I will start with Firestarter. Charlie McGee is my favorite Stephen King character.
In 1969 Andy McGee and Vicky Tomlinson participate in a college experiment where they were injected with Lot 6, a mild hallucinogen. A shadowy organization called The Shop ran the experiment, and they are related to the U.S. government. Afterward they realized they could do odd things. Andy developed a talent which allowed him to mentally dominate, or 'push' people into believing anything he told them. Vicky could open or close doors with her mind, seemingly without even realizing it. A few years later they married and had a baby girl named Charlie. When Charlie started fires as a baby, they realized Lot 6 had a bigger impact on their lives then they realized.
By the time Charlie is 7, they McGees are trying to live a normal life and stay below the radar of The Shop. They know The Shop has kept tabs on them and are interested in Charlie. Vickys power is a small one that she can barely control. Andy can control his, but only uses it for good, and in very small amounts. They have also taught Charlie that her power is dangerous and she must not use it. But when Shop agents kill Vicky and kidnap Charlie, Andy is forced to use his power to take Charlie back and go on the run. Charlie is scared to use her power, but does when her and her father realize there is no other alternative.
The Shop agents are smart and determined, however, and chase them relentlessly until they capture them. Andy and Charlie are taken to The Shop headquarters in Longmont, VA. Scientists there want to test their powers, but neither cooperate- Andy because his power has seemingly dried up, and Charlie because she won't. Her daddy taught her starting fires was BAD, and using her power scares her; because of the carnage that results and the disquieting realization that she is starting to like it.
Then Charlie meets John Rainbird. A Shop agent disguised as an orderly who cleans her qsuarters, he tricks Charlie into trusting him and convinces her to go along with their tests. She agrees because she doesn't want to disappoint her only friend, and because he suggests she use the tests as a way to get rewards, such as going outside, visiting the horses on the property, and ultimately seeing her daddy again. Charlie does not know that there is no way anyone will let her see her daddy again, or that Rainbird is actually an assassin who agreed to convince Charlie to undergo the tests on the condition that he gets to kill her when they are done testing her.
Meanwhile Andy has been addicted to Thorazine. He is seen as a washout; an overweight drug addict who has lost his power. But Andys power unexpectedly comes back. He hides this from his captors but uses it to learn about Charlie and form an escape plan. When he learns of Rainbirds plan for Charlie, he sends her a message telling her of his escape plan and the truth about Rainbird.
Andys plan goes horribly wrong. Rainbird realized what happened and shoots him while they are trying to escape. Andys dying words to Charlie tell her he loves her, to get away, that the Shop wants her dead, and she has to do anything she can to get away and burn the facility down in such a way that they can not cover up what happened.
And she does. She only kills the people who try to stop and/or kill her, and she burns the compound down to the ground. Then she runs away and hides until she can recover and figure out what to do next.
I love this book. Charlie is such a strong little girl to go through everything The Shop has done to her and her family. I could feel her struggle with her power, and felt sorry for the way The Shop tried to twist her to their own ends. I admired her strength. She did not want to harm anyone, and did only for her own survival. When she was pushed into using her power she was selective about who she used it against.
Have you read this book? I hope this sparks your interest in reading it if you have not. Leave a comment about what you think.
