This book was so fun to read!! The descriptions of the Usher manor as well as inhabitants were so unsettling I felt like I was standing in the house with the characters. What Moves the dead has all the best elements of horror and fantasy, I especially enjoyed the way gender was explored in this society and how the main character existed outside of the gender binary.

Ps im going to be side eyeing mushrooms for a bit… as if they already weren’t suspicious enough!

I'm not going to lie the cover is what caught my attention. This was a reimagining of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Fall Of The House Of Usher". It was a very short,creepy, and atmospheric read. It has body horror that involves fungus & very creepy hares. I won't be able to look at those two things the same again after this. It gave me a gothic vibe while reading it, which I loved since I'm a big fan of Gothic fiction. Towards the end of the book, in the authors footnotes, the author encourages you to read "Mexican Gothic" since both stories have a similar tone. So if you've read and liked "Mexican Gothic" I recommend giving this one a try. I can see myself re-reading this in the future. I can't wait to own a physical copy of it to have on my shelf. Overall I give this 4 stars.

I'll be posting this review on Instagram closer to the pub date at:
https://www.instagram.com/chibichapters

4 stars

"The Fall of the House of Usher" is one of the very few canonical texts that I not only keep on my syllabi but actually look forward to teaching (many years into that game). It's creepy, confusing, and useful: an expert lesson in unreliable narration and the influence of the place on the person. Similarly, I am obsessed with Kingfisher whose work is a little newer to me but still quite dear. I had very high hopes coming into this read, and they were met in most ways.

In the inspo text, the narrator is such a blank slate - and his view so magnified - that readers can't help but join him on the downward spiral. His view is our view. Here, as Kingfisher explains in the not-to-be-missed author's note, the goal is to find answers instead of generating more questions. In essence, Kingfisher takes what feels like the most sinister aspect of Poe's work - the pervasive uncertainty - and...answers the questions. I struggled with this a bit, but folks less familiar with the original may not have any attachment to this construct at all.

The Ushers themselves feature prominently in the original and while they are central in some ways here, they are so much less interesting - vehicles, some might say - than the other characters who appear in their orbit. In my wildest dreams, these ancillary characters get their own series in which Kingfisher implants them into all kinds of canonical works. I'd like to see Easton peeling some yellow wallpaper, Potter making sense of Bartleby's work ethic, and obviously the American answering questions about why babies are delicious in support of Swift. Let's do this.

Anyone who has read _Mexican Gothic_ will be unable to think of anything else while reading this piece. Frankly, I thought of it more than I thought of Poe. I felt relieved when this came up in the author's note. Others who find themselves bordering on discomfort over what will become obvious connections should definitely jump into that note. It'll help.

I love that lurid, black tarn, the profuse fungus, and that fissure (that definitely does not get enough play here), and folks who share an affinity for the original may similarly come away feeling a little bummed about missed opportunities but mostly thrilled by the *new life Kingfisher breathes in* to this timeless creep show. Pick it up. You know it'll stay with you even longer than you stay with yourself...

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher is a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.” When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend is dying, they travel to the crumbling Usher mansion. Easton finds Madeleine and her brother, Roderick, both frail and sickly. Intent on being a supportive friend, Easton stays, only to slowly discover that they may have indeed arrived to the House of Usher too late.

After reading Nettle and Bone earlier this year, I was excited for another Kingfisher novel. What Moves The Dead, though certainly a different experience, didn’t disappoint. This books is simultaneously terrifying, disgusting, and hilarious—Easton’s disdain for Americans and predilection for sarcasm when frustrating had me laughing out loud.

My favorite aspect of this book was the characters. Easton, The Ushers, Denton, Miss Potter, and Angus were such a colorful crew of people—it was as if an episode of The Office took place in a dilapidated mansion in a mountainous European country in the 1890s. Still, my favorite was Hob the Horse. His haughtiness helped break up the tension in some of the more unsettling scenes.

I was thoroughly engrossed by this story; indeed, during one of the more frightening moments, I was so engrossed that I jumped right out of my skin when the air conditioning unexpectedly kicked on. This was a great summer horror read, and I would recommend to this who love dry wit and the macabre.

Interesting and charming. Based on Poe's Fall of the House of Usher.

The imagery of the countryside where the story was set was evokative and immersive. If not for the horror elements, I would describe the nature and the vibe as vaguely cottagecore.

The supernatural (?) forces were revealed slowly. Each element began as slightly disturbing, in a way that blurred the lines of curiosity and terror. You felt the instinctive desire to know more and to approach these phenomena - and yet this intense awareness that something is not quite right and you should leave this place immediately and stay as far away as possible.

Personally, I always find fungi and hares awfully fascinating and slightly eerie, so this book was right up my alley.

This novella also features post-war PTSD, tinnitus, mental health issues and an alternate 19th century European history very similar to our own.

first of all: i may like mushrooms on my pizza, but fuck mushrooms.

the writing is phenomenal, with just the right amount of humor to make the horror that much worse. i loved the twists and turns the plot took -- my only real critique is that the book was maybe 50 pages too long, and i just really wanted alex to pick up on all the terribly obvious signs by the time i was 100 pages in. but the characters were stellar, the ending was perfect, and have i mentioned fuck mushrooms? because mushrooms are the worst.

also, whoever made that cover art is my new hero.

thanks to netgalley and tor nightforge for the arc!

Another unique horror release and clever retelling by Kingfisher! What Moves the Dead is a retelling of Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher. I haven’t read the classic story, but did do some basic research on it/read a summary before I started this novella.

I’d recommend this to fans of Mexican Gothic (is fungal horror a new genre?), Haunting of Hill House, and Kingfisher’s other novel The Hollow Places. Also to fans of gothic tales and trippy “what did I just read” stories. Really atmospheric and weird.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
What moves the dead follows main character Easton. Easton arrives at a friends house and realizes that there’s something very wrong going on.
This book was creepy, but short. It was very reminiscent of Mexican Gothic, but shorter. I also guessed the weird thing that was going on right at the beginning of the book.
Overall, I still think this was a good and creepy read. It’s quick and atmospheric and gave me the creepy crawlies a little bit. There was a little bit of gore when the character cut open a hare, but nothing worse than that.

What Moves the Dead was a pretty faithful retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, but with a few twists. I really enjoyed T. Kingfisher’s writing here and the overall story set up and introduction of Easton’s character. It was very easy to get swept up in the narrative and eerie vibes of House of Usher.

First mega positive point here, personally, was the question of gender and how Kingfisher explored it through one of the main characters. I really loved that addition and how it was presented and developed since it was one of the original points in the story. It was a pleasant surprise for me and I really liked what it added to the plot.

And speaking of plot! If you’re familiar with Poe’s short story, you pretty much know how this is all going to go and end. I will say that the major twist Kingfisher added here was also extremely predictable and straightforward. I knew what was going to happen as soon as that particular information was presented to me during the first few chapters–and Kingfisher discusses that in the Author’s Note as well.

The atmosphere here was still pretty creepy, even more so when I finally understood the extent of what was happening with Madeline. There were some gross and very unsettling imagery described during the final few chapters and I loved how that came about! Pretty happy I read this and I will definitely continue to read Kingfisher’s works.

This is a story about the scariest thing in the world: mushrooms.

This book was creepy, an odd and delightful. It had twists I didn't see coming, and it was beautifully written (like everything by Kingfisher). I was very late in the game when I realized the Poe connection, but if you're a Poe fan, I think you'll especially love this.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire

The Fall of the House of Usher has been my favorite "Poe" for as long as I can remember. I was lucky to have a Lit teacher who loves Poe (and still performs as him on occasion), but he stuck to the classics - The Raven, Annabel Lee, The Tell Tale Heart.... But something about "Usher" has always stuck with me.

T. Kingfisher has taken "Usher" and made it into a beautiful firework. Our narrator is now Alex Easton, a retired solider. They are traveling to the Usher home after receiving a letter from Madeline. What they find is terrible, horrible and unbelievable.

We also meet an American doctor and a British mycologist who band together with Alex to help solve the mystery of the House of Usher.

Kingfisher has made a gothic horror classic, with the added non-binary narrator--which comes into play later in the story. Fantastic retelling of a favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Come the fall months, I'll have a hard time recommending anything else for people to read when they're looking for an extra shiver up their spine. This was an easy read, aided by the author's writing style, and made a nice addition to the short story on which it was based! For those who are squeamish, the graphics were not too over the topic, but still enough to cement it in the horror genre. It might even in the future be able to find a real home in classrooms that are dedicating some time to studying Poe's works. I'm very happy to have read this and think it merits a revisiting once October hits!

A gothic novella about what happens when a retired soldier is summoned to visit their ill childhood friend and the absolutely bonkers explanation for what is truly going on. We've got fungus, a haunted lake, creepy rabbits, even Beatrix Potters aunt (!!)... This story was truly eerie and genuinely creeped me out multiple times. I can only imagine I'll enjoy it more after reading the Edgar Allen Poe story upon which it was based.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for the advanced reader copy.

I absolutely LOVED “What Moves the Dead”.

This terrifying reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” feels like a mix between John Langan’s THE FISHERMAN & John Carpenter’s THE THING. And it is truly scary!

An absolutely beautiful and horrific read filled to the brim with gorgeous prose. What Moves the Dead will easily find itself at the top of my favorite reads for 2022... and will be a book I revisit many times!

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher releases July 12th. It's good a quick mishmash of eco-horror and Fall of the House of Usher.

I'm typically not impressed with retellings unless they are really unique. As soon as I read the last name "Usher" I audibly groaned. With that amazing cover art, though, I had to give it a chance and I'm glad I did. Although not scary, if you're interested in a quick read that's creepy and gothic this book's for you. Weird stories happen to be my thing and 'What Moves the Dead' has enough originality to make it solidly different from The Fall of the House of Usher by E.A. Poe. Reading T. Kingfisher's writing had me almost smelling the mustiness of that old damp house and feeling the characters shock. I liked it.

Kingfisher has an uncanny ability to make you shiver. I never know what their books will bring next, but it's always terror.

The writing style of this author helped me feel engaged enough to find a story about a mycologist and a soldier interesting. T. Kingfisher is brilliant and the execution is this retelling is superb. The comparison to Mexican Gothic can be made however that story felt more character driven while this one is about plot. I prefer this method of storytelling as it can be more fast paced.
The representation and use of the ka pronoun was a great addition to the narrative.
Overall, this was a quick read which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

What Moves the Dead is a sublimely creepy little book. It’s spilling with evil fungus, glowing lake sludge and hares. So many hares. With a crumbling estate occupied by sickly owners, and visiting soldiers who are way out of their depth when faced with the supernatural. I haven’t read the Poe short story it is based on to be able to compare them, but it has piqued my interest in checking it out and seeing how Kingfisher expanded upon the original material. This being the second book I’ve read of hers, I can confidently say she is a very skilled writer, with impressive atmosphere and characters. I’ll definitely be picking up more books by her.

I didn’t know I needed a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, but wow. I guess I did!
Kingfisher does everything right in this retelling. The dark thick tone of the book really calls to the original story, the house and setting becoming a menacing and mysterious villain long before the narrator sees his old friends and the physical tolls that they have been through.
There’s wonderful detail in this story. I love how the house, the fungus and the lake are described. I could easily see the poison running through the land and the disease eating at the house and its inhabitants. There’s a lot of depth in this retelling and I enjoyed this expanded story.
I was getting seriously annoyed with the main characters! Why can’t they leave? Don’t they realize something sinister is going on? I was invested in these characters and really wanted them to get out!
That said, the ending is perfect. I don’t want to give it away, but it ended just the way it should have. I think fans of the original will be very pleased with this retelling and new fans of Kingfisher will find a new favorite author.

What Moves the Dead was as creepy and weird as I expected it to be, and I loved every minute of it! I found T. Kingfisher’s twist on The Fall of the House of Usher to be delightfully macabre, and I can’t say I’ll ever look at fungi the same.