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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Christine in Books

May 26, 2020  
Christine
Christine
Stephen King | 1983 | Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
8.0 (40 Ratings)
Book Rating
Good but a little too drawn out
Despite Stephen King being my favourite author and owning virtually all of his books, I've yet to actually read them all. Christine is one that never really appealed (From a Buick 8 sounded like a much better car based story), but it's actually quite good.

Aa with every King book, this is very well written and has some wonderfully developed and interesting characters. The story too is full of some decent gore and horror, but I think the major problem is with the length of the story. There is no reason why this needed to be dragged out over 600 pages, and it could've been a lot shorter. Whilst i enjoyed reading this, it did feel like a slog at times. Also considering the length of the book, the ending felt rushed and far too much time had been spent building up to an ending that felt a little lacklustre - although the final part of the epilogue did make up for this slightly.

Overall a decent entertaining book with a lot of good writing and characters, but too drawn out and definitely isn't one of King's best.
  
Firestarter (1984)
Firestarter (1984)
1984 | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
7
6.7 (11 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Firestarter is a relatively slow paced, sci-fi tinged thriller, with some nicely executed set pieces conservatively strewn throughout, and it works for the most part. The narrative is prone to drag on occasion, but it's pacing means that we get a host of characters that have room to breathe, and we can get to know. Whether it's Drew Barrymores adorable/unsettling protagonist (who straight up outshines the rest of the cast), David Keiths Roadhouse looking dad of the year, or George C. Scotts dodgy as hell orderly/assassin bastard, the characters are well realised and interesting to follow.
The effects work is top notch for the time, delighting in its multiple explosions and impressive fire stunts, and they make for some memorable moments, especially when Charlie goes full Carrie during the climax, all set to an 80s-as-fuck Tangerine Dream soundtrack
There are certainly better Stephen King adaptions out there, but Firestarter is a competent sci-fi horror that deserves its spot in amongst the big boys of the genre during this era. Interested to see how the upcoming remake holds up in comparison.