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."
Pay the Piper is a masterful blend of the writing of the late George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus. When Daniel Kraus uncovered a unfinished manuscript from Romero, the Romero estate chose Kraus to finish the story for publication. Pay the Piper takes place in Alligator Point, Louisiana, where the legend of "the Piper" has haunted the local community for years. As the story progresses, the myths start to become reality and members of the community have to figure out what to do in order to stop it.
What I loved: I really loved the compelling lore and learning more about the culture history of Alligator Point. The writing style also made me feel really immersed in the story, especially with the inclusion of Cajun dialect that really brought everything to life. I feel like there was a mix of genres as well, with horror strong at it's root. We also dive into the history of the area and the myriad of things that have happened, including the area's history of slave traders, as well as local legends and the rich culture of the area. Romero and Kraus use vivid language throughout that make for a vibrant reading experience-and this also include some very vivid body horror-type moments.
What I didn't love: The pacing was fairly inconsistent and I found it a struggle to really feel strong desire to keep reading at points. When the pacing and storytelling was good, it was hard to put the book down, but when the pacing was disjointed, it became a lot harder for me to maintain my interest. There were a lot of extra bits here and there that were generally interesting, especially regarding characters, but didn't really add all that much to the plot movement and pacing and are what caused it to feel slower and harder to get through. Because of this, the story felt a little messy at times, which caused my interest to waver a bit at times. All that being said, I still can't say any of this was enough to deter me from this fascinating story!
Overall, this was a creative and immersive horror novel that dives deep into the culture and lore of Alligator Point, Louisiana and takes readers on an unpredictable journey. I've given Pay the Piper 4 stars!
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
I'm about to finish this and I have similar thoughts. My rating is really going to depend on how the story ends. Loving parts of it but it's rather slow paced overall.
ReplyDelete