The first half of this novel, setting up the plot, introducing the characters and showing a few initial encounters with the shadow creatures (the shetani) is the best. Encounters with the shetani set in the "normal" everyday world are much more frightening than anything set in Africa. For me, the key to a good scare starts with making an ordinary occasion horrifying, like looking at passing debris on the highway (the best scene of the novel). Sadly, the novel spends a lot of time trying to develop a relationship between the male and female leads (the book tries to be a bit coy, but it is obvious from the beginning where they'll end up) with very stiff dialogue (and corny inner thoughts). The last half of the novel was rather plodding and slow, but not awfully so. Given the typical low quality of horror novels out there, this is certainly well above average. I can think of 5-6 King books I'd recommend before this one, though.
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