Pay the Piper
A Novel
Published on 21. November 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
328 pages
978-1-4549-5089-9 (ISBN)
Description
A terrifying tale of supernatural horror set in a cursed Louisiana bayou, from the minds of legendary director George Romero and bestselling author Daniel Kraus.
In 2019, while sifting through University of Pittsburgh Library System's George A. Romero Archival Collection, novelist Daniel Kraus turned up a surprise: a half-finished novel called Pay the Piper, a project few had ever heard of. In the years since, Kraus has worked with Romero's estate to bring this unfinished masterwork to light.
Alligator Point, Louisiana, population 141: Young Renee Pontiac has heard stories of "the Piper"-a murderous swamp entity haunting the bayou-her entire life. But now the legend feels horrifically real: children are being taken and gruesomely slain. To resist, Pontiac and the town's desperate denizens will need to acknowledge the sins of their ancestors-the infamous slave traders, the Pirates Lafitte. If they don't . . . it's time to pay the piper.
Perfect for fans of George A. Romero's pioneering horror movies or his previous collaboration with Daniel Kraus, The Living Dead, Pay the Piper is a thrilling taleof dark folklore, grisly murders, and the horrors that manifest when a community must confront its shadowy past. Readers looking for gothic horror books will enjoy the chilling supernatural elements and haunting Southern setting, and anyone who enjoys scary books for adults will appreciatethe chance to dive into this lost work by a celebrated horror icon
In 2019, while sifting through University of Pittsburgh Library System's George A. Romero Archival Collection, novelist Daniel Kraus turned up a surprise: a half-finished novel called Pay the Piper, a project few had ever heard of. In the years since, Kraus has worked with Romero's estate to bring this unfinished masterwork to light.
Alligator Point, Louisiana, population 141: Young Renee Pontiac has heard stories of "the Piper"-a murderous swamp entity haunting the bayou-her entire life. But now the legend feels horrifically real: children are being taken and gruesomely slain. To resist, Pontiac and the town's desperate denizens will need to acknowledge the sins of their ancestors-the infamous slave traders, the Pirates Lafitte. If they don't . . . it's time to pay the piper.
Perfect for fans of George A. Romero's pioneering horror movies or his previous collaboration with Daniel Kraus, The Living Dead, Pay the Piper is a thrilling taleof dark folklore, grisly murders, and the horrors that manifest when a community must confront its shadowy past. Readers looking for gothic horror books will enjoy the chilling supernatural elements and haunting Southern setting, and anyone who enjoys scary books for adults will appreciatethe chance to dive into this lost work by a celebrated horror icon
Reviews / Votes
PRAISE FOR PAY THE PIPER?"A captivating triumph for horror fans."
-Tananarive Due, author of The Reformatory
"A great action-packed horror novel . . . for fans of waterlogged southern gothic with monsters that prey off the complicated history of a land and its people."
-Booklist
PRAISE FOR THE LIVING DEAD
"A horror landmark and a work of gory genius."
-Joe Hill
"Will play out on the inside of your skull long after you've finished it."
-Clive Barker
"Panoramic and sweeping, a smorgasbord of the undead, a book that will give even the most ardent zombie lovers their fix."
-New York Times
"The definitive account of the zombie apocalypse. It expands, clarifies, and concludes a tale more than 50 years in the telling, and does so with wit, style, and a deep sense of commitment."
-Washington Post
"A zombie tale for the ages. This is a rare gem of a story, one that pays homage to its varied source material, while also standing on its own merits. A true gift to horror fans."
-Library Journal (starred, a Top 10 Horror Novel of 2020)
"Every zombie movie lives in the shadow of Romero, but he never got the budget to work at the scale he deserved. Fortunately, Daniel Kraus delivers the epic book of the dead that Romero began. That shadow just got a whole lot bigger."
-Grady Hendrix, bestselling author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
"Rejoice Romero fans! The Living Dead is a sprawling, timely, scary epic that honors the zombie tradition but also takes risks that pay off."
-Paul Tremblay, bestselling author of A Head Full of Ghosts
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 206 mm
Width: 137 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
412 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4549-5089-9 (9781454950899)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2024
Union Square & Co.
€7.99
Available for download
Persons
George A. Romero is often considered the greatest horror director of all time. His classic "Dead" movie cycle began with the groundbreaking Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, which were followed by four sequels. He also directed Creepshow, The Dark Half, and The Crazies, and created the TV series Tales from the Darkside. Romero died in 2017 after a fifty-year career in film.
Daniel Kraus is a New York Times bestseller. With Guillermo del Toro, he wrote The Shape of Water (based on the same idea Kraus and del Toro created for the Oscar-winning film) and Trollhunters (adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series). Kraus followed his sci-fi thriller Wrath, co-authored with Shaeron Moalem, with the widely acclaimed USA Today bestseller Whalefall. His novel The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch was named one of Entertainment Weekly's Top Ten Books of the Year. He lives in Illinois.
Daniel Kraus is a New York Times bestseller. With Guillermo del Toro, he wrote The Shape of Water (based on the same idea Kraus and del Toro created for the Oscar-winning film) and Trollhunters (adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series). Kraus followed his sci-fi thriller Wrath, co-authored with Shaeron Moalem, with the widely acclaimed USA Today bestseller Whalefall. His novel The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch was named one of Entertainment Weekly's Top Ten Books of the Year. He lives in Illinois.