about: the Stephen King novel Firestarter is a novel by Stephen King originally published in 1980. It was serialized in Omni magazine prior to being published.

Plot summary

The title character of Firestarter is Charlene "Charlie" McGee, a young girl possessing many potential abilities, amongst them most notably pyrokinesis——i.e., the ability to create fire with her mind. Charlie is a mutant; she was born with her abilities due to her parents' (Andrew "Andy" McGee and Vicky Tomlinson) having participated in a mysterious government-funded experiment during college. Both parents had been injected with unknown amounts of a drug known as Lot Six, which, among other things, had been proven to alter the subject's chromosomes and pituitary gland.

As a major effect of the Lot Six, Andy developed telepathic hypnosis, a mind control ability he calls the "push", the ability to create a state of extreme suggestion in the victim's mind. Vicky developed minor telekinesis, the extent of her power being able to close a refrigerator door from across the room. Both of their powers are almost insignificant compared to the latent power of Charlie, who at one point is suspected of eventually being able to create a nuclear explosion from sheer will alone. It is also revealed that Andy's powers are self-destructive; prolonged use of the "push" causes him to suffer devastating headaches and nosebleeds.

The government agency that sponsored the original drug trials, The Shop, regarded the experiment as a failure, with one member stating that humans were simply not evolved yet to make full use of the drug. However, although they unanimously regarded Andy and Vicky as useless test subjects and dead ends, it was also unanimously agreed that Charlie was a groundbreaking development, and as a result, the McGee family was placed under surveillance for around seven years.

Due to a mistake made by Shop agents, Vicky was unnecessarily murdered and Charlie kidnapped. Using "the push", Andy is able to rescue Charlie and the two live together for several years as fugitives, moving whenever Andy feels the Shop may be catching up to them. After several near misses with Shop agents, the McGees find temporary refuge with Irv and Norma Manders, who were a friendly old-fashioned couple living on a remote farm. The farm is then besieged. Due to this event, the McGees are able to elude the Shop for a short time, holing up at Andy's grandfather's lake cabin in Vermont for several months. However, the event also draws renewed interest into the project from the Shop, eventually leading to the introduction of John Rainbird, a dangerous Native American tracker and agent of the Shop.

For six months, the McGees are prisoners of the Shop, who perform extensive tests to study their powers. Charlie McGee resolves not to use her ability and is an unwilling prisoner for the majority of the time, Andy, however, breaks down and becomes an overweight, apathetic subject, living comfortably in the Shop complex. Although he cooperates with the scientists, Andy is disappointed and distraught to find that his push power has seemingly abandoned him, and he gradually becomes helplessly and hopelessly addicted to the drug Thorazine, which the Shop is using to sedate and control him.