What an absolute blast! I'm really loving what Tor has been doing with its Todotcom and Nightfire imprints lately with releasing more and more novellas. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher is an extended riff on Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. While the same general plot is there, Kingfisher expands it, queers it, and doubles down on the creep factor, all to great effect! Fungi horror is quickly becoming one of my favorite niche sub genres.

This was gross and I loved it. Are you kidding me? First of all, The Fall of the House of Usher is a delightfully creepy read and wow Poe was really into the mushrooms and the fungus. So, with this, it feels like a proper expansion on it.

Easton is a sword soldier and there’s mention of chest binding. I know a few trans readers who will love this book for a character they can see themselves in. Not to mention the multiple pronoun options. It was nice to see.

It’s not a terribly long book so I really don’t want to spoil the story however if you’ve read Poe’s work then you know a decent amount of what’s going to happen. It’s the why of it. And it’s glorious.

There’s an older Englishwoman who wants to be a recognized mycologist but due to the sexist limits of the day, is forced to be seen as a hobbyist. We’ve got the Usher’s themselves and the American doctor, Denton and Easton’s man Angus.

For such a short book, the characters shine and that’s all thanks to the author’s skill. Not to mention, Easton is pretty entertaining. Some of the language was possibly anachronistic but I didn’t care, it honestly added to the charm of the character. Especially when the story gets particularly gross.

The cove is a pretty solid promise of what you’ll find inside.

The twist of this was great. I couldn’t put it down. Made the mistake of reading it after eating dinner though, if you’ve got an easily queasy stomach, I recommend maybe not doing that.

But I absolutely recommend this book.

Five (5) out of five (5) from me.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.

Go buy this book.

It takes a skillful writer to take a classic story and re-imagine into a different, but wonderful, new tale. I was a bit skeptical that T. Kingfisher could pull off a re-imagining of Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe. I mean....it's Poe....nobody Poes better than Poe. But....I am happy to state that What Moves the Dead is a wonderful revisit to one of my favorite Poe stories!

This is not my first dip into Kingfisher's writing. I read and enjoyed The Twisted Ones. I usually avoid reworkings of stories by Poe, but since I enjoyed The Twisted Ones, I decided an open mind was a better choice than just refusing to read. I'm glad I made that choice. I loved this book!

Delightfully dark, creepy and atmospheric, Kingfisher recreates the crumbling manor house, the weird vibe of the grounds, and gothic feel of the original while adding sinister imagery and imaginings of her own. I'm definitely buying this book for my collection, but I think I will opt for the audio book. There's just something about having a creepy story read to you! Gotta have it! Which is amazing to me given the fact I usually avoid all re-tellings of Poe like the plague. Not only did I read this one and love it, but I'm going to buy the book. I love it when an author surprises me! I even loved the cover art -- delightfully weird and creepy! Perfect!

I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next! And while I'm waiting, I'm going to do a deep dive into her other books. I love creepy horror and this author does it well!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Macmillan/Tor-Forge. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**

“𝐶𝑙𝑖𝑝-𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑝 𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑝-𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑝. 𝑇ℎ𝑒-𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡-𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑘. 𝑇ℎ𝑒-𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡-𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑘. 𝐶𝑙𝑖𝑝-𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑝.”

This may be the case in most places my dear friend Easton, but not when you stumble upon something that moves the dead.

When I first read Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher I was left hungry, starving for answers. Luckily T. Kingfisher wasn’t full either…. Reading 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙈𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙙 was like sitting down to a feast, satiating my ferocious appetite.

Guys, if you like retellings don’t sleep on this one. What Moves the Dead is truly a disturbing delight. The imagery was as beautiful as the cover and the characters were peculiar and elusive, perfectly matching the strange countryside of Ruritania. With a keen sense of humor, fungus galore, and a genderqueer protagonist Kingfisher has breathed new life into this story, much like the mushrooms.

𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: 𝖶𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝖠𝗅𝖾𝗑 𝖤𝖺𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝖾𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗌 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖽𝗁𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝖬𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾 𝖴𝗌𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗌 𝖽𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗋𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗋𝖺𝗅 𝗁𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖴𝗌𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌. 𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝖺 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗆𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝖿𝗎𝗇𝗀𝖺𝗅 𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗐𝗍𝗁𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗌𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝖽𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾, 𝗌𝗎𝗋𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺 𝖽𝖺𝗋𝗄, 𝗉𝗎𝗅𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗅𝖺𝗄𝖾. 𝖠𝗂𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝖺 𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗈𝗎𝖻𝗍𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝖡𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝗆𝗒𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗂𝗌𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺 𝖻𝖺𝖿𝖿𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝖠𝗆𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝖽𝗈𝖼𝗍𝗈𝗋, 𝖠𝗅𝖾𝗑 𝗆𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗎𝗇𝗋𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝖼𝗋𝖾𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖧𝗈𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝖴𝗌𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝖾𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗎𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝖺𝗅𝗅.

Many thanks to my friends at @tornightfire for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Posted on GoodReads, Amazon, and Instagram @ParksideReads 7/16
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgFH7eXLKg7/

Alex Easton is visiting childhood friends with declining health in their crumbling estate. With the help of an expert of fungus and a doctor they need to find out what is causing the strange sickness in the people and animals in the area.

What Moves the Dead is a fantastic retelling of "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe. This story is dripping with atmosphere. It is true to the story and mood of the original while adding on to the story making it all new. This is a story that can be read on its own, but the experience is enhanced by reading the original first.

If you are a fan of Poe, if you love retellings of popular stories, or if you just like a creepy atmospheric tale I recommend this book for you.

What a wonderful reinterpretation of Poe's " The Fall of the House of Usher,"
It was strange, it was creepy, and it was unexpectedly delightful!

When the Lt Alex Easton, visits old friends, only to find them in dire straits, it seems there more to the mystery or Madeline's ailment to be discovered than first imagined. And what Easton discovers is fairly astonishing... and..as the titles promised.. moves the dead.

Of course, now I want to go back and re-read the original which inspired this tale (and probably some more EA Poe, but that's my own problem!)

I love T. Kingfisher. I love Poe and “The Fall of the House of Usher”. This novella should’ve been like macaroni and cheese, right? A match made in heaven, right? Nope. It struck a discordant note to me, like the kind of off-brand macaroni and cheese that just doesn’t taste as good as your favorite.

There’s about 50% of this book I love with all my heart, and about 50% I completely hated. The whole experience was like listening to someone who is playing a spectacular piano piece with their piano just slightly out of tune: it’s grating on your nerves, and not in that good way some horror books evoke. It’s in that way that you're glad for any distraction to take you away to have to keep reading the book because it’s exasperating you. I would read a passage or two I loved, and then I would get to a section that would make me want to DNF the book completely. Rinse and repeat.

Listen to me: I can read a 400-plus page book in about 6 hours if it’s good. This book is less than 200 pages and it took me almost 6 hours to read it because I was a willing participant in being dragged away from it.

It took me some time to analyze the division between the love and hate I have for this book, and I know what it is: I adore everything that’s trademark Kingfisher in this book and hate everything about pairing that with their take on Poe’s tale. Poe’s original tale is ultimately an allegory wherein the fall of the House of Usher is a stand-in for the apocalypse (other stories of the same tone and tenor were written around this time due to the news of a comet that would be passing Earth that caused many devout Christians to think about the end of the world). Indeed, some of the passages in Poe’s tale even slightly resemble verses from the Book of Revelations. Believe it or not, this aspect of Poe’s tale is what I love most about it, and removing that aspect of the story to exchange it for Kingfisher’s approach to the tale took much of the magic out of it for me.

Likewise, I did not enjoy the main character, Alex Easton. This shocks me, because normally I am all for a main character such as this (I’m leaving this vague because spoilers), but while Easton has kept all the logic and reasoning of the original material’s main character, they have lost his melancholy in exchange for PTSD and a rather blase attitude toward the world. I felt little warmth in their regard for either Roderick or Madeleine, making me wonder why they cared to be there at all.

Kingfisher kept the gothic house and its choking atmosphere, for which I’m eternally grateful. The addition of moisture, mold, spores, fungi, and more just added to the idea of the house being rotten to the core. This is where Kingfisher always shines: atmosphere, imagery, and sensory development. The rot, the spoiling, the decomposition, the sagging, the creaking, the spotty mold and fuzzy hairs of fungus. If you were one to have a weak stomach this book might give you some pause.

Overall, it just wasn’t a marriage made in heaven. It was, at most, a weak alliance. There are sections that are stunning to read and then sections I wish I could flush. I just wish there were some other way this could have been written so I could have 100% loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for granting me early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. Due to personal policy, this review will not be posted on social media or bookseller websites due to the 3 star or lower rating.

TL;DR

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher retells the story of The Fall of the House of Usher in a deeper, more visceral way that has been updated for modern readers. Recommended.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.

Review: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Way back in English class at Athens Community High School, I read The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe. I thought it was a weird and dull story because I was distracted dreaming of a few girls in the classroom instead of paying attention. A man was putting his wishes ahead of a woman’s. Quite fitting for the story of the Usher siblings, I think. In freshmen composition class, I reread the story. Actually, that should probably just be I read the story because it sure felt new the second time I read it. One little change of closely reading the story changed my experience of it. In the decades since, I haven’t reread the story, but it has always left an impression on me. Mainly, I remember the visage of the house and how sinister it felt. When I read T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead, it felt like experiencing The Fall of the House of Usher in a new, richer way.

Alex Easton rides her horse, Hob, to visit her friend, Madeline Usher, who has taken ill. Easton pauses before the decrepit Usher manor to let her horse take a drink from the tarn, a lake on the mountainside. Both Easton and Hob are put off by the tarn’s appearance. From across the grotesque pool, Easton gives readers their first glance of the Usher manor where Madeline lives with her brother, Roderick. The house, along with the Usher bloodline, is collapsing. On her way to the manor, Easton meets Eugenia Potter, a mycologist sketching many of the fungi around the tarn. Eventually, Easton makes it to the manor, but no one is there to greet her. The shabbiness of the outside is reflected on the inside of the house. Soon, she comes across Roderick Usher, an old friend and subordinate during the war. She no longer recognizes him in either physical or social form. In fact, Roderick is surprised that Easton showed up. Madeline shows up greatly diminished and clearly ill. She’s being attended to by an American doctor, James Denton. Actually, doctor might be too generous. He was a bonesaw during the civil war. It quickly becomes clear that Madeline’s health is declining rapidly. Both Easton and Denton seek to help her heal, but nothing is working. Easton catches Madeline sleepwalking in the chilly night air. Madeline, other than her illness, seems like herself. Roderick, however, is not his old self. He’s on edge always and refuses to allow Madeline to leave. Not that they have the funds to really go anywhere else. Something sinister lies beneath the surface of the House of Usher. But what?

What Moves the Dead is a first person POV novella set in the point of view of Alex Easton. It both retells and expands upon the original story of Usher. Kingfisher has added some excellent worldbuilding like sworn soldiers, Ruravia, and Easton’s comments on the English. It’s a short work that benefits from a close read. One could quickly read through this story, but I enjoyed taking my time over Kingfisher’s descriptions. Easton’s early encounter with Potter discussing the “stinking redgills” is a pleasure to read. I don’t care about mycology, but I could read a book written by Eugenia Potter about it anytime. Like Easton, I, too, am delighted by unusual passions.

Revisiting Usher

For this review, I reread The Fall of the House of Usher. I wanted to do an accurate comparison. First, Poe’s story feels different than Kingfisher’s. Poe’s story is very much of its time. The writing style is different than what we consider good today. It’s very descriptive, and it would be called purple prose today. It’s a bit overwrought. Sentences like, “I lack words to express the full extent…,” would not work today because as a writer, the author is expected to have the words. It’s also ironic considering how many words he uses for description in other places.

Madeline is a prop in Poe’s story instead of a character. She doesn’t have any dialogue. Kingfisher changes this. Madeline has a better role in What Moves the Dead. She has dialogue, relationships, and a backstory. Kingfisher’s narrator goes to the house seeking Madeline, but Poe’s narrator seeks out Roderick.

Kingfisher’s Usher is more visceral than Poe’s. And grosser, in a good way. The hares and the grounds of the Usher manor are off-putting. They add to overall feel of decay and finality that one expects from the house of Usher. A sense of foreboding and wrongness hangs over the writing throughout. Poe’s writing feels distant because the narrator observes. He is very passive, just watching the action happen, and writing his reactions to it. Easton is a part of the action, and it makes the story feel more immediate and closer. I think this is why What Moves the Dead feels so visceral.

Whether in description, action, or plot, Kingfisher’s Usher is more fleshed out as well. The story has more detail with a more efficient prose. For example, Poe describes the manor and grounds as covered in mushrooms, but Kingfisher digs in and gives us descriptions of the mushrooms. She even added in a mycologist to suggest how mushroomy the whole place actually is.

Kingfisher’s ending is…different but the same. The ending is what distinguishes it as a simple retelling. I can’t say which ending I liked more because they are different enough to change the whole meaning of the story. I applaud Kingfisher on how she ended the story because she threaded the needle of staying true to Poe’s story while making it her own. Without going into spoilers, I can’t explain more. All I can say is that I loved the ending.

Sworn Soldiers

Kingfisher brings to the story an interesting gender identity of a sworn soldier. Ruravia has fascinating and complex pronouns. An enterprising person found a loophole in Ruravia’s laws that allows them to join the military by stating that their gender is that of a soldier. I’m not doing it justice, but it was a really neat and novel (at least to me) use of gender. It takes a bit to get the explanation as to what being a sworn soldier means. The explanation is worth the wait however.

Characters

Kingfisher’s characters are great. Easton, Potter, and Denton made the book for me. The Usher twins were a bit flat. In a story where the reader already knows what happens, having engaging characters makes or breaks the novel. Kingfisher succeeded here. I could read a collection of stories about Potter traveling around looking for interesting mushrooms. Easton’s little aside about her English-ness made me laugh, and a buddy cop novel with the two would be great.

Conclusion

T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead reexamines the story The Fall of the House of Usher. Kingfisher’s version fleshes out the story and adds interesting characters. This update is an excellent refining of the original story and hopefully will introduce a generation of readers to Poe’s decrepit house. What Moves the Dead takes gothic horror and adds a bit of weird to it for a wholly enjoyable story. Recommended.

I'm not someone who is particularly affected by horror fiction, generally speaking. I can be squeamish (especially in visual media) but that's not really the same thing. A lot of time I read horror with a sort of quiet peace. The original Fall of the House of Usher is an interesting piece, but I don't find it scary.

What Moves the Dead -- a retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher -- is utterly terrifying. I mean, delightfully so! But the dread starts light and keeps growing and growing on you (like... well, you know). The horror is made worse by knowing the original, because you can see what's around the corner, and the new emphasis on certain elements (that I'm leaving vague for spoiler reasons) means that you have some idea of how it's going to get there and it's not good. Much of the book is the equivalent of knowing a killer is in the house with the heroes, and knowing someone's going to die of it at any moment, but waiting for the dread to turn into the sharp fear of *oh, it's now*.

I loved this book. It's honestly a *better* fall of the House of Usher. Not simply because some of the vagaries are given explanations that are plausible enough to be genuinely terrifying on a realism level, but because every little detail that is throwaway mood setting in the original short story is here given reason and implication and the whole thing gets tied together so tightly, nothing at all wasted.

It's beautifully written, a wonderful read, and so, so scary. I can't wait to recommend it to all my friends... in general, sure, but particularly in October.

WHAT MOVES THE DEAD by T. Kingfisher

In what reads like a fever dream come to life Kingfisher reimagines Edgar Allen Poe’s THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, in WHAT MOVES THE DEAD-out now!

This isn’t the kind of book I normally reach for which makes it all the more fun.

Marketed as a horror, but it leans more towards fantasy. It’s short and packed full of lush gothic elements. It reminded me a little of ALICE IN WONDERLAND, partly because it features an ominous hare and feels disorienting and is similar to but not quite like our world.

I enjoyed this novella retelling and recommend you add it to your Tbr!

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire for the advanced copies!

WHAT MOVES THE DEAD…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely LOVE Edgar Allan Poe, and Fall of the House of Usher is probably my favorite short story by Poe. I had extremely high expectations for this novella, and I am happy to say that it exceeded them.


This retelling follows Alex Easton, a non-binary retired lieutenant in the Gallacian army who’s come to small, rural Ruravia to help their dying childhood friend, Madeline Usher, at her brother Roderick’s behest.(Since the MC is non-binary, I will use they/them pronouns when referring to them.)

Alarmed by the decayed and untimely aged appearance of the Usher siblings, Easton can make little sense of their rapidly declining appearance and is unsettled by the behavior of staring white hares that seem to have proliferated in the area, and the abundance of fungi in the cold dark lake.

Kingfisher brings the Usher house and surrounding grounds alive in the most deliciously creepy, ominous way, making everything, animate or inanimate equally suspect. Kingfisher really excels at creating a threatening atmosphere that feels all-encompassing and inescapable.. Easton is a strong, intelligent MC, and it was fun to watch them puzzle through the mystery. I also want to note that it’s not necessary to have read Poe’s original work to enjoy this book. I read the original short story long before Kingfisher’s book, but I am confident that this would have been an excellent read regardless.

All in all, I highly recommend this book. I would say that it is essential reading for fans of Mexican Gothic, Rebecca, and The Haunting of Hill House.

Great concept, but this fell a little flat for me. I really enjoyed T. Kingfisher's books The Hollow Places and Nettle & Bone, but this book was just a little too slow. I did find that the last few chapters were a lot more engaging.

Maybe my problem was that I listened to the audio version and I didn't really like the narrator? I wonder if the book would have felt less monotonous if I would have read it?

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I love Edgar Allen Poe. His stories and poems have always tapped into an atavistic side of fear and are intensely riveting at least to me. Those stories have always remained with me, even when I haven’t read them in years, so I was excited to see what T.Kingfisher would do in retelling his masterpiece, The Fall of the House of Usher. What she has created honors his work and is fittingly creepy and unusual, blending the best elements of his work with a unique zombie spin and take on Alex Easton’s background. 

Part of what makes this retelling so riveting is the development of Alex Easton. In the original, the narrator remains unnamed, a childhood friend of Roderick. In this story, we are given Alex, a sworn soldier from Gallacia who uses non gendered pronouns. And that little change in both the diversity of the character and the background, makes the story even more compelling. While much of the elements are the same as the original, the focus being on a character like Alex pulls the reader more completely into the story and makes the narrative more engaging. 

Beyond the change in the character, the focus on what causes Madeline’s ailment is also deeply unique and creative. With the possession of wildlife in the area, the fungal growth and the strange miasma of the House of Usher, T. Kingfisher blends these elements together to create a unique spin on zombies and a creepy gothic horror that will keep you up all night, contemplating the strangeness of the world around us. The novella creeps in under your skin and makes you look at things in a new perspective but also creates the same atavistic fear that Poe excelled at. 

If you love Poe, you will love this retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher. It is easily one of the most creepy and unusual novella’s I’ve read in a long time, blending scientific ideas with wonderfully compelling characters and a riveting classic horror vibe. It compares well with the original and has elements of diversity that you will never find in Poe’s works. I loved every moment of this story.

The Fall of the House of Usher has occupied some space in my brain since the halcyon days of high school English class. Not only did I read it several times, but I never wrote the assigned paper, a fact that literally haunts my dreams. There is just something unnerving about Poe’s story that I’m always keen to experience retellings of it however I can. Last October I even watched the Vincent Price movie, and enjoyed its weird form of madness. So when I saw that T. Kingfisher was going to take a crack at it, with a heavy emphasis on fungi, I went a little mad with anticipation. Unfortunately, What Moves The Dead spends too much time explaining the horror, without adding too much to the core ideas of the short story.

Lieutenant Easton has just received a letter from their old friends’ sister, Madeleine. Once learning that Madeleine was ill, Easton ventured to the house of Usher to spend some time with Madeleine and Easton’s old war buddy, Roderick Usher. However, upon arriving, Easton notices there is something terribly wrong at the house. Both siblings are wasting away. The hares on the property are crawling and staring, and there is a rumor that the tarn (pond) glows with an ominous green pulse at night. Luckily, Easton is not alone with the Ushers as they are supported by their batman (no, not that Batman) Angus, and a mysterious fungi-loving woman who stalks the Usher’s property in search of its uniquely haunting mushrooms. Easton is both curious and frightened by the task at hand, but being the good soldier they resolve to save Madeleine however they can.

It would be incredibly easy—irresponsible, even— to go on an unhinged rant for this novella. There was a lot I did not like paired with some particular aspects I did enjoy. So before I get into why I didn’t like it, let's stroll through what I did enjoy. Kingfisher’s focus on the nature of the Usher property was refreshing. The time and attention paid to building the miasma that surrounded the house of Usher was delectable, even when it felt a little heavy handed. Easton’s slow discovery of the pond, and their eventual questioning of the effects on their own self was a nice slow build up. And while Kingfisher dove a little too deep into the details for my taste (to the point where it felt like I was reading pop-science literature), the fungi angle was a nice touch (especially after reading Entangled Life). The particularly anti-American attitudes of the 1890s British folk also lended some nice humor to the darkness.

But that’s about it. I think most of my biggest gripes come from the lack of horror or fear I felt while reading What Moves The Dead. Now this is likely because my conception of horror stems from the unknown and the unexplainable counteracting one’s agency. Once I know or see something, the fear begins to subside, and I’d prefer to pick it apart than be scared by it. Kingfisher’s story falls into the camp of “fully discovering the nature of the thing causing fear,” and I found it tedious. Especially since an entire character was created just to explain things, or be available for a line of questions for Easton to discover what might be happening to their dear friends Usher. And while it was nice to see education about mushrooms in horror fiction, it completely diluted my personal experience with the story. This might just not be my kind of horror.

An aspect that felt sorely missed was watching the Usher family fall completely apart. The story focused more on the investigation, without really diving into the barely concealed madness of Roderick. Gone were his fits of madness and his need to uphold dignity in front of his guest, replaced by a man who was merely concerned for his sister’s welfare. The house itself, while falling apart, was barely involved in the affair. Easton is a cool collected soldier, their grounding only shaken occasionally and without much fanfare. It was nice to see Madeleine given some time, but even then she was merely there to raise questions to be answered, and answered they were. The final reveal was conceptually horrific, but so much work had been done ahead of it to show what it was, I was not impacted. There was no weight behind the curse of the Usher family, and it barely seemed to rattle the character’s themselves. Yes, they were “shocked and appalled,” but did what was necessary without any damage to their own psyche. Easton’s and Roderick’s bonafides as soldiers over-rationalized their reactions to everything, making every choice feel like the only choice, but without the robbery of their agency. They didn’t have to think and overcome when confronted by the horror, only act.

Again, horror, especially of the written variety, is subjective and quite often hard to really pull off. Some things will scare you that I can brush off like a mosquito. And there are things that might chill me to the bone that embrace your heart like a teddy bear warmed in the dryer. But rarely does “overly competent person encounters and vanquishes inhuman horror” feel scary. I appreciate Kingfisher’s effort to give Easton shell shock and tinnitus to temporarily incapacitate them at moments, but it never felt quite organic. Maybe I wanted something different than Kingfisher wanted to write, and that’s fine. I just felt disappointed that her foray into the lands of Usher felt so tidy for the mess the family has made for itself.

Rating: What Moves the Dead - 5.5/10
-Alex

Note: I have referred to Easton using the pronouns they/them for sake of clarity through this review. Though their preferred pronouns are ka/kan, which are deeply rooted within Easton's military background and highly specific to how their society perceives them.

An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.

What Moves the Dead is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher and if Poe was alive, I’m sure that he would be honored, because Kingfisher’s novella is a creepy, atmospheric story that does measure up to the master of horror. It follows Easton, a retired soldier who one day unexpectedly receives a letter from a childhood friend - Madeline Usher. Madeline is dying, and Easton rushes to see her before her time runs out, but from the first moment it’s obvious that behind Madeline’s sickness is a much darker secret that Easton has to uncover before it’s too late not only for Madeline, but everyone in the house.

Even if this book wasn’t so short, I’m positive that I would read it in one sitting regardless. Kingfisher is truly fantastic at creating unsettling, spine-chilling stories and this one does not disappoint. It does get a bit… unappetizing at times, so those with delicate stomachs - beware. I loved that despite the historical setting, this book was easy to follow and inclusive (Easton is non-binary and uses ka/kan pronouns; it’s explained very well in the text). The only issue I had was the ending, which to me wasn’t creepy enough - it wasn’t a bad one, just not as frightening as the rest of the book.

TLDR: What Moves the Dead is a brilliant piece of horror that doesn’t require the reader to know Edgar Allan Poe’s work to give them an unforgettable scare.

Retired soldier Alex Easton returns to the remote estate of Madeline Usher when he hears she's dying. The actual estate is full of fungal growths and possessed wildlife. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick has a strange nervous condition. Alex has the help of a British mycologist and an American doctor, and the three must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

Alex is a sworn soldier in 1890, meaning birth sex no longer matters, and Alex uses different pronouns. The country ka is from is a small European one that doesn't exist in our world, just as the Usher estate is in Ruravia's countryside, and the American South successfully seceded from the Union. The country of Gallacia has multiple pronouns other than he and she, including the va of children under 12 and ka for soldiers. I found this a fascinating bit of worldbuilding in addition to the altered political landscape. The overbearing gloom of our opening chapters also has the introduction of Denton, the doctor with a year's training before the Civil War erupted, as well as Eugenia Potter, the older self-taught mycologist studying the tarn. While Alex says ka isn't psychic by any means, ka still knows something is incredibly off about the estate and kan childhood friends.

I can picture the moldering, crumbling ruins of the estate, the sickly Usher twins, and the practical people assisting Alex. I also loved the shout-outs that ground this reality as similar to our own even as it's different; Eugenia Potter has a niece Beatrix who is a gifted artist and mycologist as well. (And perhaps also writes about rabbits?) Those who read horror or can connect dots quickly will enjoy the mystery of it; while you can figure out what happened, how, and why are explained over time. This is delightfully creepy, in the sense that it all comes together and makes sense. If I lived there with all of them, I would be just as skittish as they are.

If you enjoy gothic horror, I highly recommend this. This book is on the shorter side, but Kingfisher does a great job packing all of the creepy punches into this unique story. This is a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher: An Edgar Allan Poe Short Story, which I listened to right after finishing this, and while this is longer and has it's own unique spin it does keep faithful to the original work.

The Usher house is in complete disrepair much to Alex Easton's surprise when they come to visit childhood friends Madeline and Roderick. Easton received word that Madeline had fallen ill and may not have much time left in this world. Easton is not prepared for what they find on the Usher property from strange wildlife, oddities in the lake, as well as Madeline and Roderick's conditions. Easton is aided by Roderick's friend an American doctor and a woman who studies fungus. I enjoyed all of the characters, which is rare in a horror novel. Easton is a wonderful character who takes center stage trying to figure out what is wrong with Madeline and Roderick and a way to save them both. Ever a soldier, Easton always keeps their wits about them despite the strange happenings in and around the Usher house. I don't want to give too much away because it would spoil the story but this weird little book is great! I loved the dark, ominous feelings I got from the descriptions. The world building is excellent, Kingfisher does a great job describing things.

If you are looking for some other creepy books with a similar feel I also recommend Sorrowland and Mexican Gothic.

I was provided both a print and audio arc of this book via Netgalley, thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read this in advanced. As always, all opinion are my own.

I did not really know what to expect when I started this book. All I knew is that I have loved each T. Kingfisher book I have read and that this one was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe. This book kept me at the edge of my seat and was such an odd book. I enjoyed the fact that despite the fact it is a shorter book, it does not stop itself from being delightfully creepy and haunting!

This was a really interesting read. I've never read the original "House of Usher" story but thoroughly loved this. It was unsettling from the get go in a good way. The cast of characters each had their own strengths and voices and felt distinct from one another. The atmosphere of the entire story was slowly amped up from unsettling to creepy and terrifying.

The mystery of Madeline's illness is slowly unraveled and once revealed fully, took off like a freight train. Kept me up until I finished it, and then had to read something lighter so I could go to sleep. The little details woven through the story let you get there on your own so I figured it out, but was still shocked in the extent of it. Thoroughly creepy and scarring.

This is a great retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher that captures the delightfully creepy atmosphere in a brief story that mimics Poe’s original tale. I love the emphasis on the fungus and how the author expands on the original story by providing an explanation for the curious events that occur at the Usher home. I also love Easton as a narrator!

This is a great short story for fans of Edgar Allan Poe and if you’re in the mood for something quick and creepy! T. Kingfisher does not disappoint.