Pay the Piper by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus is a supernatural horror book set in the Louisiana swamps. This story was an unfinished novel by George A. Romero that was found in his archive that Daniel Kraus finished. The simple plot is children in the swamps are dying and their bodies are being found in the swamp. The killer is rumored to be a swamp creature called the Piper. The pace of the story is very slow, the murders are boring, and the creature is barely in the story. I felt like this was a creature feature who forgot about the creature until the end. I had a lot of problems with this book. I loved the last collaboration between Romero and Kraus with The Living Dead novel. The description of the swamp and settings are almost nonexistent and very hard to picture. They describe this baseball field that the swamp took over. I tried to picture it based on the description, but I just could not see it. The characters were hard to connect with in this ensemble for the most part I did like two. A highlight of the novel is the creature is like cancer and how that is tied into the story works. The ending was okay. There is a scene when a character figures it all out. That was such a leap that it confused me more. The villain’s plight is too late why did it wait so long? The date of the story is weird. I came to conclude the late 90s. For the longest time, it felt like 80s. When I read the afterword it seems like even Daniel Kraus doesn’t know and it shows. I think the story idea is good. The execution could have been better. I feel it was the wrong time period. I read Pay the Piper thanks to Netgalley and Union Square & Co. who gave me a free copy. Pay the Piper was published on September 3, 2024.

Plot Summary: Pontiac, 8, wants to go to the fair that comes around every year. She wants to see a creature display full of swamp creatures. Billy, her best friend, is too scared to go. He goes home, but at his home, he is lured out and never seen again. This is not the first kid to get lured out to the swamp and won’t be the last. The legend of the Piper has been going on for some time, and Pontiac is obsessed. She has a log book that she has been writing all the disappearances in and has been reading H. P. Lovecraft. Pete is a former cop. He liaisons as a cop in the deep swamp. He has been investigating the murder with his not deputy Spuds. Pete is obsessed with John Wayne. He is haunted by one of his films. It seems to tie into what is going on. Can they stop the Piper before it is too late?

What I Liked: The cover of the book is awesome. The John Wayne angle is really interesting and I liked how it relates to the story. You get a mini film history on John Wayne and I’m all for it. I like the H.P. Lovecraft reference. The novel matches the denseness that Lovecraft spends on his characters. The final version of the Piper fits a Lovecraft creature. Pontiac is a real firecracker, she reminded me a lot of Missy on Young Sheldon. I like how a zombie is worked in more of a voodoo zombi.

What I Disliked: The time period was all over the place. The only reference we get is JAG on CBS. This felt like the story took place in the 90s. The story involves pirates and a slave God taking revenge. But what took him so long? Even the novel says they blended in the former slaves and pirates. I felt the piper was getting revenge on the same people he is seeking vengeance on. We only see the Piper kill three people until the big standoff off I wanted a lot more. The Piper is in the novel only 22%. The descriptions use the H. P. Lovecraft words but don’t paint a picture in my mind. I wanted to see better killing since the creature is barely featured. We only get to see the aftermath of the killing for the most part or not at all.

Recommendations: Pay the Piper is not a great book. I can not recommend this novel. It kills me to write those words. I am a fan and loved the last collaboration, The Living Dead, so much. So I recommend skipping this book and reading The Living Dead instead.

Rating: I rated Pay the Piper by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus 1.8 out of 5 stars.