When I originally encountered a friend's copy of this book in 6th grade, the cover and its description made me think that it was boring. That impression stuck with me until this week. Judging a book by its cover is stupid, but in a way, it's a good thing that I didn't read it back then. I probably would've never gone to sleep with the light off again. If you need a good, scary read, pick "The Dark Half" up without delay. If you're feeling really brave, pick up "The Dark Half" AND go rent Hitchcock's "The Birds."