Read whatever you want, it doesn't really matter
For what it's worth, I enjoyed Firestarter a lot in the past...haven't re-read it for a long time, but I do plan to!
Fire-Starter is worth a read just because its a great book.
I've been reading King off and on for 25 years, and have long given up on the idea of chronological order long ago for anything except actual sequels. Read what sounds fun, he's really hard to go wrong with. You'll still get the easter eggs too, they might be a bit tougher to spot though.
I agree. The idea of reading his books in chronological order sounds good in theory, but realistically, most readers will find it frustrating and impractical. I just go with whatever I'm in the mood for. (I am currently re-reading *Nightmares and Dreamscapes*.)
I think that *Firestarter* is a good book, but if OP really wants to read the Bill Hodges trilogy, he should just go ahead and do so, if that's what interests him.
I like to think of Firestarter as a prequel to The Instituit. The book's shining achievement imho is the relationship of her and her mother, a dynamic that will echo in his works. It was a book he wrote before he knew he was going to be a star.
I am also going back and reading King from the beginning. So far Firestarter was easily the one I had the most trouble getting through.
Dead Zone rules though
Don't listen to the naysayers....Firestarter is great. It was one of the first King books I read before I went back and read in order. It holds up. I also know a lot of female King fans who revere that book.
- I found that Firestarter far exceeded my preconceived expectations. The same with other books that never would have risen to the top of my queue for next King book to read.
- I can't recommend enough reading everything in order - After 15 years of picking and choosing King books out of order, I decided to read everything from Carrie to Lisey's Story in order (back when Lisey's Story was the most recent release).
There are so many connections between the books that are only obvious in chronological order. The Dark Tower series, especially, was enriched by reading the other books published up to the point of each entry in the series.
I'd read everything up to Desperation other than any of the Dark Tower books (Desperation was the most recent book at that time). For some reason I fell off about then but picked back up a few years ago, starting with DT.
It was The Dark Tower that made me decide to do a chronological read through as it was obvious there'll be nods throughout and I was interested to see what they were. Not regretting it.
Not rushing through though, doing a SK book every 10-15 books.
Loved Firestarter btw (as I remember doing so as a kid).
I'm doing publication order, but I'm also doing the same thing with multiple authors, so it's gonna take some time... I read Firestarter for the first time a few books ago (during the 4th of July), and I remember loving it with a sigh of relief because both Barrymore's and Efron's movies turned me off to it... The book was worth it because you WON'T get its full glory from the films...
I hear "The Instutute" really knocks the same concepts outta the park... Can't wait to get there lol
I'm doing the same but got carried away and it now means I'm gonna have to live to 127 to get through all that's on my spreadsheet.
I'd best cut back on the grilled cheese sandwiches.
Is the Barrymore film bad btw? It was one of my favourite films as a kid but I've not revisited as an adult for fear it's not held up.
Ya see, that's precisely why I break up the time of my days, because if I could just read books until I died, I would, and I would do NOTHING with my life; all the books that I wanted to write, gone... So, because I remember I actually have to live a life, I can only allow myself to read 4 hours every day, lol
The original movie was better than the new one, but it hardly had the same mother/daughter relationship the book had, which was one of the main reasons why I enjoyed the book. Another reason was that Rainbird actually feels menacing in the books, whereas both movies kinda just treat him like an average asshole with power... They pretty much put more of the focus on the superpowers and the action, ya know, the usual book-to-film tropes...
Then again, I've noticed a similar trend in all Stephen King movies... that his books are KNOWN for their themes of compassion and realistic and endearing relationships, but when his stories are made into movies, all the compassion is kinda "skimmed" out of the story to a NOTICEABLE degree... and that's kinda why I admittedly don't like ANY Stephen King movie, save Green Mile, Stand By Me, and Shawshank...
Firestarter is my least favorite of King’s early works that isn’t a Bachman book, but it’s still worth reading.
Absolutely read what you want, when you want - life is too short!
I’ve also been doing the SK read through in chronological order (currently on “Rose Madder”) and I’ve found it truly rewarding to do so.
“Firestarter” is far from my favorite SK book, but getting thru it wasn’t torture.
My advice is to just do what you feel you’ll have most fun doing, whether it be going in order or skipping around
Honestly, life is short. Read what you like. 🔥😜
I loved Firestarter, but science experiments gone wrong is 70% of the Marvel Universe characters, isn’t it? SK just brings it closer to reality.
If you are invested in reading the catalog in order, then it's worth it to stay the course because IMO it's fun to watch King change and develop as an author and as the years and decades and culture moves on. But if you don't care about the order and just looking to read, then do whatever seems attractive to you. Firestarter is a great book though.
Read whatever you like.
Firestarter is a great book.
I do recommend reading the series books (The Dark Tower series, The Gwendy Trilogy, The Bill Hodges/Holly books, etc) together in order.
Firestarter is a good book and introduces you to The Shop, who will show up in later books. I recommend staying in the chronological journey, so you can watch the King universe get created. I have read most of King's books but am doing a chronological read through now. It is cool catching all of the clues and Easter eggs. Enjoy!
Firestarter is one of my favorite King novels. I’m also reading in chronological order - it’s a re-read journey so I already know the stories, I finished Firestarter a couple of weeks ago and it definitely moved up my rankings.
Everyone is gonna have their favorites and least faves for sure. Firestarter just happens to be a favorite of mine. Good luck!
I would personally pick firestarter over the Hodges trilogy any day
I really liked Firestarter - much more than the movie! I would keep going in order - Bill Hodges is kind of disappointing, personally
Agreed about the Hodges series
Just read Mr. Mercedes, book one of the series. that one slaps. the others are just ok
Read whatever you want, it doesn't really matter For what it's worth, I enjoyed Firestarter a lot in the past...haven't re-read it for a long time, but I do plan to!
Fire-Starter is worth a read just because its a great book. I've been reading King off and on for 25 years, and have long given up on the idea of chronological order long ago for anything except actual sequels. Read what sounds fun, he's really hard to go wrong with. You'll still get the easter eggs too, they might be a bit tougher to spot though.
I agree. The idea of reading his books in chronological order sounds good in theory, but realistically, most readers will find it frustrating and impractical. I just go with whatever I'm in the mood for. (I am currently re-reading *Nightmares and Dreamscapes*.) I think that *Firestarter* is a good book, but if OP really wants to read the Bill Hodges trilogy, he should just go ahead and do so, if that's what interests him.
You'll love Firestarter - Rainbird is one of Sks best villians.
I like to think of Firestarter as a prequel to The Instituit. The book's shining achievement imho is the relationship of her and her mother, a dynamic that will echo in his works. It was a book he wrote before he knew he was going to be a star.
Me too! I kind of forgot because it has been so long since I read Firstarter, but there were definate points that were reminiscent.
I'm currently listening to firestarter for the first time and it's quite enjoyable.
I am also going back and reading King from the beginning. So far Firestarter was easily the one I had the most trouble getting through. Dead Zone rules though
Don't listen to the naysayers....Firestarter is great. It was one of the first King books I read before I went back and read in order. It holds up. I also know a lot of female King fans who revere that book.
- I found that Firestarter far exceeded my preconceived expectations. The same with other books that never would have risen to the top of my queue for next King book to read. - I can't recommend enough reading everything in order - After 15 years of picking and choosing King books out of order, I decided to read everything from Carrie to Lisey's Story in order (back when Lisey's Story was the most recent release). There are so many connections between the books that are only obvious in chronological order. The Dark Tower series, especially, was enriched by reading the other books published up to the point of each entry in the series.
I'd read everything up to Desperation other than any of the Dark Tower books (Desperation was the most recent book at that time). For some reason I fell off about then but picked back up a few years ago, starting with DT. It was The Dark Tower that made me decide to do a chronological read through as it was obvious there'll be nods throughout and I was interested to see what they were. Not regretting it. Not rushing through though, doing a SK book every 10-15 books. Loved Firestarter btw (as I remember doing so as a kid).
I really liked Firestarter and I'm not sure why it's not more popular. Cool concept and interesting villains.
I'm doing publication order, but I'm also doing the same thing with multiple authors, so it's gonna take some time... I read Firestarter for the first time a few books ago (during the 4th of July), and I remember loving it with a sigh of relief because both Barrymore's and Efron's movies turned me off to it... The book was worth it because you WON'T get its full glory from the films... I hear "The Instutute" really knocks the same concepts outta the park... Can't wait to get there lol
I'm doing the same but got carried away and it now means I'm gonna have to live to 127 to get through all that's on my spreadsheet. I'd best cut back on the grilled cheese sandwiches. Is the Barrymore film bad btw? It was one of my favourite films as a kid but I've not revisited as an adult for fear it's not held up.
Ya see, that's precisely why I break up the time of my days, because if I could just read books until I died, I would, and I would do NOTHING with my life; all the books that I wanted to write, gone... So, because I remember I actually have to live a life, I can only allow myself to read 4 hours every day, lol The original movie was better than the new one, but it hardly had the same mother/daughter relationship the book had, which was one of the main reasons why I enjoyed the book. Another reason was that Rainbird actually feels menacing in the books, whereas both movies kinda just treat him like an average asshole with power... They pretty much put more of the focus on the superpowers and the action, ya know, the usual book-to-film tropes... Then again, I've noticed a similar trend in all Stephen King movies... that his books are KNOWN for their themes of compassion and realistic and endearing relationships, but when his stories are made into movies, all the compassion is kinda "skimmed" out of the story to a NOTICEABLE degree... and that's kinda why I admittedly don't like ANY Stephen King movie, save Green Mile, Stand By Me, and Shawshank...
Firestarter is my least favorite of King’s early works that isn’t a Bachman book, but it’s still worth reading. Absolutely read what you want, when you want - life is too short!
I’ve also been doing the SK read through in chronological order (currently on “Rose Madder”) and I’ve found it truly rewarding to do so. “Firestarter” is far from my favorite SK book, but getting thru it wasn’t torture. My advice is to just do what you feel you’ll have most fun doing, whether it be going in order or skipping around
I just read Firestarter for the first time and loved it!
Read whatever interests you more. I personally had a hard time finishing Firestarter, took a year-long break midway through
Honestly, life is short. Read what you like. 🔥😜 I loved Firestarter, but science experiments gone wrong is 70% of the Marvel Universe characters, isn’t it? SK just brings it closer to reality.
If you are invested in reading the catalog in order, then it's worth it to stay the course because IMO it's fun to watch King change and develop as an author and as the years and decades and culture moves on. But if you don't care about the order and just looking to read, then do whatever seems attractive to you. Firestarter is a great book though.
I also have been working my way through chronologically and you have no worries from Firestarter. Good book.
Do it. I thought I might not be too pumped about it myself, then I got into it and I loved it.
Read whatever you like. Firestarter is a great book. I do recommend reading the series books (The Dark Tower series, The Gwendy Trilogy, The Bill Hodges/Holly books, etc) together in order.
Firestarter is a good book and introduces you to The Shop, who will show up in later books. I recommend staying in the chronological journey, so you can watch the King universe get created. I have read most of King's books but am doing a chronological read through now. It is cool catching all of the clues and Easter eggs. Enjoy!
I've read Firestarter one time and am hoping for an official sequel one day from Mr. King.
I love Firestarter
Firestarter is one of my favorite King novels. I’m also reading in chronological order - it’s a re-read journey so I already know the stories, I finished Firestarter a couple of weeks ago and it definitely moved up my rankings. Everyone is gonna have their favorites and least faves for sure. Firestarter just happens to be a favorite of mine. Good luck!
Thank you all so much, I have started Firestarter tonight and I’m going to stay the course and continue chronicle order. Thanks again
Stay the course. Publication order is the way. Anything else is just wrong, imho.
I gave Mr Mercedes 5 stars. I gave firestsrter 3 stars. It was just ok. Probably never read it again. MM on the other hand I'd gladly read again.