This was a fun and creepy little novella that horror fans will enjoy. It is a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher and I think it adds a little bit to it but is a pretty straight forward retelling. I enjoyed this a lot, I just wish there was more to it. Though I know it is a novella so that's my own issue with expectations rather than an issue of the book itself.

What Moves the Dead is a reimagining of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. When Alex Easton receives word that their childhood friend, Madeline, is dying, they rush to the Usher’s ancestral home in hopes of seeing her one last time before she passes. What Easton finds upon arrival is a dilapidated house and a nightmarish fungal growth that is possessing the wildlife. Madeline is sleepwalking and speaking in a strange voice at night and her brother, Roderick, is afflicted by some malady of the nerves. With the help of an American doctor and a local Mycologist, Easton struggles to unravel the mystery surrounding the House of Usher.

This is the first time in a long time that I have been thoroughly creeped out reading some of the descriptions in this book and I loved every minute of it. Kingfisher has such a command of telling a story and making you feel so much within a limited amount of pages. I was invested whole-heartedly in the characters and in the mystery surrounding the Usher house. This was so atmospheric and engaging.

I loved that Alex was a non-binary main character and that Kingfisher created a whole set of pronouns around the land that Alex was from. This choice only added to the uniqueness of Kingfisher’s storytelling.

T. Kingfisher is becoming one of my all time favorite authors and I will continue to read anything published by them.

Thank you to NetGalley, McMillian-Tor/Forge/Tor Nightfire, and T. Kingfisher for the e-arc of What Moves the Dead in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with Kingfisher with "The Hollow Places". Then I read "The twisted ones". I then proceeded to order their books from other genres. I'm working on getting to them soon. This story is a retelling of Poe's "The fall of the house of usher". I enjoyed the characters and the setting. It is a short story, but the details are very vivid in my mind. The monster of the story is an unlikely adversary. I really enjoyed their take on the original. In the acknowledgments, Kingfisher mentions that "Mexican Gothic" did it better. I haven't read that one yet, but I highly doubt that's the case. Immediately after reading I looked up the original to revisit. I can't wait for my next Kingfisher book!

What Moves the Dead is a short book, but it packs a heavy punch. The Fall of the House of Usher is haunting but ultimately leaves the reader with so many unanswered questions. T. Kingfisher fleshes out the characters while still maintaining the ominous atmosphere of the original story. This is a perfect book to read on a stormy day with a hot drink to temper the chill that will settle in your bones as you read this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Nightfire, for the ARC. I will be sharing this review on my Instagram: @LyatsLibrary closer to the pub date.

A wonderful psychological and somehow more macabre retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher. This book was a quick and enjoyable read, I had not read the inspiration in quite a bit but did not need the context to find myself drawn in by the vivid imagery. I read it in one sitting as I kept on wanting to know more.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to get my grubby little paws on this; it was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I was not disappointed. Truly dark and creepy. A dilapidated house festering in dampness of mold and rot. Yeeeeesss. This is a re imagination of The Fall of the House of Usher, beloved Poe, king of all things creep and horror! I love how Kingfisher constructs her own explanation for the strangeness going around the Ushers. Maybe it's my own personal obsession with the incredible nature of mycelium and fungi, but I just really dug how she implemented that so well within the story. If you love horror, gothic elements, Poe, fungi, or creeps, you MUST pick this up.

Also, this cover is phenomenal. That is reason enough to purchase this one. That is all.

The answer to the title What Moves the Dead is horrible and still gives me shivers. Horror, in general, does nothing for me, but T. Kingfisher knows how to creep me out. And as this is a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, I had to read it.

The Fall of the House of Usher is my favorite Poe story because it makes no sense. What kind of friendship involves not knowing about a twin sibling? T. Kingfisher decides the now named narrator knows about the twin sister. There is also a reason why the sister was buried alive. A really terrifying reason.

Thinking about this book still gives me chills.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

3.5 stars. A creatively creepy Gothic horror retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe. Readers don't need to be familiar with the original story to enjoy this weird and gross revamp, but if you know whats ahead it will surely add to the slowly building dread as you read.

Narrator Alex Easton travels to visit long-time but somewhat estranged friends, brother and sister duo Madeline and Roderick Usher, at their crumbling country estate after receiving a letter stating Madeline is dying. Alex immediately notices strange mushrooms on the property and even stranger hares whom the local townspeople claim are bewitched. Events escalate at a steady pace and reach a very disturbing climax in the final chapters.

Fans of Mexican Gothic will surely see some similarities here as fungi play a pivotal role in the terror, but I think Kingfisher has created a wholly different piece of unsettling historical fiction here that horror fans will truly enjoy. Recommended.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher is an absolutely amazing retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." The story revolves around Alex, a retired soldier who has just heard that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying. They enter the mysterious Usher estate and discover a Gothic house taken over by fungi and nature. And the house is not the only thing haunted. The people are acting very strange. Can Alex untangle the mystery of the Ushers before they become the next target?

Here is an enchanting excerpt from Chapter 1:

"The mushroom’s gills were the deep-red color of severed muscle, the almost-violet shade that contrasts so dreadfully with the pale pink of viscera. I had seen it any number of times in dead deer and dying soldiers, but it startled me to see it here.
Perhaps it would not have been so unsettling if the mushrooms had not looked so much like flesh. The caps were clammy, swollen beige, puffed up against the dark-red gills. They grew out of the gaps in the stones of the tarn like tumors growing from diseased skin. I had a strong urge to step back from them, and an even stronger urge to poke them with a stick.
I felt vaguely guilty about pausing in my trip to dismount and look at mushrooms, but I was tired. More importantly, my horse was tired. Madeline’s letter had taken over a week to reach me, and no matter how urgently worded it had been, five minutes more or less would not matter."

Overall, What Moves the Dead is a spooky, Gothic retelling that will appeal to fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia or Catriona Ward. One highlight of this book is how creepy it is. I seriously had trouble sleeping at night after reading this book. The idea of the fungus in particular really creeped me out. Another highlight of this book is the Gothic atmosphere, which I adored. I love reading books that transport me into a different world, and this book definitely did that. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of atmospheric horror, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in July!

5 stars

Yeah, T. Kingfisher is an auto-buy for me at this point, and this story just proves it. It’s so different from books I’ve read from her before, yet also such a wonderful example of what I love about her writing.

What Moves the Dead is a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s famous short story The Fall of the House of Usher, which I’ll just call Usher for the rest of the review. Usher has never been my favorite Poe story, but it’s one that fascinates me more than most. In some ways it’s a perfect story, every element relevant—and yet there are some really intriguing aspects to the story that aren’t led to a conclusion, leaving me wondering about them. Most especially, in the original story Poe wonderfully describes the vegetation and fungi, and Roderick Usher raves that he believes they are alive and animating the house. I wanted to know more about this, to ponder more on what that would mean—and, fortunately for me, so did T. Kingfisher.

Kingfisher rewrites the story in a few different ways: she brings Madeline, previously a character with no lines, to a prominent character role. She introduces new characters, replacing the nameless narrator of Poe’s story with a nonbinary soldier and an American doctor, both brought in at the requests of the siblings, and adding important side character roles in a British lady mycologist and a sarcastic batman. And, most importantly, she foregrounds the fungus—and the strange idea of what role it might play in the fall of this crumbling noble house.

What I love about Kingfisher’s retelling is that, while the original story was focused upon the decline of an aristocratic family (one of Poe’s favorite themes, and metaphors) she is much more interested in the middle and working class, and so her original characters play much more of a role in the story than the sickly Usher twins, to great effect. I also find her horror element more effective than the original. Poe’s story to me was atmospheric, gloomy with a note of distress. Kingfisher’s reanimation of the source material is disturbing and horrifying, to gratifying effect. And she does this with likable characters—a rarity in much horror fiction. A queen.

This book is excellent, and I would recommend it to Poe fans and the uninitiated alike. Fans will enjoy the care paid to the source material, and those who have never read the original will find a well-written tale that can live on its own.

Full review of this book will be published in Rue Morgue magazine (July/August 2022 issue)

T. Kingfisher re-imagines this gothic classic and creates a unique experience whilst remaining true to the heart of Poe’s work. A genderqueer protagonist, a familiar, crumbling manse, and a fungus sure to terrify, make this a must-read. Coming in at just under 200 pages, Kingfisher wastes no time introducing relatable characters and a compelling story line. The dread and beauty of Poe’s story remain. From Kingfisher’s opening to the great conclusion, it is a definite page turner.

Unfortunately, due to technical errors, I was unable to view this book. I tried to download it several different ways but was unsuccessful in my attempts. I look forward to enjoying this book upon it's release in July!

First off ide like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this ARC is place of an honest review.

Phew! This book was really well written. I was interested by the cover and the Author as a lot of people rant and rave over T. Kingfisher and this was my first book written by her. She is such a descriptive Author I could picture everything in this book in my head. Though some of the language was a bit confusing she put easy to follow text this explained what it really ment. I loved how Alex referred to his past a lot and that really showed you how his mind worked as a Soldier and his character on how he was raised.

Denton is also a strong character but you can tell he questions himself and even though he knows something off is occurring he doesn't know how to put his finger on it. His character grows and I enjoyed the friendship that developed between he and Alex.

Miss. Potter is my favorite by far. She's spunky, smart and driven to place her mark in this world as most women, especially in her field are not taken seriously. I enjoyed how Alex always went to consult with her and learn and listen to what she had to say about her love for her research.

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, I highly suggest this to anyone who enjoys a story that develops over time and keeps you guessing. Creepy undertones and descriptive story telling that unwinds to the very end to explain everything that occurred. It was really good and I cannot wait to read Nettle and Bone.

Thank you Net Galley and Tor Books for the arc of this creepy novella.

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher is a quick, creepy, witty and highly enjoyable read. It’s a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. I haven’t read it, but upon researching it, it appears to be a true-to-form depiction of the story.

This is a creepy AF book in all the best ways. Like, ‘read with the lights on’ kind of creepy. What’s great about this book, though, is that it’s also quite funny.

Our MC, Easton, has a very dry, witty sense of humour, which balances out the horror in this novella quite well. You’re along for the ride with Easton, as they go from skeptic to ‘WTF’ to to ‘this ain’t from the human world.’

From the creepy hares, to disgusting mushrooms, and then to the actual debilitating illness, T. Kingfisher creates a story of horror done right.

There’s also a very intricate and interesting system of pronouns, originating from Easton’s fictional country of origin. I’ve never read anything like this and I found it both fascinating and inclusive. As a reader, we never know if Easton is trans, non-binary or gender fluid, and that’s just all right with me. What matters is that Easton is a person who’s confident in their own skin, despite the spiraling horrific events happening around them.

Despite it being a novella, What Moves the Dead has fleshed out characters and events, and is wrapped up in a wholly satisfying ending.

Highly recommend for lovers of horror and story retellings, or for those who want an interesting, new genre to discover.

This was my first book by T. Kingfisher and it wont be my last. It’s absolutely crawling with creeps and I highly recommend it for people who love a good story paired with an eerie atmosphere!

This was a great retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher. We get more story, more Madeline and even more reasonings of why things are happening the way they are. I loved all of the discussion of fungus. The overall atmosphere of decay and dread is perfect. The setting is so creepy and you can’t stop reading. I read this in one afternoon and really enjoyed it.

A creepy and creative re-imagining of Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher". I wasn't sure how to categorize this: Is it horror? Mystery? I am leaning towards horror due to some of the gore and depictions of animal death, but it would be an excellent read for someone who likes dark stories with an edge..

"What Moves the Dead" tells the tale of retired Gallacian lieutenant East, drawn to the House of Usher by a desperate letter from his childhood friend Madeleine. "Maddy" and her bother Roderick are afflicted with an unknown ailment and are being treated by a former American army surgeon. This is where Kingfisher's tale diverges from Poe's -- what is causing the torment of the Ushers and what does Easton risk trying to save them?

Fascinating characters (keep an eye out for the aunt of a famous writer!) and a moody and claustrophic setting made this short but substantial read highly enjoyable. It was also great to read a story centering non-binary characters in the heroic lead.

Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Fall of the House of Usher is one of my favorite Poe stories. This retelling has become another favorite of mine. Horrifically satisfying. Be careful of wild mushrooms and tarn water…..

Synopsis:

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

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.

If you love Poe’s work, treat yourself to this novella.

4.5 stars
T. Kingfisher is just a master horror author. The writing itself is poetic, and beautiful. This retelling does not let us down or do any Injustice to the original, the atmosphere is perfect. I cannot wait to add this as a physical copy to my personal library!

What a unique and genuinely unsettling retelling of THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER! As someone who loves Poe (though admittedly it's been a LONG time since I read that one), I love seeing what current authors do to retell or reimagine his work, and WHAT MOVES THE DEAD by T. Kingfisher is creative and appropriately creepy. I love how Kingfisher has created a familiar but unique society, with some new twists and tweaks on language and pronouns and honorifics, and it all works really well and feels organic. I also really loved our main character of Alex, a former soldier who has returned to the sides of their friends Madeline and Roderick who are seemingly wasting away on their family estate. The themes of USHER are certainly there, but Kingfisher brings in a new horror element that maintains the Gothic sensibilities while mining for something new through mysterious fungus and odd behaving animals on the property. I loved the body horror themes, even if it really freaked me out at times, and I thought that the imagery and aesthetics of the horror moments were vivid and super fascinating. Plys, it's a pretty short read, so if you want a shorter horror story to take on vacation this summer, this could be a good option!

WHAT MOVES THE DEAD was a fun and freaky horror novel! Definitely check it out, horror fans!