Unfortunately, special offers or discount codes cannot be applied to this item.First Hardcover Edition“Not only is this deliciously gruesome book teeming with classic Southern gothic trappings, it also resonates with a socially conscious message. . . . For fans of both Kraus's novels and Romero's films, this bloody Southern story highlights the strengths of both auteurs.”—Library JournalA terrifying tale of supernatural horror set in a cursed Louisiana bayou, from the minds of legendary director George A. Romero and New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize–winning 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 Renée 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.
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“Not only is this deliciously gruesome book teeming with classic Southern gothic trappings, it also resonates with a socially conscious message. . . . For fans of both Kraus's novels and Romero's films, this bloody Southern story highlights the strengths of both auteurs.”—Library Journal“Pay the Piper features many of Romero's creative hallmarks—creepy creatures, icky deaths, and under-the-surface social commentary . . . The novel demonstrates a knack for the kind of patient, expansive storytelling Romero couldn't always squeeze into his big-screen efforts. . . . To those who celebrated (or perhaps derided) Romero as the dean of the dead, the completed novel offers a chance to reconsider his legacy.”—New York Times“Romero and Kraus start with a fun monster-fighting book set in the swamp. While they have us looking over our shoulders, they end with us looking within. . . . Accountability, with destruction as the consequence should we not fulfill it, is the cautionary tale with the possibility of a hopeful resolution we crave.”—Southern Review of Books
