I’ve been wanting to check out T. Kingfisher’s horror works for a few years now. What Moves the Dead seemed like the perfect place to start since it is not only based on The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, but it’s also a novella. So essentially, I really couldn’t have been given a better jumping off point as I love Poe’s works and novellas don’t require the same commitment as a full length novel.
Let me tell you folks, this book was creepy as hell. The main character Alex Easton is a retired soldier, who grew up with the Usher siblings and served with Roderick Usher during a recent war. The story begins with Alex journeying to the Usher house, fearful that their childhood friend may already have passed by the time they arrive. Madeleine still lives, however she is a ghost of herself, pale and thin, and speaking in a strange childlike voice unlike her own. Roderick is riddled with anxiety, whispering that he can hear things. Seemingly the only sane person is an American doctor Roderick brought in to help, but he proclaims to only be a battlefield surgeon and not an expert in maladies of the mind. As the days pass, Usher house only grows stranger and peculiar lights can be seen in the murky mountain lake nearby. Worst of all are the rabbits, which are unafraid of humans and often move with a jarring, dragging gait.
This book creeped me out so badly I had to stop reading well before bed just so I could shake the memory of it before I went to sleep. To be fair, I had also gotten to possibly the creepiest part of the book and decided that was plenty of chilling creepiness for the evening. I loved it and picked it up immediately after getting home from work the next day so I could find out what was going on! The book is filled with hints of what is truly causing Madeleine Usher’s illness and it wasn’t at all difficult to figure out well before it’s revealed (heck, the cover gives it away). That didn’t bother me in the least because the knowing made it even more suspenseful as I watched the characters bumble about cluelessly and I wondered how contagious it was and how easily it could spread.
This book was awesome and I can officially say that I’ll be checking out T. Kingfisher’s other horror novels in the near future. I loved the build up of dread, a particularly horrifying scene in the family crypt, and the ending was very well wrapped up. This was a great retelling and honestly, now I’m on the lookout for more Poe retellings by other authors! This author writes incredible characters, and though this was a petite lil book Alex had a well-fleshed out background and the side characters were given enough detail to make them more than one dimensional. I’m rather fond of the mycologist and the shoutout to Beatrix Potter! If you’ve been curious about T. Kingfisher’s horror works, I would definitely recommend this as a starting point!

Christ’s blood does this book have such an amazing cover that made me want to read it! Well that and a recommendation about the author from a friend.

This book is filled a images that will make anyone cringe and their “hare” stand on end (or hop of your body)! Well that sounded ridiculous when I said it out loud.

It all starts out when former soldier sets out to help out an old friend in need and dips his feet in this mess of a house with a past. Easton the soldier crosses paths with a few interesting characters along the way from the fungus loving woman to an out of place American soldier. A great twist to a classic story.

This being my first Kingfisher story I love how she intertwines such grotesque images with dry humor! This book is filled with two things that make me loose sleep, fungus spurs and body horror!

That being said this is a must read for all horror fans out there. Just a small disclaimer, don’t order that mushroom pizza or portobello burger for dinner!

After the praise I saw following Nettle & Bone, I knew I needed to get my hands on a T. Kingfisher novel and what better way than this novella retelling of <i>The Fall of the House of Usher</i>?

As a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, I was shocked to say that I actually enjoyed this retelling far more than I did the original piece.

Alex Easton, a non-binary retired solider, receives word that their childhood friend is dying and rushes to the House of Usher to be at her side. Everything is not as it seems as they begin to notice strange fungi nearby, animals that behave and move abnormally, and a lake with strange qualities. When Madeline and her twin brother Roderick, start to also exhibit strange behaviors while Alex is there, they start to wonder if maybe there is something else at hand.

Gothic horror stories are some of my favorite, but <i>What Moves the Dead</i> is more creepy and unsettling than it is scary. Though predictable, especially if you have read the original by Poe, Kingfisher deviates from the original in a way to add more depth and character to the story. The ending is not open ended, but instead wraps up in a satisfying way. At the novella length, this is both lacking unnecessary bloat, but leaving me wanting more of Kingfisher's storytelling enough to pick up other works.

Kingfisher's descriptions and method of storytelling transports the reader to the world alongside the characters and definitely had me turning on my light while reading.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and T. Kingfisher for the ARC of <i> What Moves the Dead</i>, on sale July 12, 2022!

This is a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Honestly I've never read the original. I cannot compare the two and I feel like I may have enjoyed this more if I was more familiar with the original story.

It is a novella, clocking in at less than 200 pages (or 5 hours on audio). I started reading the physical and then was approved for the audio and finished it that way. The audio was okay. It just didn't add anything extra emotionally for me.

I will say this was really atmospheric. The setting was descriptive and parts of it were pretty creepy. While the explanations for everything were really interesting, the story just really didn't hook me and I can't put my finger on why that is. Maybe it was the short length or my lack of familiarity with the original story. I'm not really sure. This has gotten a lot of glowing reviews already so it may be a "me" issue and not the book itself.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies in exchange for an honest review!

If I've read Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" before I truly do not remember, so I can't speak the faithfulness of this retelling at all.

I can say it was a gripping and genuinely creepy read. It was pretty slow starting out, and I could predict how the rest of the story was going to shake out, but it doesn't mean I wasn't a little freaked and grossed out seeing it unfold on page. Kingfisher had some really good imagery work in here.

There was also a bit of interesting gender pronoun world-building! I wasn't quite sure ultimately if Gallacia was a separate country or a group of people or what, but it didn't impact my reading!

I am not usually a fan of retellings so I was most pleasantly surprised with my feelings about this novella. T. Kingfisher took Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” into a world of gothic fantasy with clever creativity and stunning descriptions. The main character, a non binary retired lieutenant sets out to rural Ruravia to help their fataly ill childhood friend, Madeline. Once our protagonist arrives the site of Madeline’s horrific decaying body as well as other bizarre happenings around the town, including some freakish hares who haunt the grounds, and a woman obsessed with fungi begins their hunt for secrets. T. Kingfisher captures the settings through her magical way of writing while also interspersed with some real creepy scenes and laugh out loud moments. I love dark humour when it is used so perfectly and Kingfisher nailed it! This book is mystical, mysterious, and theatrical…a hair raising delight!

I absolutely loved this slow burn of a novel. T. Kingfisher is a genius and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one after hearing it was shaped after my favorite Poe story. The characters and the twists and turns this book offered were delightful!

What an interesting take on the story of Roderick and Madeline Usher. I was increasingly uncomfortable with the creepy hares that lived by the lake. Character development was excellent.

I know they say not to judge a book by its cover but that is definitely not true about this book. Really everything you need to know about this book is right there on the cover.
This book was a little slow to start but once it got going it definitely got going. It took me some time to really get what was happening but it was brilliant. Once the mysteries started to unfold in this book I couldn't put it down. The darker aspects of this book where very well done. My only wish really was that we got a bit more explanation on the main character. I was very curious about them.

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! So much yes!

This is the book I didn’t know I needed. As you know, I rarely read a synopsis about a book (unless it’s a new author or I’m just not sure if it’s the right ARC for me) so I had absolutely no idea what this book would be about.

I read the first page and asked myself, “OMG! Is this a rewrite of The Fall of the House of Usher?”

And it was!

Most of you probably don’t know that I am a HUGE Edgar Allan Poe fan, but I realllllllllly am. As an English teacher, I always find a way to bring his work into the classroom around Halloween.

Usher was one of those stories that I have read a couple times, but really didn’t remember too well, unfortunately. So, reading this was amazing!! Not only will I remember this story for it’s overwhelming creepiness factor, but because it was surprisingly, dare I say it, BETTER than the original. 😱

I absolutely loved Easton and the differences between the two stories. It widened the narrative and added elements to set the story apart. I really enjoyed the sprinkles of Shakespeare and Poe’s other works in there as well!

It’s creepy and just plain fantastic!

And, for what it’s worth, Kingfisher almost didn’t publish it because of its similarity to Mexican Gothic, but it is SO MUCH BETTER than Mexican Gothic, IMO.

Captivating and perfectly eerie, What Moves the Dead is a gothic horror story perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic. This book is stunning, from the cover to the writing. We follow a non-binary Lieutenant come to visit ill childhood friends in their dilapidated gothic home next to a rather unsavory lake. I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish and highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an e-arc of this book.

4.5 stars! This is such an interesting book for only 131 pages. While a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, T. Kingfisher's work goes above and beyond that tale. It is weird, creepy, and atmospheric but in the best way. I am a sucker for well-written prose, and this book did not disappoint.

The MC is non-binary and I am really appreciating that the horror genre seems to be one of the places where representation in books is becoming the norm, not the exception.

T. Kingfisher is seriously one of the best horror/gothic writers of this time and made a classic story by Poe into an even darker, more sinister beast of its own. Additionally, the cover is one of the creepiest, yet most beautiful things I have seen in a long time. It fit the book so well, and I'll just say it here... the mushrooms!! (this reminded me of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic).

I will definitely be reading much more of T. Kingfisher's work in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor/Forge publishers for an advanced e-readers copy of the book. This did not affect my opinions in any way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for an e-arc and alc of this one!

When Alex gets a message from kan childhood friend Madeline Usher that she is dying, kan heads to the decaying Usher estate to do what kan can. But there is a lot more going on at the estate than Alex realizes, and with the help of Denton--Roderick Usher's American Doctor friend--and a local mycologist, Alex is able to solve the secrets of Usher--but not without casualties.

This is a fantasy "Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe retelling. When I read that, and that the protagonist was nonbinary--I instantly knew I had to read this book. I was not disappointed! Alex is such an interesting character and I loved the descriptions of Gallacian pronouns and what it meant to be a sworn soldier as well as the work kan goes through to find out what is happening at the estate. I also really love that there wasn't any romance at all in this story!

I love the atmospheric and creepy gothic mode that Kingfisher was able to establish throughout this book and how well it matches with the source material, while at the same time bringing something entirely new to the story. The discussions of mushrooms and descriptions of unnatural hares and everything else that went along with it made this book delightfully creepy and everything I was looking for!

Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Terminal illness, and Death
Minor: Transphobia, Suicide, and Misogyny

this book was just fine. this is a retelling of the fall of the house of usher and i love poe so much so despite not loving t. kingfisher's other work i still wanted to try it out. while i did enjoy some things about this like the incorporation of a non-binary character, especially in a historical setting and the atmosphere, this book didn't work for me.

the writing i think was my main problem. this book was really written like it was a classic and i couldn't stand it. if i wanted classic writing i would read a classic. i don't mind historical but this was too much for me personally but others may not mind it. i also didn't care for the plot a lot but the fungus twist was done in a semi-interesting way because it went more scientific. i read mexican gothic and didn't love it either so maybe i don't like this twist but i didn't mind it in this book. it just wasn't my favorite. i felt like this meandered a lot and i was bored most of the time.

as i said the atmosphere was fantastic though and it's genuinely what kept me reading and prevented me from dnfing this. i love poe so much but somethin about this just didn't hit for me. i don't really like haunted house stories either and even the original house of usher isn't my favorite so that could be potentially why as well.

thank you to tor nightfire, t. kingfisher, and netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

I've never read The Fall of the House of Usher but I certainly am going to now! I liked the narrator and I liked the pronoun system and how it ties into the end! I must say that Kingfisher is very good with imagery! I'm not sure what I didn't love about this. I think I was just slightly bored until the ending.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love Poe and I love gothic stuff and this was a great retelling with some twists. The author is right -- fungus is fascinating and it is well-utilized here. And this was sufficiently creepy!

3.5 stars.

This is a translated version of the original review published on Goodreads in spanish:

Score: 4.5 Stars.

What a surprise has "What Moves the Dead" been. First of all, I want to thank TOR for accepting my request, I was looking for a horror read to help me get started for this year's spooky season and this book has perfectly accomplished that mission.

This is a short novel. In less than 200 pages, T. Kingfisher is able to introduce us to the main characters, the context of the plot and tell us everything that happens inside the Usher mansion. Due to the short length of this book I want to avoid giving too many details, so I will add that I loved the scenes where, after learning the truth, Madeline reveals a little more about her illness. I got goosebumps imagining various scenes from this book, and that doesn't happen very often with my readings.

The ending of the book is very satisfying. I'm still impressed by how the author was able to tell us all this in so few pages.

The book can be read perfectly in a couple of sittings, which makes it a perfect read for a rainy weekend. In addition, I also recommend it to those who are looking for a horror book to read this October, it will surely not disappoint you.

The appeal of Poe comes from the ability to make even the most mundane of things a source of unsettling horror. In this retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, Kingfisher is able to take that sense of unease from the source material and magnify it while simultaneously expanding it in a fresh direction that makes it clear that the real story lies, not with the slow decline of the Ushers, but the Rise of Something Else.

The setting of the story in Gallacia--a more firmly identified, yet still fictional, European country of indistinct location--echoes that of other adventure novels, while also giving Easton and their compatriots the air of an accepted oddity on a personal level, leaving all of the mystery unburdened by the want or lack of explanation for how these modern-edged pieces fit into those very Victorian-shaped roles.

Speaking of, the characters populating this Ruritania-esque landscape are a fantastic. Easton's solid practicality, Miss Potter's pragmatic eccentricity, Angus' no-nonsense presence, Denton's mixture of open-minded and down to earth, and Madeline and Roderick's ethereal, doomed, waifish desperation all mix to create delightful company, even if the setting and circumstances themselves are falling apart around them.

Finally, Kingfisher is entirely correct: rabbits and mushrooms are weird, and should be treated with the utmost caution.

A creepy and atmospheric re-telling of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. There's also a reminiscence of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic. Especially with the mycelium networks...

*Special thanks to Tor-Nightfire and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel.

To say I was excited for this book would be an understatement. After diving into my first T. Kingfisher book, Nettle and Bone, and adoring it as much as I did, I was eager to get back to this particular author’s macabre style of verse. However, What Moves the Dead is meant to be a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, The Fall of the House of Usher. A classic I was not familiar with. While I don’t necessarily believe that a reader must be familiar with the source material of a retelling, I did find that last time—when this was the case for myself—I was frustrated by my own inability to discern if the aspects I disliked about the story were the result of it being based off of something already written. Or if they were unique to the new author themselves.
Luckily, after a quick sparknotes summary, I was good to go.
Ultimately, I really enjoyed this novel, and found it both creepy and gothically beautiful in its own way. In terms of how it differs from Poe’s version, I will say that I am in full support of the rewrite, and believe that Kingfisher brought a unique perspective that pulls at themes of culture and gender and adds them to the overall discourse of isolation, identity, and familial ties that the original was peppered with. In short, it’s the perfect read for fans of classic horror, but also crave books that challenge current social norms.
I wholly recommend What Moves the Dead, and hope to see it pop up on a lot more TBR lists. It is creepy and dark, but not so far gone as to be terrifying. Making it perfectly accessible for anyone wanting to dip their toe in some darker waters.