Despite the short amount of pages, the text felt so extremely dense, as if I could wrap my fingers around it. The descriptions of mushrooms, skin or eyes and even the algea(and fish) in the lake just delighted me. They felt both disgustingly specific and intriguing at the same time, made it extremely easy to picture it to the point of getting tingles on my arms and continue to flip the pages. As I read more it felt like being stuck in honey going down a drain, I had my theories to what was going on possibly, but couldn't read fast enough to the conclusion. Absolutely obsessed and couldn't tear myself away. Will definitely be reading the catalog from this author through the season.

Tell me that you love Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. Of course you do. Everyone does – it’s a wonderful story. If you’re at all like me, right now you’re probably thinking to yourself, “That story is amazing, and certainly doesn’t need to be adapted by another author.” But you’re wrong. We’re wrong. What Moves the Dead is that rare adaptation that may even in some ways surpass its source material.

T. Kingfisher has an undeniable knack for adapting older works of horror fiction. If you’ve been around the site, you might remember my review of her Lovecraft adaptation The Hollow Places. I really enjoyed that one as well. In the case of The Hollow Places, I enjoyed the way she told the same general story, but did away with Lovecraft’s slightly eye-rolly penchant for $40 words. In the case of What Moves the Dead, I don’t think that was necessary because Poe was a much more accessible, less hoity and/or toity writer than Lovecraft ever was. However, this should not in any way serve to diminish what she has accomplished here. This story is even more impossible to put down than its source material.

I’m sure by now that many of you are aware of my love of fungal horror. And What Moves the Dead is extremely fungal horror (how does something become “extremely fungal?” I’m not sure – but this definitely is). It is overflowing with the fungi. And it’s beautiful.

Equally impressive as the sheer fungiosity of the story, is how Kingfisher has managed to improve upon the moodiness and the strangeness of Usher. Is it still ultra-gothic and turbo-bleak? Yes. But now all that gothy mood is in the service of fungus and some super creepy bunnies. And the Ushers, of course.

Alex is a truly enjoyable character, and I genuinely appreciated the seamless way Kingfisher was able to introduce Alex’s entire backstory and explanation for much of the language that surrounds the soldiers in this world. I was also quite fond of Miss Potter (ok, I loved her), and the good doctor (he was okay). I was less fond of both Roderick and Madeline, but not nearly so much so of Roderick, at least, as I was when reading The Fall of the House of Usher.

If you like retellings/reimaginings of classic tales, I HIGHLY recommend this one. It has some truly inspired original elements, and it is just a hell of a lot of fun

This was an awesome story! Very vivid descriptions, especially of the various fungi and the super creepy hares! This was a great retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher with so much more added. I really liked the bits about Easton and Gallacia and sworn soldiers. It was a nice touch. And I don't know who T. Kingfisher does it but they make the most complete and best novellas I have read! I will happily read any book by this author!

“The dead don’t walk. Except, sometimes, when they do.”

I think it’s safe to say that I will never look at mushrooms the same way again after reading What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher. Fungal horror has always been a favourite sub-genre of mine. It’s weird and creepy and somewhat believable, given how often people interact with and eat mushrooms. And what happens in this story is absolutely bone-chilling.

What Moves the Dead is a re-telling of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which I actually haven’t read (you don’t need to in order to understand or appreciate this story). It follows Alex Easton, a retired soldier, who travels to see their old childhood friend, Madeline, after receiving a letter saying that she’s gravely ill and dying.

Alex finds a decaying home surrounded by strange animals, weird mushrooms, and an unlikely group of characters trying to figure out what exactly is going on. The setting is incredibly macabre, mysterious, and unsettling. I was totally encapsulated, and equal parts mortified and intrigued.

The writing in this story is incredibly detailed, and I was able to perfectly picture the scene: an old, cold, musty house full of mold and mildew, an exterior covered in overgrown plants, and slow-moving hares that made you feel like you were always being watched.

For me, this was perfection. The atmosphere was palpable and truly transported me into the book, where I was able to witness firsthand the madness that was slowly but surely unraveling in the Usher’s house.

If you’re looking to add a dark, eerie book to your Fall TBR, make it this one. I loved the way this book made my skin crawl and can’t wait for more people to pick it up.

Thank you so much Tor Nightfire for sending me a digital copy via NetGalley. I gave this book five ✨🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄✨.

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher came out on July 12, 2022 and can be purchased wherever books are sold.

I have not read Edgar Allen Poe's story before so I was going into this story relatively blind. This story felt longer than it actually was, which is saying a lot because this is a short book. Unfortunately, I did not get on well with the writing. It made me feel very bored. The atmosphere was really great and spooky, but there were times where there was a lot of over explanation and I just did not care. I also felt very removed from the characters and did not particularly care what happened to them.

However, this book was an interesting premise and I enjoyed the vibes of it. I liked the plot, I just wasn't in love with how it was done.

I couldn’t get into this book as much as I wanted to but I did enjoy reading about these characters. The authors has a beautiful way of making words flow and I would definitely try another book by the author.

Gothic perfection with an undercoat of freaky fungal mayhem. Honestly just perfection. I'll never look at a Hare the same way again.

Was not a fan of the writing style and it was also a short book but slow at the same time. I may go back and finish it one day but I didn't really love this book as much as other books I have rear by this author.

When I heard that T. Kingfisher had a new book coming out, I was so excited. When I saw the cover, I was intrigued. Finally when I heard it was a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, I knew I had to read it.
For being a small book, this book is filled with gothic horror, mystery and thriller aspects and some creepy parts that I loved.
Fans of Poe will enjoy this retelling as much as people who have never read the Poe story.
I loved it and gave it 5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for my early copy.

-This a dark retelling of Poe with a spin
-Definitely a fast read you will not want to put down
-I liked the aspect of the fungi creating body possession

This is Kingfisher's latest remix of a classic horror tale; here, The Fall of the House of Usher sees Alex rush to an ailing friend. But the friend's ailment is unsettling at the least, and the friend's brother is sick as well; also, the ancestral home and its surrounding landscape harbor disturbing flora and fauna. Alex, with the help of a scientist and a doctor, must figure out what's happening before all is lost.

The fluid writing and deft characterizations prevalent in Kingfisher's remixes are present here. This is a very fast read, and it works pretty much perfectly. There are some horrifying images. There are crypts, and decay. It's all a very enjoyable read spiked with terror. The extra sauce in this one is the drop-in addition of a new pronoun system, which was done pretty much seamlessly. (Alex is from a fictional country that uses a whole bunch of different sets of pronouns for things like different stages of life--and soldiers renounce their gender pronouns altogether, using a nonbinary set.) Other highlights include Alex's servant Easton, and the scientist Eugenia Potter (separately, and together). Because it's lovely when a mycologist shows up just when you need one!

This is a delightfully disgusting read and a great addition to Kingfisher's remix oeuvre. Ten stars for the hare alone. Stay away from the tarn.

Before reading this book, I read the short story it was derived from- The Fall Of The House Of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, so that I would have a better understanding of this story. I did not understand the short story, so I went into this book not hopeful. I almost DNF’d it at 20% because I was not understanding anything that was happening- however I was ONLY listening to the audio at that point (It has great narration). I decided to switch to reading it both physically and with audio, and THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING. It went from being a DNF to being a 4 star! I really enjoyed the story, and I love the way T. Kingfisher writes- they are very lyrical with their descriptions, and each character’s personality shone across the page as I was reading. I thought they did an excellent job with this retelling, and it definitely gave me creepy vibes while I was reading- I’ll for sure never look the same way at Fungi ever again! I enjoyed my reading experience overall, and highly recommend you have the physical book with you. That will allow for a deeper understanding of all of the different aspects of the story going on simultaneously. Definitely be sure to check out this short horror story!

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for providing me with an e-ARC of What Moves the Dead in exchange for an honest review!

This is my first T. Kingfisher & it definitely won't be my last. Right away, I was enchanted by the writing & honestly? Taking on an Edgar Allan Poe story can't be an easy task, but T. Kingfisher nails it in What Moves the Dead. This short little novella is very atmospheric, as can be expected in an EAP retelling, and at times very creepy. And with about a quarter of the story left, things get a little wild.

Admittedly, there were parts that lost me & my mind ended up wandering a bit. This could very well be a Becca issue & not an issue with the story.

A very creepy and unique take on the classic story, The Fall of the House of Usher. The atmosphere continuously carries a sense of lingering dread. It's a short story with solid world building around Easton and their country of Gallacia. The characters were fully realized and the mystery of what was actually going on was haunting. Overall, a chilling and delightful read.

A reimagining of Edgar Allen Poe? This book was great! If you're a fan of gothic literature go buy this book right now! It's a short story inspired by The Fall of the House of Usher. T. Kingfisher does a great job of creating a creepy atmosphere and really bringing these characters and the story to life. I only wish this book was longer!

It took me a little bit to get into this book, but once I was in it wouldn't let go. The creepy atmosphere kept me on the edge of my seat.

*I received an advanced copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *

I'll start by saying- I've never read the original The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe. I know, I know, I'm handing in my horror buff card right now as I type this. The problem is he's just a little hard to follow, I get lost in the wording. Somehow though T. Kingfisher crafted this hauntingly beautiful retelling, so I could officially join the club! Yes, it was a slow burn that lost my interest at some points yet managed to pull me back with the imagery. Here for the gothic ambience-

“The dead don’t walk. Except, sometimes, when they do.”

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this arc.

Thank you to T. Kingfisher, Tor Nightfire, and Netgalley for an advance copy of What Moves the Dead.

Alex Easton returns home to see to the death of their childhood friend. When they arrive, things are much stranger than anticipated. Madeline Usher is sleepwalking, talking in strange voices, and looks well past dead. Things seem off around the property as well – animals acting strange and unusual fungus growing rampant. They meet a mycologist studying the fungus as well as a doctor sent to care for Madeline and together the group work to figure out what has happened to Madeline, and how to stop it before it takes everyone out.

Ashamed as I am to say this, I have to be honest – I’ve never read The Fall of the House of Usher. I live in Baltimore and I have not read all of Poe’s most famous work. I know, it’s awful. However, I have read some Poe and I know that reimagining his stories is a difficult task to achieve. T. Kingfisher is successful as far as I can tell. Just as atmospheric and creepy as any Poe I’ve ever read, we are transported to a very unsettling environment trying to figure out which way is up.

The main character is non-binary as far as the readers can tell, and there are also a ton of pronouns for certain people and even objects and animals, I believe? This part confused me and I didn’t feel as though it brought anything to the story outside of the confusion, but it’s possible that I just missed the thought process behind it. While this story is definitely plot driven, we get enough info about the main character and supporting cast to have me invested in them and concerned about what could happen to them, they were unique and fun, if not slightly frustrating at times.

The atmosphere was just INSANE. I felt like I was in a dark foggy humid location the entire time that I was reading this. While this is a novella, I walked away feeling like I ingested a full book, a concise and hearty beginning, middle, and end. I will definitely be reading more T. Kingfisher in the future.

What Moves the Dead
By: T. Kingfisher
Pub Date: 07/12/22
Publisher: Tor Nightfire - MacMillian
Audio Narrator: Avi Roque

Summary
In this retelling of "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allen Poe, T. Kingfisher tells the story of Alex Easton; a retired soldier who receives word that his childhood friend, Madeline Usher has taken ill. He travels to visit her and finds something far more sinister and terrifying than he thought possible.

Review
As a first-time reader of T. Kingfisher's work, I enjoyed the style through which this story was retold. It has this steampunk-Esque quality that I thought was an interesting stylistic choice. I also really appreciated how unexpected the antagonist of the story was. It was something I had never seen before.
On the other hand, as someone who has never read the original source material, I feel I missed the connections and cannot adequately compare the two pieces. This has certainly inspired me to check out the original story.

Based purely on what I thought of this current iteration without taking the original source material into consideration, I decided to rate this novel 3.5 stars. Although it was a retelling it was unlike anything I had read before and the mystery of the antagonist was exceptionally well done. I highly recommend this to Edgar Allen Poe fans and those who like an odd horror with a mystery element.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited about this one, as it was a retelling of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, but sadly I did not love it as much as I wanted. The pacing was decent and I would definitely classify it as weirdly creepy. The atmosphere was also well done and added to the creep factor. In the end, this just wasn’t for me. I’m sure others will love it though!