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Magic Fire
A young man who has been fascinated with fire since childhood, high-school senior--and pyromaniac--Mark Charm unleashes his obsession on the dry hills and valleys of Southern California. Original.
226 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1998
About the author
Christopher Pike
266 books5,580 followersChristopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 15, 2019
Straightforward thriller about a pyromaniac teen? NAH FUCK THAT, LET’S BONKERS THIS SHIT UP!!!
July 22, 2009
That is not a mummy on the cover. That is a burn victim. Did you think it was a mummy? Because I sure did.
Not a mummy.
Doesn’t matter because fire has very little to do with this story.
This is more of a…post-apocalyptic, sci-fi leaning cautionary tale that’ll trigger some major existential angst, if anything.
Depressing? Yes. But I didn’t hate it.
I don’t know what Pike was going through in the late 90s but I have concerns. And questions.
Not a mummy.
Doesn’t matter because fire has very little to do with this story.
This is more of a…post-apocalyptic, sci-fi leaning cautionary tale that’ll trigger some major existential angst, if anything.
Depressing? Yes. But I didn’t hate it.
I don’t know what Pike was going through in the late 90s but I have concerns. And questions.
June 27, 2022
It took me a long time to find this book again. I read it when I was a young teenager but I couldn’t remember the name, the author, or even very much of the plot. One day I finally managed to type the right combination of key words into Google and I found my book and ordered a copy right away.
This might be the nostalgia talking, but it holds up remarkably well for a YA sci-fi book from the 90’s. It usually didn’t even feel like I was reading a book meant for younger audiences. It’s an easy read but doesn’t feel dumbed down, and a lot of the content is pretty risqué for a YA book. Sex, drugs, violence. It’s all there.
It might also be the most unpredictable book that I’ve ever read in any genre. There are at least four (FOUR) major plot twists that completely turn the story on its head and change the entire nature of the book going forward. It’s Firestarter and the Matrix and Inception and the Wizard of Oz all mixed up into some sort of delirious fever dream.
The ending didn’t hit me quite as hard as it did when I was an adolescent (does anything really?) but at one time it made such an impact on my young mind that I found myself searching for it some 23 years later.
This might be the nostalgia talking, but it holds up remarkably well for a YA sci-fi book from the 90’s. It usually didn’t even feel like I was reading a book meant for younger audiences. It’s an easy read but doesn’t feel dumbed down, and a lot of the content is pretty risqué for a YA book. Sex, drugs, violence. It’s all there.
It might also be the most unpredictable book that I’ve ever read in any genre. There are at least four (FOUR) major plot twists that completely turn the story on its head and change the entire nature of the book going forward. It’s Firestarter and the Matrix and Inception and the Wizard of Oz all mixed up into some sort of delirious fever dream.
The ending didn’t hit me quite as hard as it did when I was an adolescent (does anything really?) but at one time it made such an impact on my young mind that I found myself searching for it some 23 years later.
January 7, 2008
I was pretty disapointed with this book. i love christopher pike but this book just got way out there. it was cool at first, then it got too sci-fi and then it just went way out there. a few time si was like- huh? i am soooooooo freaking confused. the ending- it must have been beyond me. god- i read his books in high school- is my brain turning to mush?
September 30, 2021
One star knocked off for no secret lizard people.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2025
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for GR.
Well after all this time in finally getting a copy for a decent price, I have read Magic Fire by Christopher Pike.
Where do I begin?
I guess first of all the incident of someone setting a fire that blazes out of control in Pacific Palisades is one foreboding thing to read in 2025. Given Pike's enjoyment of all things unexplainable and mystical in his books, this is actually creepy. Also, I purchased the book before the fires started so don't think I am that sick of an individual.
Second would be well...what the heck did I just read?
Starts out like a normal Pike book about a high school senior named Mark Charm who has the hots for the new girl at his school, Jessa Welling. She's in the school play and while not a knockout, she just has him all jacked up on asking her for a date.
They talk in her dressing room after the last performance of the play, and it goes about as smooth as it can with a guy filled with hormones. Despite the mutual flirtations, Mark doesn't ask her out and decides to handle stress the way he always does.
He goes and sets a house being built on fire.
Mark justifies this as the man who hired the Mexican workers to build it is a total ass, but it isn't just because he is a pyromaniac. Mark's dad died in a fire ten years ago and now his mother, the only family he has left, has cancer and it is in the terminal stage.
This young man has serious issues and none of them are helped by a teenage libido and a teasing young lady pushing all the right buttons. The next day, Jessa is asking Mark to try some sort of psychotropic drug called MAZE with her. He gets sick, trips out enough to think they might have had sex and then wakes in the morning to find Jessa bailed.
The one time Mark didn't check on his mother by going to visit or call turns out to be the last shred holding together his sanity. While Mark was with Jessa, his mother died.
Bitter and filled with shame, Mark decides it may be best to just let everything around him burn...
Sounds dark and interesting but then we learn that all of the trippy stuff Mark experienced that seemed like something out of 1950's sci-fi movies about aliens is...also true?
What?
I continued reading out of sheer curiosity and confusion to come to an ending that just...left me even more puzzled.
Try to imagine you were reading Firestarter by Stephen King but found that bits and pieces of The Tommyknockers were weaved into the mix. It is the best way I can describe it so what I'm saying is Magic Fire isn't bad, but you would really have to be a die-hard Pike fan to read this one if you have not.
Well after all this time in finally getting a copy for a decent price, I have read Magic Fire by Christopher Pike.
Where do I begin?
I guess first of all the incident of someone setting a fire that blazes out of control in Pacific Palisades is one foreboding thing to read in 2025. Given Pike's enjoyment of all things unexplainable and mystical in his books, this is actually creepy. Also, I purchased the book before the fires started so don't think I am that sick of an individual.
Second would be well...what the heck did I just read?
Starts out like a normal Pike book about a high school senior named Mark Charm who has the hots for the new girl at his school, Jessa Welling. She's in the school play and while not a knockout, she just has him all jacked up on asking her for a date.
They talk in her dressing room after the last performance of the play, and it goes about as smooth as it can with a guy filled with hormones. Despite the mutual flirtations, Mark doesn't ask her out and decides to handle stress the way he always does.
He goes and sets a house being built on fire.
Mark justifies this as the man who hired the Mexican workers to build it is a total ass, but it isn't just because he is a pyromaniac. Mark's dad died in a fire ten years ago and now his mother, the only family he has left, has cancer and it is in the terminal stage.
This young man has serious issues and none of them are helped by a teenage libido and a teasing young lady pushing all the right buttons. The next day, Jessa is asking Mark to try some sort of psychotropic drug called MAZE with her. He gets sick, trips out enough to think they might have had sex and then wakes in the morning to find Jessa bailed.
The one time Mark didn't check on his mother by going to visit or call turns out to be the last shred holding together his sanity. While Mark was with Jessa, his mother died.
Bitter and filled with shame, Mark decides it may be best to just let everything around him burn...
Sounds dark and interesting but then we learn that all of the trippy stuff Mark experienced that seemed like something out of 1950's sci-fi movies about aliens is...also true?
What?
I continued reading out of sheer curiosity and confusion to come to an ending that just...left me even more puzzled.
Try to imagine you were reading Firestarter by Stephen King but found that bits and pieces of The Tommyknockers were weaved into the mix. It is the best way I can describe it so what I'm saying is Magic Fire isn't bad, but you would really have to be a die-hard Pike fan to read this one if you have not.
April 30, 2009
Mark Charm is not your average high school student, even in the Los Angeles of the near future. Nor is he your average pyromaniac. This teen is able to start fires with the power of his mind.
This pyro-kinetic ability leads him and his girlfriend into a crusade to free Earth from alien domination. The story is so convoluted that it is hard to follow. The premise is implausible--aliens have harvested human brains and are keeping them in vats, but the humans don't realize this has happened--but this is not what has really happened at all. And yes, I know what you're thinking: it does remind one of "The Matrix." I'm not sure who wrote what first but it does make your head spin.
The main problem with this story was that it didn't seem to know what it wanted to be about. But if you like surprises and twists and turns, this is the book for you.
Book Details:
Title Magic Fire
Author Christopher Pike
Reviewed By Purplycookie
This pyro-kinetic ability leads him and his girlfriend into a crusade to free Earth from alien domination. The story is so convoluted that it is hard to follow. The premise is implausible--aliens have harvested human brains and are keeping them in vats, but the humans don't realize this has happened--but this is not what has really happened at all. And yes, I know what you're thinking: it does remind one of "The Matrix." I'm not sure who wrote what first but it does make your head spin.
The main problem with this story was that it didn't seem to know what it wanted to be about. But if you like surprises and twists and turns, this is the book for you.
Book Details:
Title Magic Fire
Author Christopher Pike
Reviewed By Purplycookie
December 21, 2017
5/5 stars. Wow, what a read! Christopher Pike sure knows how to write plot twists (but this one was a bit predictable). I loved the sci-fi elements in this book, it was very fascinating to read about- a completely different take on the genre. I felt bad for Mark and Jessa, they didn't deserve what happened to them. Everything about this book was perfect: the plot, characters, different settings, and the ending. What was interesting was that Mark is a pyrokensis, meaning that he can start fires with his mind, how awesome is that? I want that power, that would make cooking soo much easier. I never read a book about having that power or about a pyromaniac. There's a great message in here: not to do (take) drugs. It's obvious that they're bad for you. Overall, one of the better Pike books (I love all of his books though), I would recommend it, is a favorite of mine, I would reread this novel, and I will be picking up more books by this author in the future.
January 25, 2015
This is one of the most confusing books i have ever read. It's so weird and yet, the idea was good. I was confused about the genre of the book but the epilogue was the only thing that gave clarity to everything.
July 8, 2016
Holy sex and drugs. I joked about this with my mum after we found all my childhood Christopher Pike books because I always knew that when I was child reading them they were too old for me. She was horrified that I was 7 and 8 years old reading about sex and drugs and death. I told her I was joking, I did not actually, with any clarity, remember the plot lines. After reading this one though, I realize I was not joking, Christopher Pike books are riddled with content definitely not intended for children under... 16.
This was a lovely kick back to my childhood, weird as all hell though. Couldn't get into it. The drug trip and post drug trip chapters were.... a bit much. I lost interest and did some skipping ahead. I suspect as a kid these were just words.... because it hardly made sense as an adult!
This was a lovely kick back to my childhood, weird as all hell though. Couldn't get into it. The drug trip and post drug trip chapters were.... a bit much. I lost interest and did some skipping ahead. I suspect as a kid these were just words.... because it hardly made sense as an adult!
July 25, 2019
Not at all what one would expect from reading the description on the back. The first half of the book is a common enough thriller surround the exploits of a pyromaniac in love, but about halfway through, Pike takes the reader into an abrupt shift that is more "The Matrix" with a psionic twist. The ending is straight up "Outer Limits". It was very well written for a children/young adult book, and a great way to get back into reading.
I am a bit old for this reading, but when I was young (back when these books first came out), this was my favorite author. I found this and a few others of his work at a local thrift store and figured, why not? After all, if other adults get to call themselves well read because they get through "Harry Potter"...
I am a bit old for this reading, but when I was young (back when these books first came out), this was my favorite author. I found this and a few others of his work at a local thrift store and figured, why not? After all, if other adults get to call themselves well read because they get through "Harry Potter"...
January 6, 2009
Reminds me of The Matrix in many ways.
August 21, 2022
The twists. The ending. Had me questioning reality for a second.
March 3, 2024
Another male-lead Christopher Pike book I don't think I can handle this
I chose this one next in part because of the reference to it in The Star Group.
(After talking with the girl he likes, who was flirting with him):
"Mark left the campus feeling high.
The feeling did not remain. His mother was ill; she had advanced bone cancer."
That's a hell of a transition.
"He believed his infatuation with Jessa was an entity unto itself. It didn't matter that his mother's name was Jessica - that was a coincidence. There were such things."
Hahahaha help.
Only 10 pages in - maybe I haven't read all the best Pike books yet!!
My goodness an actual drug trip instead of metaphysical mumbo jumbo - this is excellent!
For some reason I wasn't actually expecting pyrokinesis. Huh.
This is set in 2010?? Or is it set in the fuuuutureeee and he just THINKS it's 2010
Oh gosh I stopped taking notes there is literally no way to predict what direction this book will take after the first quarter.
Pike is just writing words - he had zero plan for this book and I am riveted.
Sometimes, I think about the teachers and adults in my life who praised me for my interest in reading. I also think of the types of quotes that are like "be true to yourself!" And "do what you love!" Then I think about how much joy I take in these books and I think, maybe those quotes are wrong and adults should have made me watch more mainstream tv as a child. Because surely, this is not what people intended. Some people should not be left to develop their own taste.
"She loved to make love in warm and ruined basements best." Wtf
WHAT was that ENDING.
Okay I didn't expect it to go in that direction, but I actually really liked it. It tied everything together super well, and gave it a truly melancholy ending If it wasn't so WEIRD for a good 2/3rds this could be up there with Road to Nowhere in actually being a clever way to explore a hot topic.
I chose this one next in part because of the reference to it in The Star Group.
(After talking with the girl he likes, who was flirting with him):
"Mark left the campus feeling high.
The feeling did not remain. His mother was ill; she had advanced bone cancer."
That's a hell of a transition.
"He believed his infatuation with Jessa was an entity unto itself. It didn't matter that his mother's name was Jessica - that was a coincidence. There were such things."
Hahahaha help.
Only 10 pages in - maybe I haven't read all the best Pike books yet!!
My goodness an actual drug trip instead of metaphysical mumbo jumbo - this is excellent!
For some reason I wasn't actually expecting pyrokinesis. Huh.
This is set in 2010?? Or is it set in the fuuuutureeee and he just THINKS it's 2010
Oh gosh I stopped taking notes there is literally no way to predict what direction this book will take after the first quarter.
Pike is just writing words - he had zero plan for this book and I am riveted.
Sometimes, I think about the teachers and adults in my life who praised me for my interest in reading. I also think of the types of quotes that are like "be true to yourself!" And "do what you love!" Then I think about how much joy I take in these books and I think, maybe those quotes are wrong and adults should have made me watch more mainstream tv as a child. Because surely, this is not what people intended. Some people should not be left to develop their own taste.
"She loved to make love in warm and ruined basements best." Wtf
WHAT was that ENDING.
Okay I didn't expect it to go in that direction, but I actually really liked it. It tied everything together super well, and gave it a truly melancholy ending If it wasn't so WEIRD for a good 2/3rds this could be up there with Road to Nowhere in actually being a clever way to explore a hot topic.
September 6, 2022
This book is FIRE! (Pun intended.)
I read this for the first time in my teens and decided to revisit it during a "writer's block" slump, and once again, Mr. Pike did not disappoint. I won't lie: I usually stick with his adult fiction now, but revisiting his YA stuff was an absolute highlight of my week.
The protagonist Mark loves fire... way too much. He meets a gal who doesn't mind and actually stokes said love (okay, I'll stop with the puns) and introduces him to a mind-altering drug that eventually takes them - and the reader - on a mind-twisting journey into a whole other world.
Nope, not gonna give away the plot. What I will say is that I love how this book dives into how seductively tempting the illusory world of VR and MMORPG are long before animes like "Sword Art Online" ever existed. When you get to the end, Pike hits you with a plot twist that literally made me feel like the floor had been ripped out from under me, yet I was still floating in his amazing world somehow.
It was a-MAZE-ing. (I lied about stopping with the puns. Those who read the book will get it.)
I read this for the first time in my teens and decided to revisit it during a "writer's block" slump, and once again, Mr. Pike did not disappoint. I won't lie: I usually stick with his adult fiction now, but revisiting his YA stuff was an absolute highlight of my week.
The protagonist Mark loves fire... way too much. He meets a gal who doesn't mind and actually stokes said love (okay, I'll stop with the puns) and introduces him to a mind-altering drug that eventually takes them - and the reader - on a mind-twisting journey into a whole other world.
Nope, not gonna give away the plot. What I will say is that I love how this book dives into how seductively tempting the illusory world of VR and MMORPG are long before animes like "Sword Art Online" ever existed. When you get to the end, Pike hits you with a plot twist that literally made me feel like the floor had been ripped out from under me, yet I was still floating in his amazing world somehow.
It was a-MAZE-ing. (I lied about stopping with the puns. Those who read the book will get it.)
January 18, 2025
Read solely for nostalgia sake. I bought this book for 10 cents in a library book sale and it was worth it. Was the plot ridiculous? Yes. Did it keep me engrossed poolside for an hour? Yes. Did a part of me pretend I was back in jr high with nothing to do but lay by the pool and read a stack of Christopher Pike books I checked out from the library? Also, yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely. 3 star story, 5 star experience.
October 8, 2025
2.5/5
When matters got a serious for a second, all that Mark could think is sex, sex, and sex. Confusing and I'm not buying the ideas the book is selling. It got sappy and duh I don't care much about this book. Yes, the storyline has a major twist but doesn't mean it could just butcher it all the way through. I am convinced that people who like this are blinded by nostalgia or get off from being quirky/different. Sorry, I expected a lot but disappointed with how boring this book got...
When matters got a serious for a second, all that Mark could think is sex, sex, and sex. Confusing and I'm not buying the ideas the book is selling. It got sappy and duh I don't care much about this book. Yes, the storyline has a major twist but doesn't mean it could just butcher it all the way through. I am convinced that people who like this are blinded by nostalgia or get off from being quirky/different. Sorry, I expected a lot but disappointed with how boring this book got...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2021
Crazy book, I loved it.
January 16, 2022
This book was NUTS! I was entertained, even though things didn't exactly wrap up neatly. At least it was a fun ride.
January 30, 2022
Another blast from the past courtesy of my parents' attic. What a bizarre mess. How this escaped multiple donate bin purges is beyond me...
February 26, 2023
Yay - not where I thought it was going. More of the CP style that I love
June 28, 2023
i had a hard time reading this but girl, THE ENDING. that was very unpredictable.
April 3, 2025
I'm not even sure what the hell was going on but I do know I want whatever Chrisopher Pike was on when he wrote this.
September 29, 2015
When I was younger I was obsessed with Christopher Pike. As soon as a new book was out I would run to the store and get my copy. Unfortunately they all got lost along the way so I was extremely excited when I saw this at a Half Price Books. The cover was amazing like the other books that he had back then. Unfortunately the story wasn't that great. I feel like he just threw some words together and hoped that it would kind of make sense and appease the masses. It didn't appease me. How could a book have such an amazing cover and be by one of your favorite authors and completely suck? The world may never know. I sure as hell won't.
November 8, 2012
Decent premise that had potential to be so much better. A boy starts cathartic fires, meets a new girl at school, falls in love, and does drugs. Then the story progresses into telekinesis and aliens, with an ending ripped right from "Total Recall." If I had written it the ending would have been changed to a twist where the entire book/plot was a hallucination from the drug he had taken. It not only would have made a lot more sense, but I feel it would have been more of a fitting conclusion too. Oh well.
December 25, 2012
This was definitely an interesting book, the beginning was good, but later the whole alien thing wasn't that impressive, yet I enjoyed its unique story line. I originally thought the story was just about some psycho pyromaniac kid who would light his school on fire during an exam, but I was very wrong.
The characters were interesting, and the ending was a huge surprise! Did not see that coming!! The ending kind of reminded of the wizard of oz...lol
Still I loved how everything was explained, great book Christopher pike :)
The characters were interesting, and the ending was a huge surprise! Did not see that coming!! The ending kind of reminded of the wizard of oz...lol
Still I loved how everything was explained, great book Christopher pike :)
July 6, 2012
FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! Heh heh. FIRE!
But in all seriousness, how hard is it to set California on fire? I've never been there, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I was always under the impression that California is always on fire all the time anyway. What's broham going to do, flick a cigarette? What a badass. If your state is basically a huge pile of kindling, plenty of people have probably set it on fire by accident. I'm really not impressed so far.
But in all seriousness, how hard is it to set California on fire? I've never been there, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I was always under the impression that California is always on fire all the time anyway. What's broham going to do, flick a cigarette? What a badass. If your state is basically a huge pile of kindling, plenty of people have probably set it on fire by accident. I'm really not impressed so far.
February 26, 2013
This story made me go coo this had so many twist and turns that it hurt my head. It makes you really pay attention I had to read it twice. It made you think on the way of your life. Plus it started off as a normal teen life then it turn into a sci-fi story. I also feel bad for the little girl at the end. Well no matter my opinion it's a ok bool
August 13, 2016
A super fun and trashy read, I picked this one up mainly out of pure nostalgia. It isn't as good as some of the other Christopher Pike books. The story is meandering and confusing by turns, and doesn't quite know what it wants to be. It's very reminiscent of PKD's Ubik, but never quite reaches the same high. Not his best.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews