Firestarter
Stephen King

You are about to meet the sweetest, most irresistible little girl you've ever known - 8 year old Charlie McGee. She's everything that a proud father like Andy McGee could want - and all that he can fear. For Charlie was born with the most destructive power a human being has ever commanded - and somehow she must be saved from both herself and from those in high places who want to use her as a weapon.

Yet another one of the classic King novels - I highly recommend reading the book before seeing the movie. There are enough differences (and the book is so much better) that reading the book first is your best bet so you can see King's full idea of this intriguing story.

While the characters in this book are just as fleshed out as in the other King novels, the one disappointment that there was for me was the dialogue. For the most part it was all right, though not up to the usual King dialogue. However, the dialogue of Charlie, the eight year old girl, just did not seem to fit with real life dialogue of a child that age. It seemed far too much like an adult trying to have a child's voice and that was enough to pull me out of the story several times.

The story itself is solid and there's a nice balance between Andy and Charlie on the run from The Shop and the time they spend at The Shop after they're caught.

The novel doesn't drag anywhere and the plot mixes well with the action. The ending, while predictable, is satisfying and overall the novel is worth reading.

I'd recommend this to anyone - from the seasoned King fan to someone who has never read his works. Just please make sure to read this before even thinking about watching the film.

My rating: Four and a half out of five snails.