Alex Easton is a retired soldier and moves to their childhood friend’s home. Their friend, Madeline Usher is not well. When Alex visits they wonders if there is a secret to the Usher house that may be affecting Madeline and others.

I think I would have enjoyed this even more if I was more familiar with the Fall of the House of the Usher. Poe fans are certainly going to love this one. It’s got a deep, dark ambiance familiar to Poe, but a modern feel as well. It is very creepy and you feel like you are right there in the house. This is a novella, so a short read that you will definitely read in one sitting.

“The dead don’t get up and walk around. Sometimes, however, the nearly dead do.”

What Moves the Dead comes out 7/12.

T. Kingfisher writes luxuriously dark and mysterious stories, and What Moves the Dead is another marvelous entry in their body of work.

A strange and twisted reimagined take on Poe's Fall of the House of Usher. As if the story could get any darker, Kingfisher weaves a bizarre tale that is like Edgar Allan Poe meets Jeff Vandermeer. It would be remiss to say more about this fascinating novella, but it is a stunning, gothic tale with loads of creeps and chills.

A very Kingfisher addition to the canon of fungal horror. I'm not the biggest fan of Poe's Usher, mostly for the reasons that Kingfisher herself mentions in the author's notes, and I found this infinitely more compelling. The pacing felt a bit odd at times, but that may be my own fault, as I read this in intervals interspersed with long instances of Life Happening. Nonetheless, it was delightfully eerie, and I adore the cast of characters. I can't imagine them appearing again, given the nature of the novella, but I would do a lot of things to get a story or novel or what have you featuring Easton and Angus.

5/5 stars
This was a creepy, fascinating retelling of Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher." I waited to reacquaint myself with the original Poe tale until I had finished this novella, and I'm so glad I did. Kingfisher's creativity with horror and creep is endlessly fun to read.

T. Kingfisher’s “What Moves the Dead” was utter, gothic perfection. The book is an even better read than “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Poe. She includes more extensive character development. We come to know the Usher twins more intimately and their relationship with House’s unnamed narrator, who we learn is Alex Easton. Easton is an Gallacian Army Lieutenant who eventually collaborates on a scientific level with a former Civil War American doctor and an intelligent mycologist Eugenia Potter.

Kingfisher builds suspense and unease with Easton and the American doctor comparing war stories including appendage amputations and PTSD experiences.

Scenes with Madeline Usher in the crypt are much more creepy and unsettling vs Poe’s original tale. Noises, foot prints and just the simple unknowing of where everyone is located causes the reader’s mind to imagine the worst. (And oh, how we love to be fearful of what might be out there, don’t we readers?)

The basic plot of Poe’s “House of Usher” was further developed by Kingfisher. I found the plot expansion to be ingenious and interesting. While in Poe’s “House of Usher” we never know what’s going on completely; Kingfisher on the other hand gives us a unique possibility.

Many thanks to Tor Nightfire for my E-ARC on Netgalley. I’ll be picking up a hardcover of this to add to my collection. Gothic and horror lovers please pick this up. You’ll be rewarded with a great read.

* Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for an advance copy for review purposes *

I don't normally read much horror, but I have a soft spot for Edgar Allan Poe. "The Fall of the House of Usher", with its mysteriously ill siblings and a decrepit, condemned house as the main character, captured my imagination since high school. My interest on "What Moves the Dead" was piqued both by the disturbing cover and the reference to the sickly Madeline Usher. This retelling of Poe's classic does not disappoint - the atmosphere is truly creepy, the explanation of their illness makes sense (T. Kingfisher is right, it is hinted at in the original!), and the main character (the narrator) is quite interesting, coming from the self deprecating and grammatically creative land of Gallacia. The flashes of humour were much welcome among all the dread.

As T. Kingfisher points out in the acknowledgements, an eerie house and mysterious mushrooms bring to mind Silvia Moreno-Garcia's fantastic "Mexican Gothic". While both books manage to ensure that bleach is a treasured item in our home, they are very different books.

Another winner from T. Kingfisher.

I'm basically a total T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon fangirl, and this one hit all my sweet spots. A world weary but practical MC (who happens to be nonbinary), a horrifying/uncanny mystery plot, friendship and loyalty, wit. This follows the formula of her previous horror novels in that there's no romance in this unlike her fabulous paladin books. But the characters are all quite delightful. Particularly the MC and ka's batman, and the indefatigable elderly Miss Potter.

I'm not really much of a horror reader. This one definitely had some urk! moments for me, but nothing as awful as some of the scenes in The Hollow Places or that freaking jump scare in The Twisted Ones.

As for the nonbinary rep, it seemed well done to me as a cis person, and I liked the world building around the MC's made up home country of Gallacia and their sworn soldiers.

All in all, a great book. Highly recommend.

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.