm a little scared to read on because I don't want anything bad to happen to Charlie.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

I think it's an excellent book, for all the reasons you mention, and unlike most, I actually like the movie with George C. Scott as Rainbird.

And about Charlie - Finish the book!

Long days and pleasant nights

[Goodlovin]

I think the book gets maligned a bit too much as I totally love it.

Its been way too long since I have read it.

I also love your call of Javier Bardem as Rainbird outside of him not being 7ft call

[BDenbrough]

Firestarter is one of my favorites! It's a great book! I'm not a Rainbird fan at all though!

[ginapenn]

Firestarter is wonderful! It was one of the first books I read by King when I became a fan. I love that he takes us to the Shop here and there so we know what those guys are thinking and planning as Andy and Charlie are on their merry journey. Even though they resist going to the Shop, it is actually good for Charlie in the end. It helps her, in a weird way. Rainbird is a complex character; you can tell he loves Charlie but he keeps her at arm's length. Unfortunately he loves her for selfish reasons but the ending is fantastic. Charlie is one of my favorite characters in literature.

[michal]

If you're concerned for the characters and feel real fear in your heart, I believe at least two of the author's desires have been fulfilled.

Give in to the book

It's a great one

[Srbo]

Great book.

One of the better political thriller books of all times.

And - I don`t see any horror stuff in there at all, or did I miss something ?

[ginapenn]

Great book.

One of the better political thriller books of all times.

And - I don`t see any horror stuff in there at all, or did I miss something ?

Define "horror". I suppose horror would be in the eye of the beholder.

[mrsbreece]

Rainbird makes the story. Loved the book and the movie.

[cwalrus]

SPOILERS BELOW


Just finished. I liked the ending very much, and the last 100 or so pages goes by very fast. I was surprised that it took so long for Andy to plan an escape but I suppose he had to kick the habbit of the pills that they were giving him. Rainbird proved to be a fascinating and very frightening villain. I suppose anyone who wants to kill an 8 year old girl has problems, but I really hated how he tricked her into betraying his confidence. I was glad to see he got what he deserved. Like I said, I like the fact that we get to see things from the Shop's perspective, and even though I don't like what they did, it's easy to understand why they saw the McGees as a threat and the decisions that they make seem like the decisions that would be made were this taking place in real life. I doubt Charlie's ability would enable her to destroy the world, but that power in the wrong hands would no doubt be very dangerous. It really shows how sometimes in the midst of doing a their job, certain agencies lose sight of the fact that the people they are dealing with are human beings. The story is kind of relevant today when you think about it.

Some quick questions:

1. I'm not sure if Cap died unless I missed something. His reaction to the echo provided the distrac tion that allowed Andy to push Rainbird into falling down, but after that Cap disappears. Did he burn in the fire or did Rainbird shoot cap when he shot Andy. I suppose with the echo running around in his brain he would have gone crazy anyway.

2. I liked the fact that Charlie goes to Rolling Stone in the end, but what do you think will happen to Charlie. Will the government still try to capture her? or will they just leave her alone?

3. Were Irv and Norma Manders punished in any way after hiding Charlie a 2nd time?

4. Wouldn't it have been wiser for the Shop to simply either execute Andy or keep him in a different compound from the beginning? I found it hard to believe that they would have kept Andu and Charlie in the same compund for 6 months when they had no intention of letting them see each other and Andy was unresponsive. Obviously, for the pruposes of the story it was necessary, but I think Cap let the ball drop on that one.

5. How closely does the film follow the book? I'm considering putting Firestarter on my netflix list.

Anyway, these are just some thoughts on the story. It was a very entertaining read and strangely enough the story seemed very plausble consideriung the fact that the government did actually experiment with people without their knowledge in the past and who's to say that it's not going on now. I just realize this book might make me paranoid for a while.