This is delightfully eerie! I thought that Kingfisher's writing was great and I loved every minute. This was such an easy quick read for me. This book was gripping, gothic, fast paced and intriguing.  I thought that this was a great retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's, "The Fall of the House of Usher."


 I am so happy that I was able to receive this audiobook for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this!

atavistic body horror on gothic themes... this hit the SPOT.

here's the million-dollar question: what moves the dead?

and, more specifically... what is moving the dead in this creepy novella by t. kingfisher?

i was first exposed to the work of ursula vernon (t. kingfisher's equally epic actual name) a few months ago when i devoured the hollow places. that novel was not only one of my favourite reads of 2022 so far, it also cemented kingfisher as a speculative author whose oeuvre i knew i now had to methodically work my way through.

so you can imagine how excited i was when i received an advance audiobook of what moves the dead. and you must know how ecstatic i was when, just a few minutes ago, i listened to the final moments of this novella and realized that t. kingfisher has DELIVERED.

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the year is 1890, and alex easton receives a dire missive from a childhood friend, madeline usher, who is dying of a mysterious affliction. easton is a retired soldier in the fictional monarchy of gallacia - a region in europe - and they must travel to the ancestral usher home in neighbouring ruravia. when they arrive, what they find is wholly perturbing: from the unnaturally luminescent lake surrounding the house to madeline's sleep-walking (and chilling sleep-talking), from roderick usher's unwell countenance to the quietly baleful hares that haunt the grounds...

it becomes clear that something is moving the dead at the house of usher.

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as stated in the book blurb, what moves the dead is a retelling of edgar allan poe's beloved short story, the fall of the house of usher . where i found poe's story to be somewhat formulaic and spare, this retelling succeeds by fleshing out many of the unanswered questions i had while reading the fall of the house of usher - which kingfisher herself also admits in her author's note.

even better, though: kingfisher riffs on the source work with her trademark dry humour, a deadpan irreverence that contrasts superbly with the dark, grotesque content of her storytelling. (i say "trademark", insofar as i can judge from reading 2 of her books and a handful of tweets. lol.)

this novella also bore queer and feminist themes. for instance, alex easton is a "sworn soldier" - a title reserved for women (or anyone who is not a man) who enlist in the gallacian army. as such, easton uses the particular non-gendered pronouns exclusive to gallacian soldiers: ka (~they) and kan (~them). (in fact, as easton explains, there are at least seven different types of pronouns used in the gallacian language, to denote inanimate objects, god, and various people. this actually ended up being a bit of clever foreshadowing for me.)

for such a short piece of writing, i appreciated that what moves the dead featured some truly interesting characters. my favourite character-character interactions in this novel occurred between easton and angus (their "batman" or manservant), and easton and eugenia potter. kingfisher describes potter as "the fictional aunt of Beatrix Potter", as she's also a scientific illustrator and mycologist (who is frustratingly unrecognized by patriarchal science societies).

i love the palpable thrill of reading body horror - and this novella absolutely evoked those chills in me, what with its gothic-sublime overtones.

lastly, i got to listen to this novel as an advance audiobook - and avi roque was an immaculate narrator. their voice is smooth and expressive and compulsively listenable, and i loved that they, a trans & nonbinary voice actor of colour, narrated this queer horror story.

T. KINGFISHER: I'M COMING FOR YOUR OTHER WORKS.



many thanks to macmillan audio for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much Tornightfire and Macmillan Audio for providing me with this ARC!
THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE BOOK WOW. Disclaimer:
I haven't read the story its a retelling of (The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe). I'm obsessed with this book. It's spooky and creepy and fungi filled! I was on edge and creeped out and intrigued the entire time. Also trans rep! I cannot recommend this book enough!!