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Sworn Soldier #1
What Moves the Dead
ŷ Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Horror (2022)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 Ruravia.
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.
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.
165 pages, Hardcover
First published July 12, 2022
5,693 people are currently reading
255k people want to read
About the author
T. Kingfisher
56books19.8kfollowersT. Kingfisher is the vaguely absurd pen-name of Ursula Vernon. In another life, she writes children's books and weird comics, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections.
This is the name she uses when writing things for grown-ups.
When she is not writing, she is probably out in the garden, trying to make eye contact with butterflies.
This is the name she uses when writing things for grown-ups.
When she is not writing, she is probably out in the garden, trying to make eye contact with butterflies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 18,501 reviews
November 24, 2024
5-stars yet again!
This was exactly what I wanted for my first read of October, which is why I chose to reread a tried and true favorite Horror novella by one of my favorite authors, T. Kingfisher.
My goal was to set a tone for the month and What Moves the Dead certainly succeeded in that. It's more than just a gorgeous cover. Kingfisher creates such an eerie, fun and mysterious tale in under 200-pages. She's a marvel.
As with many other rereads, I think I was able to enjoy the details of this story even more this time around. Since I knew where the story was going, I could concentrate a little more on the finer points.
My biggest take-away this time through was how much I truly enjoy reading from Alex's perspective. I love how Kingfisher brings her signature sense of humor to every main character she writes and Alex is no exception.
Alex is such a unique protagonist. They make you feel like you are sitting with a friend who is telling you a story of their last vacation. Granted a really messed up and horrifying vacation, but entertaining nonetheless.
I'm super stoked that Alex is coming back in February in the sequel to this book, . It sounds like it is going to contain the same sort of horror-based mystery for Alex to investigate.
Personally, I am counting down the days until I can get my hands on that. It's definitely one of my most anticipated releases of 2024.
If you love Horror, but haven't picked this one up yet, what are you doing with your life? Seriously? Get to it! This is the perfect way to kick off your Spooky Season reading!
Original:
In What Moves the Dead T. Kingfisher expertly reimagines Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher.
That fact alone sold me on this book, well that and the fact that T. Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors, but then this cover dropped.
A masterpiece shall grace our shelves. Mine for sure because I've already preordered a copy and you should too!
The year is 1890 and Alex Easton has just received word that their childhood friend, Madeline Usher, is on the brink of death. Thus, Easton heads off to the countryside to the Usher family estate to be with Madeline and perhaps provide some support to Madeline's brother, Roderick.
Arriving at the once lavish estate, Easton is shocked that the manor home has fallen into such a horrible state of disrepair. It's unnerving to say the least.
Equally unnerving is the state in which Easton finds Madeline. They knew Madeline was quite ill, but her behavior belies any illness that Easton is aware of. Madeline's behavior, speech and appearance are bizarre. She's actually frightening to be around.
Denton, an American doctor and friend of Roderick Usher, is staying at the home as well while tending to Madeline. It's clear that Denton has no explanation for Madeline's mysterious illness.
Additionally, Roderick Usher isn't quite himself either. He's not sleeping and claims to be hearing things in the walls of the home. Could he be succumbing to whatever has infected Madeline?
In addition to our main cast we also get some great side characters. Hob, Easton's trusty horse, was of course my favorite. No one writes animal companions quite like Kingfisher. She gives them such strong personalities, which for anyone who has an animal companion of their own will seem quite relatable.
Another favorite was the intelligent and plucky Miss Potter, a local woman who spends her time researching and painting specimens of fungi. Easton and Potter meet and develop a quick rapport. Easton ends up learning a lot about the local area, lore, flora and fauna from Miss Potter.
The classic gothic vibe of What Moves the Dead meshed so well with Kingfisher's fresh and witty humor.
Picking up a new Kingfisher story is so comforting for me. It's like settling in for story time with a horror-loving friend. That's exactly the feeling I got from this one. It's eerie and sinister the entire way through, while also somehow managing to keep me laughing.
I loved going along with Easton on their investigation into the mystery surrounding the House of Usher. There is some truly horrifying imagery included that was so well done.
I could picture, smell and taste the decay of this property. It definitely got under my skin.
Thank you so, so much to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copies to read and review.
As I mentioned earlier, this was absolutely one of my MOST ANTICIPATED releases of the year and it did not disappoint. Kingfisher is knocking them out of the park in 2022!!!
This was exactly what I wanted for my first read of October, which is why I chose to reread a tried and true favorite Horror novella by one of my favorite authors, T. Kingfisher.
My goal was to set a tone for the month and What Moves the Dead certainly succeeded in that. It's more than just a gorgeous cover. Kingfisher creates such an eerie, fun and mysterious tale in under 200-pages. She's a marvel.
As with many other rereads, I think I was able to enjoy the details of this story even more this time around. Since I knew where the story was going, I could concentrate a little more on the finer points.
My biggest take-away this time through was how much I truly enjoy reading from Alex's perspective. I love how Kingfisher brings her signature sense of humor to every main character she writes and Alex is no exception.
Alex is such a unique protagonist. They make you feel like you are sitting with a friend who is telling you a story of their last vacation. Granted a really messed up and horrifying vacation, but entertaining nonetheless.
I'm super stoked that Alex is coming back in February in the sequel to this book, . It sounds like it is going to contain the same sort of horror-based mystery for Alex to investigate.
Personally, I am counting down the days until I can get my hands on that. It's definitely one of my most anticipated releases of 2024.
If you love Horror, but haven't picked this one up yet, what are you doing with your life? Seriously? Get to it! This is the perfect way to kick off your Spooky Season reading!
Original:
In What Moves the Dead T. Kingfisher expertly reimagines Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher.
That fact alone sold me on this book, well that and the fact that T. Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors, but then this cover dropped.
A masterpiece shall grace our shelves. Mine for sure because I've already preordered a copy and you should too!
The year is 1890 and Alex Easton has just received word that their childhood friend, Madeline Usher, is on the brink of death. Thus, Easton heads off to the countryside to the Usher family estate to be with Madeline and perhaps provide some support to Madeline's brother, Roderick.
Arriving at the once lavish estate, Easton is shocked that the manor home has fallen into such a horrible state of disrepair. It's unnerving to say the least.
Equally unnerving is the state in which Easton finds Madeline. They knew Madeline was quite ill, but her behavior belies any illness that Easton is aware of. Madeline's behavior, speech and appearance are bizarre. She's actually frightening to be around.
Denton, an American doctor and friend of Roderick Usher, is staying at the home as well while tending to Madeline. It's clear that Denton has no explanation for Madeline's mysterious illness.
Additionally, Roderick Usher isn't quite himself either. He's not sleeping and claims to be hearing things in the walls of the home. Could he be succumbing to whatever has infected Madeline?
In addition to our main cast we also get some great side characters. Hob, Easton's trusty horse, was of course my favorite. No one writes animal companions quite like Kingfisher. She gives them such strong personalities, which for anyone who has an animal companion of their own will seem quite relatable.
Another favorite was the intelligent and plucky Miss Potter, a local woman who spends her time researching and painting specimens of fungi. Easton and Potter meet and develop a quick rapport. Easton ends up learning a lot about the local area, lore, flora and fauna from Miss Potter.
The classic gothic vibe of What Moves the Dead meshed so well with Kingfisher's fresh and witty humor.
Picking up a new Kingfisher story is so comforting for me. It's like settling in for story time with a horror-loving friend. That's exactly the feeling I got from this one. It's eerie and sinister the entire way through, while also somehow managing to keep me laughing.
I loved going along with Easton on their investigation into the mystery surrounding the House of Usher. There is some truly horrifying imagery included that was so well done.
I could picture, smell and taste the decay of this property. It definitely got under my skin.
Thank you so, so much to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copies to read and review.
As I mentioned earlier, this was absolutely one of my MOST ANTICIPATED releases of the year and it did not disappoint. Kingfisher is knocking them out of the park in 2022!!!
July 15, 2022
T. Kingfisher has done it. She’s written a book that covers multiple genres I don’t prefer: gothic horror, fantasy, retellings of classics, and shades of sci-fi and in one short, clever novella made me thoroughly enjoy all of them. I think only Catriona Ward has obliterated my genre boundaries as efficiently.
In this retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Fall of the House of Usher", our central protagonist, Alex Easton, is a non-binary retired lieutenant in the Gallacian army who’s come to small, rural Ruravia to help their dying childhood friend, Madeline Usher, at her brother Roderick’s behest.
(Since the MC is non-binary, I will use they/them pronouns when referring to them.)
Alarmed by the decayed and untimely aged appearance of the Usher siblings, Easton can make little sense of their rapidly declining conditions. Equally bizarre: What explains the unsettling behavior of those staring white hares that seem to have proliferated in the area, and what is going on with the cold, dark tarn (lake) and the abundance of fungi?
With the help of Roderick’s friend and fellow houseguest, American doctor, James Denton, and Easton’s new acquaintance, quirky British mycologist, Eugenia Potter, will they be able to protect the Ushers or themselves from the menace of death that seems to be closing in?
Kingfisher brings the Usher house and surrounding grounds alive in the most deliciously creepy, ominous way, making everything, animate or inanimate equally suspect. The threat feels all-encompassing, and you can sympathize with Roderick’s paranoia and jumpiness. Easton is a strong, intelligent MC, and it was fun to watch them puzzle through the mystery with Denton and Ms. Potter, who I have to say was my favorite character, alongside Easton’s opinionated horse, Hob.
It’s not necessary to have read Poe’s original work to enjoy this. In fact, in some ways it might be better to let this version speak for itself. I read the original after this, and it was fun to see in hindsight how Kingfisher tweaked and added her own imagination to the bones of Poe’s story. It’s my first book of hers, but it won’t be my last. She’s a wonderful, imaginative, funny writer!
A few notes:
Gallacia has a whole set of pronouns “ta/tan�, “ka/kan�, “va/van�, etc. that are explained and widely used, so that takes a little getting used to.
Easton has a pretty low opinion of Americans, so there are not infrequent humorous jabs taken at Denton. You’ll either find it funny or you’ll be put off by it. I chose to see the humor.
There are a couple gruesome scenes involving hares. It’s not gratuitous or malicious, and it makes sense within the story, but it may be upsetting for some readers.
The author’s note is important! Don’t skip it, but wait until you’ve read this book first. The book will inevitably get compared to another well-known book with similar themes, which I won’t name for spoiler reasons, but Kingfisher addresses that.
★★★★
Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire, NetGalley and author T. Kingfisher for this digital ARC to honestly review. It will be published on July 12, 2022.
**
For anyone who cares to read Edgar Allan Poe’s original short story:
In this retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Fall of the House of Usher", our central protagonist, Alex Easton, is a non-binary retired lieutenant in the Gallacian army who’s come to small, rural Ruravia to help their dying childhood friend, Madeline Usher, at her brother Roderick’s behest.
(Since the MC is non-binary, I will use they/them pronouns when referring to them.)
Alarmed by the decayed and untimely aged appearance of the Usher siblings, Easton can make little sense of their rapidly declining conditions. Equally bizarre: What explains the unsettling behavior of those staring white hares that seem to have proliferated in the area, and what is going on with the cold, dark tarn (lake) and the abundance of fungi?
With the help of Roderick’s friend and fellow houseguest, American doctor, James Denton, and Easton’s new acquaintance, quirky British mycologist, Eugenia Potter, will they be able to protect the Ushers or themselves from the menace of death that seems to be closing in?
Kingfisher brings the Usher house and surrounding grounds alive in the most deliciously creepy, ominous way, making everything, animate or inanimate equally suspect. The threat feels all-encompassing, and you can sympathize with Roderick’s paranoia and jumpiness. Easton is a strong, intelligent MC, and it was fun to watch them puzzle through the mystery with Denton and Ms. Potter, who I have to say was my favorite character, alongside Easton’s opinionated horse, Hob.
It’s not necessary to have read Poe’s original work to enjoy this. In fact, in some ways it might be better to let this version speak for itself. I read the original after this, and it was fun to see in hindsight how Kingfisher tweaked and added her own imagination to the bones of Poe’s story. It’s my first book of hers, but it won’t be my last. She’s a wonderful, imaginative, funny writer!
A few notes:
Gallacia has a whole set of pronouns “ta/tan�, “ka/kan�, “va/van�, etc. that are explained and widely used, so that takes a little getting used to.
Easton has a pretty low opinion of Americans, so there are not infrequent humorous jabs taken at Denton. You’ll either find it funny or you’ll be put off by it. I chose to see the humor.
There are a couple gruesome scenes involving hares. It’s not gratuitous or malicious, and it makes sense within the story, but it may be upsetting for some readers.
The author’s note is important! Don’t skip it, but wait until you’ve read this book first. The book will inevitably get compared to another well-known book with similar themes, which I won’t name for spoiler reasons, but Kingfisher addresses that.
★★★★
Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire, NetGalley and author T. Kingfisher for this digital ARC to honestly review. It will be published on July 12, 2022.
**
For anyone who cares to read Edgar Allan Poe’s original short story:
October 1, 2024
Who would have thought, soft/humorous horror was a thing... and my thing?
March 12, 2023
“What Moves the Dead� by T. Kingfisher is the first book I read by this author and let me tell you, the book cover on this one is absolutely wild. It’s definitely one of the best horror covers I’ve ever seen and immediately drew me in. I was very curious as to what kind of horror I’d experience with this one and my goodness, it did not disappoint at all.
From the very creepy intro, this author’s writing style is exceptional from beginning to end. It’s a very good story that grabbed me the moment I started reading with a solid, old-school style approach. I got so many medieval and Gothic vibes all throughout which I genuinely enjoyed. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin anything for you but my goodness, I will never look at mold, mushrooms, or rabbits the same ever again.
The creepiness of it all with the intricate layers of horror that kept getting amplified with each chapter was brilliant. I simply could not put it down as I loved the suspense and tension as to what was ultimately being revealed. Besides the various horror instances, there is one insanely scary and terrifying scene that took this story to horror levels I’ve never read and enjoyed as much. I was totally blown away and re-read that scene several times because it was that crazy.
When it comes to the ending, it was excellent. Once everything was unraveled, I was making all sorts of weird faces while reading due weirdness and well, disgusting nature of it all. “What Moves the Dead� is simply one of those horror books you have to read at least once in your life because it just checks all the boxes and then some if you love this genre as much as I do.
I give “What Moves the Dead� by T. Kingfisher a perfect 5/5 because this was an awesome read and one I’ll remember for many years to come. I loved all the characters, horror scenes, story, and creepiness of it all. I learned so much about the fungal world that I will now think twice anytime I eat some mushrooms. This was a powerhouse of a book that I’ll recommend to all my fellow horror enthusiasts that want one hell of a scary, fungal read. The dead don’t walk.
From the very creepy intro, this author’s writing style is exceptional from beginning to end. It’s a very good story that grabbed me the moment I started reading with a solid, old-school style approach. I got so many medieval and Gothic vibes all throughout which I genuinely enjoyed. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin anything for you but my goodness, I will never look at mold, mushrooms, or rabbits the same ever again.
The creepiness of it all with the intricate layers of horror that kept getting amplified with each chapter was brilliant. I simply could not put it down as I loved the suspense and tension as to what was ultimately being revealed. Besides the various horror instances, there is one insanely scary and terrifying scene that took this story to horror levels I’ve never read and enjoyed as much. I was totally blown away and re-read that scene several times because it was that crazy.
When it comes to the ending, it was excellent. Once everything was unraveled, I was making all sorts of weird faces while reading due weirdness and well, disgusting nature of it all. “What Moves the Dead� is simply one of those horror books you have to read at least once in your life because it just checks all the boxes and then some if you love this genre as much as I do.
I give “What Moves the Dead� by T. Kingfisher a perfect 5/5 because this was an awesome read and one I’ll remember for many years to come. I loved all the characters, horror scenes, story, and creepiness of it all. I learned so much about the fungal world that I will now think twice anytime I eat some mushrooms. This was a powerhouse of a book that I’ll recommend to all my fellow horror enthusiasts that want one hell of a scary, fungal read. The dead don’t walk.
August 26, 2024
What on earth is happening in that decaying Usher house? Why do Roderick and his sister Madeline resemble zombies from Night of the Living Dead? The story evokes Mexican Gothic vibes: a creepy haunted house, hares with seemingly endless lives, a strangely glowing lake, fungal infestations spreading across the land, and eccentric characters guarding a terrible secret. It’s an irresistible formula for dark reads lovers like me!
T. Kingfisher has crafted yet another winner that scared the living daylights out of me!
This novella grips you from the start with its fast pacing and bizarre events centered around Usher House, where retired soldier Alex Easton is summoned to visit his sick childhood friend Madeline, who sent a letter claiming her brother believes she’s on the verge of death.
Upon arriving at the dilapidated house, Alex encounters the eccentric Miss Porter, an old lady with a peculiar fascination for fungi, which she spends her time drawing. Roderick, Madeline’s brother, seems just as ill as his sister and grows uneasy about Alex’s visit, which is also accompanied by American doctor Denton, who is caring for Madeline.
There’s something deeply sinister lurking in the house—moving through the corridors and pulsating in the eerie lake. Why does Madeline keep sleepwalking? And why is Roderick so hysterical, plagued by voices and nightmares?
This was an addictive, one-sitting read—a blend of paranormal fantasy, mystery, thriller, and horror that worked brilliantly together!
T. Kingfisher never disappoints with her sharp, sarcastic, and direct tone!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
T. Kingfisher has crafted yet another winner that scared the living daylights out of me!
This novella grips you from the start with its fast pacing and bizarre events centered around Usher House, where retired soldier Alex Easton is summoned to visit his sick childhood friend Madeline, who sent a letter claiming her brother believes she’s on the verge of death.
Upon arriving at the dilapidated house, Alex encounters the eccentric Miss Porter, an old lady with a peculiar fascination for fungi, which she spends her time drawing. Roderick, Madeline’s brother, seems just as ill as his sister and grows uneasy about Alex’s visit, which is also accompanied by American doctor Denton, who is caring for Madeline.
There’s something deeply sinister lurking in the house—moving through the corridors and pulsating in the eerie lake. Why does Madeline keep sleepwalking? And why is Roderick so hysterical, plagued by voices and nightmares?
This was an addictive, one-sitting read—a blend of paranormal fantasy, mystery, thriller, and horror that worked brilliantly together!
T. Kingfisher never disappoints with her sharp, sarcastic, and direct tone!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
September 8, 2024
I was expecting a gothic body horror experience, but what I got was something quite different. The gothic vibe was missing, and while there were hints of body horror, they were incredibly mild for the most part. The narration, however, kept things light and engaging, adding a quippy, almost comedic tone that softened any real sense of terror.
The protagonist comes across as charming, with a kind of Whedon-esque humor that makes them easy to listen to. But this casual, almost "huh, would ya look at that" attitude extends to all the characters. As events unfold, they seem to take everything in stride, which made it difficult for me to feel truly horrified or emotionally invested. The narrator captured this lighthearted approach, which might work well for other genres, but for a story that’s supposed to unsettle or frighten, it just didn’t quite land. I found myself more amused than tense, which wasn’t the effect I was hoping for.
Listen:
As for the plot twist, it felt predictable from the very first chapter. The narrator does their best to build suspense, but if you’re familiar with Poe’s original story, the twist almost feels inevitable. The ending, which comes at you quickly in the , felt a bit too neat and rushed for my taste. I was left wanting a bit more time to process the conclusion, but the pacing just didn’t allow for that.
That said, I would definitely consider listening to more books by this author. The writing has a certain charm, and with different expectations or a different setting, I think I could enjoy it much more. This particular audiobook didn’t quite scratch the itch I had for gothic horror, but I’d be willing to give the author another shot with a story that better aligns with what I’m looking for. Ultimately, this felt more like a light, mildly spooky tale than the darker, creepier experience I had anticipated.
The protagonist comes across as charming, with a kind of Whedon-esque humor that makes them easy to listen to. But this casual, almost "huh, would ya look at that" attitude extends to all the characters. As events unfold, they seem to take everything in stride, which made it difficult for me to feel truly horrified or emotionally invested. The narrator captured this lighthearted approach, which might work well for other genres, but for a story that’s supposed to unsettle or frighten, it just didn’t quite land. I found myself more amused than tense, which wasn’t the effect I was hoping for.
Listen:
As for the plot twist, it felt predictable from the very first chapter. The narrator does their best to build suspense, but if you’re familiar with Poe’s original story, the twist almost feels inevitable. The ending, which comes at you quickly in the , felt a bit too neat and rushed for my taste. I was left wanting a bit more time to process the conclusion, but the pacing just didn’t allow for that.
That said, I would definitely consider listening to more books by this author. The writing has a certain charm, and with different expectations or a different setting, I think I could enjoy it much more. This particular audiobook didn’t quite scratch the itch I had for gothic horror, but I’d be willing to give the author another shot with a story that better aligns with what I’m looking for. Ultimately, this felt more like a light, mildly spooky tale than the darker, creepier experience I had anticipated.
October 24, 2024
takie troche wyzebrane te trzy gwiazdki
November 29, 2022
"I did not know how to deal with this sort of death, the one that comes slow and inevitable and does not let go. I am a solider, I deal in cannonballs and rifle shots. I understand how a wound can fester and kill a soldier, but there is still the initial wound, something that can be avoided with a little skill and a great deal of luck. Death that simply comes and settles is not a thing I had any experience with."
This novella retelling of starts off pretty closely to the original story, but deviates along the way to give the tale its own flair by way of . (This is discussed in the author's note at the end of the book.)
I like to think that this particular version gives more clarity and closure to EAP's open-ended original, and it makes for quite the satisfying read if you can stomach a few lightly grotesque moments. Obviously horror and disgust are reactions that vary with each reader, but as a casual consumer of horror and a regular consumer of graphic violence in the crime fiction I read, I found this to have a few yucky moments, but nothing inducing sleep deprivation or my gag reflex.
Easton is our narrator, and one of the creative and unique inclusions in this tale is Easton's pronouns. Kingfisher has chosen to create and entire new vocabulary of pronouns for the land that this character was born into, but for the sake of this review and the ease of the reader, I'll be simplifying to using our equivalent of they/them, instead of ka/kan, va/van, etc.
The year is 1890, and Easton served in the war alongside Roderick Usher, while also being close friends with Roderick's sister, Madeline Usher. One day, they receive a letter from Maddy urging them to visit in haste, as something is very wrong. What Easton finds when they arrive is a rundown Usher estate covered in tarn, mushrooms, and various other forms of fungi. We also meet an English mycologist and an American doctor who play roles in the progression of the story, but Easton remains our sole POV.
I don't want to give anything away, but while the story is fairly predictable and straightforward, it was wholly enjoyable and the perfect length to get me reading again after setting aside several novels I had recently started. The addition of the hares was a wonderfully creepy insertion, and the fact that we receive full closure at the end of the book was incredibly satisfying. If you're looking for a mildly creepy read that is fast paced and thought provoking, please give this one a try!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
This novella retelling of starts off pretty closely to the original story, but deviates along the way to give the tale its own flair by way of . (This is discussed in the author's note at the end of the book.)
I like to think that this particular version gives more clarity and closure to EAP's open-ended original, and it makes for quite the satisfying read if you can stomach a few lightly grotesque moments. Obviously horror and disgust are reactions that vary with each reader, but as a casual consumer of horror and a regular consumer of graphic violence in the crime fiction I read, I found this to have a few yucky moments, but nothing inducing sleep deprivation or my gag reflex.
Easton is our narrator, and one of the creative and unique inclusions in this tale is Easton's pronouns. Kingfisher has chosen to create and entire new vocabulary of pronouns for the land that this character was born into, but for the sake of this review and the ease of the reader, I'll be simplifying to using our equivalent of they/them, instead of ka/kan, va/van, etc.
The year is 1890, and Easton served in the war alongside Roderick Usher, while also being close friends with Roderick's sister, Madeline Usher. One day, they receive a letter from Maddy urging them to visit in haste, as something is very wrong. What Easton finds when they arrive is a rundown Usher estate covered in tarn, mushrooms, and various other forms of fungi. We also meet an English mycologist and an American doctor who play roles in the progression of the story, but Easton remains our sole POV.
I don't want to give anything away, but while the story is fairly predictable and straightforward, it was wholly enjoyable and the perfect length to get me reading again after setting aside several novels I had recently started. The addition of the hares was a wonderfully creepy insertion, and the fact that we receive full closure at the end of the book was incredibly satisfying. If you're looking for a mildly creepy read that is fast paced and thought provoking, please give this one a try!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
April 15, 2023
The dead don’t walk. Except, sometimes, when they do.--------------------------------------
It is a cliché to say that a building’s windows look like eyes because humans will find faces in anything and of course the windows would be the eyes. The house of Usher had dozens of eyes, so either it was a great many faces lined up together or it was the face of some creature belonging to a different order of life—a spider, perhaps, with rows of eyes along its head.How many of you have not read Edgar Allan Poe’s story, ? Ok, now how many of you read it, but so long ago that you do not really remember what it was all about? All right, the link is right above, so, really, go check it out. Take your time. I get paid the same whether you take half an hour or a year, so no worries on my part. Pop back in when you’re done.
All right, I think it has been long enough. Those who have not done the reading can catch up later. As I am sure you get, What Moves the Dead is a pastiche, a reimagining of Poe’s tale. Often these are temporal updates, moving the events to a more contemporary setting. But this one is different. Kingfisher (really Ursula Vernon) keeps Usher in the late 19th century. She supplants Poe’s thick style with a more contemporary, less florid, more conversational presentation.
T. Kingfisher - image from her GR page
Poe’s unnamed narrator becomes Alex Easton, of which more in a bit. We first meet the lieutenant examining some disturbing flora.
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.Ok, definitely not good. Continuing on, Alex is alarmed at the state of the Usher manse.
It was a joyless scene, even with the end of the journey in sight. There were more of the pale sedges and a few dead trees, too gray and decayed for me to identify…Mosses coated the edges of the stones and more of the stinking redgills pushed up in obscene little lumps. The house squatted over it all like the largest mushroom of them all.The invitation (plea) to visit in this version came not from Roderick Usher, but from his twin, Madeline. Neither sibling had had any children, so mark the end of their line, as many prior generations had failed to provide more than a single direct line of descendants. Both Madeline and Roderick look awful, cadaverous, with Maddy, diagnosed as cataleptic, quite wasted away and clearly nearing death. They are having a bad hair life.
Redgill Mushroom - image from Forest Floor Narrative
There is another in attendance, Doctor James Denton, an American, whose primary narrative purpose seems to be to provide a conversational and analytical partner for Easton.
We track the demise of Madeline. Given her Poe-DNA, we know her chances for survival are not great. (But was she really dead in that one, or just entombed alive?) Add in a delight of an amateur mycologist, Eugenia, a fictional aunt of Beatrix Potter, who was quite an accomplished student and illustrator of things fungal. Potter is a pure delight upon the page, (maybe she used some spells?) possessed of a sharp mind and wit, and a bit of unkind regard for some. Other supporting cast include Easton’s batman (no, not that one) Angus, and his mount, Hob, who is given a lot more personality than horses are usually allowed.
Image from from TV Tropes
So, plenty of dark and dreary, but the atmospherics are not all that is going on here. Kingfisher had read the book as a kid, but rereading it as an adult, found her curiosity piqued. She noted that Poe goes on a fair bit in his story about things fungal, so decided to dig into that as a possible reason for the sad state of the Usher land and clan. The result is a spore-burst of understanding,
…so I was reading old pulp, basically going, is there anything here that grabs me that I can see a story in. And I happened on Usher and I was like, I haven't reread any Poe in a while. And I read Fall of the House of Usher and it's obsessed with rotting vegetation and fungus. And it's really short. And they don't explain hardly anything…I wanted to know what was wrong with Madeline Usher because you get buried alive, that is a problem. And so I started reading about catalepsy which is what it was diagnosed as at the time and also fungus, there was just so much about fungus and I'm like, okay, obviously these two must be linked somehow.; - from the LitHub interviewThere is a particularly creepy element, in the hares around the tarn that sit and stare at people through blank eyes. They do not behave like normal bunnies at all in other unsettling ways I will not spoil here.
Image from Television Heaven
It is definitely worth your time to re-read Poe’s original. There are so many wonderful elements. One is a song that Roderick composes, which encapsulates the dark sense of the tale. There are some bits that were changed or omitted from the original. Poe’s Roderick was heavy into painting, an element that Kingfisher opted to omit. And he was particularly taken with Henry Fuseli, whose dark painting, The Nightmare, certainly fits well with the tale. His guitar work in the original was replaced with piano playing.
The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli � image from Wikimedia
Kingfisher adds into the story a bit of gender irregularity. What to do if a non-binary person with mammaries wants to become a soldier? Well, these days, can do, but in the late 19th century, not so much. She learned of a practice in the Caucusus, borne of a shortfall of human cannon fodder. A woman could join the military by declaring herself a man, and voila, presto chango, she is legally a dude. Kingfisher took a tangent off that, giving Easton a home in a made-up European nation.
Gallacia’s language is . . . idiosyncratic. Most languages you encounter in Europe have words like he and she and his and hers. Ours has those, too, although we use ta and tha and tan and than. But we also have va and var, ka and kan, and a few others specifically for rocks and God� And then there’s ka and kan. I mentioned that we were a fierce warrior people, right? Even though we were bad at it? But we were proud of our warriors. Someone had to be, I guess, and this recognition extends to the linguistic fact that when you’re a warrior, you get to use ka and kan instead of ta and tan. You show up to basic training and they hand you a sword and a new set of pronouns. (It’s extremely rude to address a soldier as ta. It won’t get you labeled as a pervert, but it might get you punched in the mouth.)This did not seem particularly necessary to the story, but it is certainly an interesting element.
Image from Filo News
So, while you know the outcome in the original, (because you went back and read the story, right?) there is a question of causation. Why is the land so dreary? Why are the Ushers so ill? Why was the family tree more like a telephone pole? Kingfisher provides a delightful answer.
So, What Moves the Dead, in novella length, (about 45K words) provides an intriguing mystery, renders a suitably grim setting, offers up some fun characters, with an interesting take on gender identification possibilities, delivers some serious, scary moments, and pays homage to a classic horror tale, while (didn’t I mention this above?) making us laugh out loud. I had in my notes FIVE LOLs. Add in a bunch of snickers and a passel of smiles. Not something one might expect in a horror tale. Bottom line is that T. Kingfisher has written a scary/funny/smart re-examination (exhumation?) of a fabulous tale. What Moves the Dead moves me to report that this book is perfect for the Halloween season, and a great read anytime if you are looking for a bit of a short, but not short-story short, creepy scare.
DURING the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher. - from The Fall of the House of Usher
From Otakukart.com - image from Netflix
Review posted � September 9, 2022
Publication date � July 12, 2022
I received an eARE of What Moves the Dead from Tor Nightfire in return for a fair review. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating. Wait, why are you staring at me like that? Stop it! Really, Stop it!
This review has been cross-posted on my site, . Stop by and say Hi!
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s , ŷ, and pages
Profile � from GoodReads
T. Kingfisher is the vaguely absurd pen-name of Ursula Vernon. In another life, she writes children's books and weird comics, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selectionsInterview
-----Mighty Mu - - video � 41:08
Item of Interest from the author
-----
Item of Interest
-----
In June of 1896, Potter visited her mentor, George Massee, at Kew Gardens, where he showed her mushrooms grown under glass. He boasted that one of them “had spores three inches long.� Potter then jokes that they are both turning into mushrooms:Songs/Music
I opine that he has passed several stages of development into a fungus himself—I am occasionally conscious of a similar transformation
-----Carl Maria von Weber’s is referenced in Poe’s story, in which Roderick played guitar instead of piano
----- - Smile-worthy reference to a dead person who still walks among us
-----Ben Morton - on piano - …he played dramatic compositions by great composers. (Mozart? Beethoven? Why are you asking me? It was music, it went dun-dun-dun-DUN, what more do you want me to say?)
November 28, 2022
“The dead don’t walk. Except, sometimes, when they do.�
If you had told me before reading this book that anyone could take my favorite Edgar Allan Poe story, a story I've carried in my heart for probably 25 years (at least), that so broadly shaped my interests in horror, and somehow make it even better... I don't think I would have believed you � and yet, here we are. Somehow, T. Kingfisher took one of the first stories I would ever fall in love with as a child, the first story to give me chills to the bone, and she made it even more terrifying and lovely than I could have imagined.
People get hung up on happiness and joy, but fun will take you at least as far and it's generally cheaper to obtain.
The first thing that struck me about What Moves the Dead is the fact that it is downright hilarious. I knew Kingfisher had a killer sense of humor, but this is only my second book by her and the first one wasn't quite so comical, so I didn't know she could have me literally crying from laughter in the middle of a genuinely unsettling horror story. Alex Easton is an absolutely delightful, lovable narrator and their wit is unmatched, whether it's in dialogue with other characters or, more commonly, their own rambling internal monologues.
If we ran then we would have to admit there was something to run from. If we ran, then the small child that lives in every soldier's heart knew that the monsters could get us.
Other things I adored about Alex Easton: the nonbinary rep and how normalized it is (at one point, we're told there are at least seven sets of widely used pronouns!), Alex's tinnitus and the way it is written as a legitimate disability and not simply a minor nuisance to scoff at, Hob the horse and his general aloofness, the delightfully strong and clever Englishwoman Eugenia Potter, the banter between Alex and Angus, and most of all, the dread that slowly creeps into your bones as you realize what is happening to these hares and how it has affected the last remaining Ushers.
“Sometimes it's hard to know if someone is insulting or just an American.�
If you couldn't tell, I adored What Moves the Dead with every fiber of my little Poe-loving heart. I'm in awe of how true to the original tale she stayed while still giving it a brand new feeling, and I know this is one of those stories I'm going to re-visit time and time again (hell, I re-read half the book just while picking out quotes for this review!). I cannot recommend this novella highly enough!
I read a final copy I purchased myself, but for the sake of disclosure, I was also sent an early review copy by the author/publisher. All thoughts are honest and my own.
� Representation: Alex Easton is nonbinary and has tinnitus (an injury from war)
� Content warnings for:
—Ĕ�
| | |
August 22, 2023
This review somehow got deleted but luckily I back up all my reviews.
�This place breeds nightmares.�
It is often said we fear what we do not understand. Myths and stories of ghosts and fairies often arose out of strange happenings science would later explain away, and while often we discover it wasn’t witches that killed the crops or poisoned the town we also sometimes find that nature can be just as frightening as the scapegoated specters. T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead, a fresh and frightening retelling of ’s , transforms the gothic horror and decrepit mansion into a tale of ecological and body horror told with a detective narrative flair. The short novel thrives on its gloomy atmosphere and dynamic characters as Kingfisher expands upon the original story with larger context and explanations that enhance the tale without feeling overly revisionist or stuffing a space that didn’t need to be filled. The characters are given more agency and background, such as hailing from a fictional war-torn country where the linguistic features of their language adds an interesting element to understanding the story. Told through an addicting blend of horror and humor, What Moves the Dead is a thrilling gothic mystery running on an engine of amalgamating dread and oppressive atmosphere that shows how sometimes the answer is simply a doorway into new fears.
�This dreadful house. I think I would rather face a line of rifles, even now. At least that’s a human enemy.�
To approach a classic from a fresh angle is no small task but What Moves the Dead manages the endeavor without many missteps into gimmickry. Wisely opting away from merely recreating Poe’s language, Kingfisher applies her own sense of voice that is adorned with enough linguistic flourishes from the original tale to read like a respectful tribute in the spirit of Fall of the House of Usher while still being its own thing. As she notes in the afterword, Poe frequently addresses fungi in the original, which becomes the springboard for this version. Kingfisher’s retelling delights through maintaining an oppressive and gothic atmosphere in keeping with the original, delivering the reader into the stuffy halls of Usher’s crumbling mansion and the grimy landscapes around the tarn, populated by putrid smelling mushrooms and hares that the townsfolk believe could be witches.
�If we ran, then the small child that lives in every soldier’s heart knew that the monsters could get us. So we did not run, but it was a near thing.�
The story is altogether frightening, taking on elements of ecological horror as well as body horror. �The dead don’t walk,� becomes a sort of refrain throughout the story, beginning like a mantra to focus on and remain rational before reading more like a spell to ward off the approaching doom. The use of movement (such as the way a face contorts into a disturbing smile) to trigger chills down the reader’s spine is well executed and grants a very visual quality to the short novel, making you feel like another anxious guest along for the ride. There are frequent depictions of the hare’s movement, which gives the impression of a �disembodied hand walking along on its fingers, or of living limbs separated from their owners� among other unsettling behaviors that are also paralleled in Madeline’s nocturnal stumblings and keep the reader feeling like the terror could be lurking all around them. Kingfisher excels at writing motion and creating visual atmospheres, and those talents serve the story well. The house, which is said to �breathe nightmares� is also very strikingly depicted
Kingfisher’s characters are the real success of the story, however, and given much more agency and personality than in Poe’s original. The narrator, Lieutenant Alex Easton, tells the tale with a lot of sarcasm and humor. Easton’s disdain for American’s, with lines like �sometimes it’s hard to know if someone is insulting or just an American,� works well as a laugh line in tense moments and adds a charming dynamic to the interplay with the American doctor, James Denton, who becomes a rather endearing John Watson-esque side-kick through the story. Add to this the haunting figures of the Usher siblings and a fictional aunt to who is herself an illustrator when not performing as an amateur mycologist.
�It's like telling stories at the bar about the worst pain you've ever been in. You laugh and
you brag about it, and it turns the pain into something that will buy you a drink.�
The blend of horror and humor keeps the novel moving and feeling like a big horror blockbuster film that becomes an event of thrills beyond merely chills. Laugh lines punctuate the darkest moments, adding a sort of gallows humor that coaxes you into the terror without detracting from it, like nervously stepping through one of those haunted house venues that appear every October.
Reading this book reminded me of being in a theater where everyone shrieks at the appropriate moments and then a trickle of laughter ripples through the audience. Its fun, its infectious, and it keeps you wanting more. Kingfisher does well by keeping this novel short and succinct, with just enough character, exposition and action to not feel sold short.
I truly enjoy how language plays a key role in the novel, particularly the Usher’s and narrator’s native language in the fictional country Gallacia where they have 7 sets of pronouns. There is one for God, one for inanimate objects, and gender neutral pronouns like ka/kan or, to denote a child va/van is used. The narrator uses the appropriate pronouns in the text, and the enhanced dexterity of pronouns gives added insight into several key aspects of the story, particularly the ending. It all reads very natural, you’ll hardly notice it after a few pages and it isn’t used that frequently, which I suspect is a subtle dig at recent claims they/them pronouns are confusing despite having always been common usage. Easton is non-binary, using ka/kan pronouns and several times mentions binding kans breasts, and I enjoyed the examination on how in Gallacia all soldiers use the genderless pronouns as a mark of honor and camaraderie where gender roles really have no meaning on a battlefield.
�This is no place for a delicate lady. I tell you, it’s haunted��
There is special attention to the ways mysterious happenings are explained away into legends and lore of ghosts or witchcraft. While crossing the Mediterranean, Easton was once told the myth that �the dead carry lanterns down in the deep� to explain what another passenger says is likely just bioluminescent plankton. This sort of interplay between ghostly speculation and science is at the heart of the novel and the detective narrative of the novel, much in keeping with Poe’s ‘�. In Poe’s classic there is much emphasis on Roderick’s nervous state, something that all the guests at the mansion begin to succumb to themselves and Easton steps through many rational theories, such as the shell-shock they all likely retain, but the reasoning never quite satisfies and the mystery looms large over the novel adding to the eerie tone and granting a mystery narrative quality that pushes you forward to uncover the truth. Is there one thing connecting the hares, Madeline’s illness, Roderick’s nerves, the maid’s suicide, the nightmares and more? Is it a haunting, or is it something that, while more tangible, is also more terrible?
What Moves the Dead is a fun romp of a horror novella that manages to become something greater than a mere retelling of Poe or the conglomeration of its horror tropes. The rather exciting climax is admitted a bit over the top, though it fits the tone and tale and the chilling aspects of it that feel earned through Kingfisher slowly and effectively putting the pieces together allow it to land. It truly does expand upon the original in a way that works, and I particularly enjoy how it places the story in a larger social context. There is an excellent thread of social criticisms on the subjugation of women, such as frequent remarks about Madeline’s condition being brushed away with the misogynistic diagnosis of hysteria or old Ms Potter being denied a seat in Royal Mycology Society for being a woman, which is successfully juxtaposed with Easton and the way the Gallacian society is more progressive even just through the way it is encoded in the language. There are some wonderful frights and the eco-horror will have you eyeing mushrooms and hares differently on your next nature walk (also, if you dare, check out the instances of that I couldn’t stop thinking about while reading this book). Frightening and frightfully fun, What Moves the Dead is a hit.
4/5
�The dead may walk, but I will not walk among them.�
�This place breeds nightmares.�
It is often said we fear what we do not understand. Myths and stories of ghosts and fairies often arose out of strange happenings science would later explain away, and while often we discover it wasn’t witches that killed the crops or poisoned the town we also sometimes find that nature can be just as frightening as the scapegoated specters. T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead, a fresh and frightening retelling of ’s , transforms the gothic horror and decrepit mansion into a tale of ecological and body horror told with a detective narrative flair. The short novel thrives on its gloomy atmosphere and dynamic characters as Kingfisher expands upon the original story with larger context and explanations that enhance the tale without feeling overly revisionist or stuffing a space that didn’t need to be filled. The characters are given more agency and background, such as hailing from a fictional war-torn country where the linguistic features of their language adds an interesting element to understanding the story. Told through an addicting blend of horror and humor, What Moves the Dead is a thrilling gothic mystery running on an engine of amalgamating dread and oppressive atmosphere that shows how sometimes the answer is simply a doorway into new fears.
�This dreadful house. I think I would rather face a line of rifles, even now. At least that’s a human enemy.�
To approach a classic from a fresh angle is no small task but What Moves the Dead manages the endeavor without many missteps into gimmickry. Wisely opting away from merely recreating Poe’s language, Kingfisher applies her own sense of voice that is adorned with enough linguistic flourishes from the original tale to read like a respectful tribute in the spirit of Fall of the House of Usher while still being its own thing. As she notes in the afterword, Poe frequently addresses fungi in the original, which becomes the springboard for this version. Kingfisher’s retelling delights through maintaining an oppressive and gothic atmosphere in keeping with the original, delivering the reader into the stuffy halls of Usher’s crumbling mansion and the grimy landscapes around the tarn, populated by putrid smelling mushrooms and hares that the townsfolk believe could be witches.
�If we ran, then the small child that lives in every soldier’s heart knew that the monsters could get us. So we did not run, but it was a near thing.�
The story is altogether frightening, taking on elements of ecological horror as well as body horror. �The dead don’t walk,� becomes a sort of refrain throughout the story, beginning like a mantra to focus on and remain rational before reading more like a spell to ward off the approaching doom. The use of movement (such as the way a face contorts into a disturbing smile) to trigger chills down the reader’s spine is well executed and grants a very visual quality to the short novel, making you feel like another anxious guest along for the ride. There are frequent depictions of the hare’s movement, which gives the impression of a �disembodied hand walking along on its fingers, or of living limbs separated from their owners� among other unsettling behaviors that are also paralleled in Madeline’s nocturnal stumblings and keep the reader feeling like the terror could be lurking all around them. Kingfisher excels at writing motion and creating visual atmospheres, and those talents serve the story well. The house, which is said to �breathe nightmares� is also very strikingly depicted
Kingfisher’s characters are the real success of the story, however, and given much more agency and personality than in Poe’s original. The narrator, Lieutenant Alex Easton, tells the tale with a lot of sarcasm and humor. Easton’s disdain for American’s, with lines like �sometimes it’s hard to know if someone is insulting or just an American,� works well as a laugh line in tense moments and adds a charming dynamic to the interplay with the American doctor, James Denton, who becomes a rather endearing John Watson-esque side-kick through the story. Add to this the haunting figures of the Usher siblings and a fictional aunt to who is herself an illustrator when not performing as an amateur mycologist.
�It's like telling stories at the bar about the worst pain you've ever been in. You laugh and
you brag about it, and it turns the pain into something that will buy you a drink.�
The blend of horror and humor keeps the novel moving and feeling like a big horror blockbuster film that becomes an event of thrills beyond merely chills. Laugh lines punctuate the darkest moments, adding a sort of gallows humor that coaxes you into the terror without detracting from it, like nervously stepping through one of those haunted house venues that appear every October.
�There were three veterans at that table, battle-scarred soldiers who had served their countries honorably in more than one war... and all three of us screamed like small children and recoiled in horror.�
Reading this book reminded me of being in a theater where everyone shrieks at the appropriate moments and then a trickle of laughter ripples through the audience. Its fun, its infectious, and it keeps you wanting more. Kingfisher does well by keeping this novel short and succinct, with just enough character, exposition and action to not feel sold short.
I truly enjoy how language plays a key role in the novel, particularly the Usher’s and narrator’s native language in the fictional country Gallacia where they have 7 sets of pronouns. There is one for God, one for inanimate objects, and gender neutral pronouns like ka/kan or, to denote a child va/van is used. The narrator uses the appropriate pronouns in the text, and the enhanced dexterity of pronouns gives added insight into several key aspects of the story, particularly the ending. It all reads very natural, you’ll hardly notice it after a few pages and it isn’t used that frequently, which I suspect is a subtle dig at recent claims they/them pronouns are confusing despite having always been common usage. Easton is non-binary, using ka/kan pronouns and several times mentions binding kans breasts, and I enjoyed the examination on how in Gallacia all soldiers use the genderless pronouns as a mark of honor and camaraderie where gender roles really have no meaning on a battlefield.
�This is no place for a delicate lady. I tell you, it’s haunted��
There is special attention to the ways mysterious happenings are explained away into legends and lore of ghosts or witchcraft. While crossing the Mediterranean, Easton was once told the myth that �the dead carry lanterns down in the deep� to explain what another passenger says is likely just bioluminescent plankton. This sort of interplay between ghostly speculation and science is at the heart of the novel and the detective narrative of the novel, much in keeping with Poe’s ‘�. In Poe’s classic there is much emphasis on Roderick’s nervous state, something that all the guests at the mansion begin to succumb to themselves and Easton steps through many rational theories, such as the shell-shock they all likely retain, but the reasoning never quite satisfies and the mystery looms large over the novel adding to the eerie tone and granting a mystery narrative quality that pushes you forward to uncover the truth. Is there one thing connecting the hares, Madeline’s illness, Roderick’s nerves, the maid’s suicide, the nightmares and more? Is it a haunting, or is it something that, while more tangible, is also more terrible?
What Moves the Dead is a fun romp of a horror novella that manages to become something greater than a mere retelling of Poe or the conglomeration of its horror tropes. The rather exciting climax is admitted a bit over the top, though it fits the tone and tale and the chilling aspects of it that feel earned through Kingfisher slowly and effectively putting the pieces together allow it to land. It truly does expand upon the original in a way that works, and I particularly enjoy how it places the story in a larger social context. There is an excellent thread of social criticisms on the subjugation of women, such as frequent remarks about Madeline’s condition being brushed away with the misogynistic diagnosis of hysteria or old Ms Potter being denied a seat in Royal Mycology Society for being a woman, which is successfully juxtaposed with Easton and the way the Gallacian society is more progressive even just through the way it is encoded in the language. There are some wonderful frights and the eco-horror will have you eyeing mushrooms and hares differently on your next nature walk (also, if you dare, check out the instances of that I couldn’t stop thinking about while reading this book). Frightening and frightfully fun, What Moves the Dead is a hit.
4/5
�The dead may walk, but I will not walk among them.�
September 19, 2024
This felt like a Tim Burton film. It was witty, eery, descriptive and so well thought out. An easy 5 star
September 2, 2023
“The dead don’t walk. Except, sometimes, when they do.�
I’m not a huge fan of retellings � how hard is it to come up with a more or less original story or at least disguise where you’re borrowing from? (Capitalizing on the preexisting knowledge of the events seems a bit cheap to me, banking on the appeal of familiarity.) But I didn’t realize - or likely just forgot - that it was going to be a retelling, and sometimes they still can be good, so even after the first few pages let me know it’s recycling Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher� I decided to see what T. Kingfisher does with it.
And of course, from the moment you are treated to a passionate diatribe about mushrooms and fungi on the first pages, with the story following the familiar Poe plot, you know exactly what’s happening and where it’s going to go � although somehow incredibly creepy hares were an unexpected addition. So it’s not really a spoiler that a fungus did it. (And somehow it’s not even the first fungus possession story I’ve read over the last few years despite my only interest in mushrooms being in those on pizza or in soup).
“Evil, Roderick had said. But it wasn’t evil that I was seeing here. It was alien, a monstrous alienness so far removed from what I understood that every fiber of my being screamed to reject it, so run, to get away.�
What I really liked is how well it was written. Kingfisher has an easy lightness to her writing, making it really easy to fly through the pages (or in my case, get pleasantly mentally lost on a couple of headphones-armed meandering weekend walks and an hour of Hogwarts Legacy video game). It mashes creepy and lightheartedly funny very well, a combo that’s usually my kind of indulgence. (That one “I shot a cow thinking it’s a deer� dialogue scene actually had me laugh).
But in the end it’s not a story that will ever stick with me once I get off the hiking trail. Easy come, easy go, I suppose. It was a bit too long for the amount of plot (Poe’s original was a very short story, and it shows when stretched out to a novella or maybe a short novel), and with light plot the longer chunks of exposition (especially those focusing on the fictional country of Gallacia) felt too distracting and more of a filler.
Genuinely creepy hares though. Delightfully creepy.
3.5 stars.
“If we ran then we would have to admit there was something to run from. If we ran, then the small child that lives in every soldier's heart knew that the monsters could get us.�
—ĔĔ—Ĕ�
Also posted on .
September 19, 2024
Definitely Five Stars.
I have read The Fall of the House of Usher, several times, but I can never remember the ending. However, I hope that I will remember this ending. I’m not sure what the next time I read this book, will be like for me.
Easton is the narrator of this book. We see the decrepit atmosphere as she describes it. The neglected grounds are an eyesore. The house is old and rundown and peeling away. Everything is falling down with the roof.
The Ushers are poor and they are not going to beg for anything. But they will take what is offered. They are too proud for charity. So they’ve sold everything of any value.
But the narrator of this story is a delight for me. She is incredibly thoughtful, inquisitive and intelligent. She is determined to get to the root of the problems.
Are the problems caused by her friend Madeline? Is it because of the lake? Or is it because of the house? Do you even want to know?
I will let you find out for yourself.
Five fantastic stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have read The Fall of the House of Usher, several times, but I can never remember the ending. However, I hope that I will remember this ending. I’m not sure what the next time I read this book, will be like for me.
Easton is the narrator of this book. We see the decrepit atmosphere as she describes it. The neglected grounds are an eyesore. The house is old and rundown and peeling away. Everything is falling down with the roof.
The Ushers are poor and they are not going to beg for anything. But they will take what is offered. They are too proud for charity. So they’ve sold everything of any value.
But the narrator of this story is a delight for me. She is incredibly thoughtful, inquisitive and intelligent. She is determined to get to the root of the problems.
Are the problems caused by her friend Madeline? Is it because of the lake? Or is it because of the house? Do you even want to know?
I will let you find out for yourself.
Five fantastic stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 13, 2022
NOW AVAILABLE!
**
i got my hands on an early finished copy (� you, nightfire!) and LO! just like , there's a little spooky-shiny surprise hiding underneath that gorgeous dust jacket
and some kickass endpapers
nightfire is KILLING IT!
**
i had food poisoning recently and spent the day in bed reading. first i read the poe-medley that was , and then i read this one, which i had just gotten in the mail the previous day, making all the books that have been sitting here unread for months n' years SO MAD.
it was a risky decision, though, because this one is ALSO poe-themed, and i was worried that i would get the two books mixed up in my dum-dum brain, or that i might get so poe-saturated that i wouldn't be able to enjoy this book, which i'd been looking forward to almost violently ever since i first glimpsed its stunning cover, which is gonna be such great shelf-buddies with this book when it comes out:
fortunately, t. kingfisher always comes through, and this rework was nothing like 's treatment of the same source material, so they didn't meld in my brain, and there was room for both in my heart.
which brings me to the author's note. sure, it may be unconventional to call out the author's note before talking about any part of the book (besides that cover), but bear with me. raaar.
so, you know how fungal horror is, like, a thing now?
well, is also about fungi—in fact, it opens with a particularly unpleasant description of a particularly unpleasant mushroom, and the fungus is among us until the very end.
but, so kingfisher was blithely writing this book, gaining steam and pleased with her progress...
i find it absolutely delicious that kingfisher, who has written a billion excellent books, is both (unnecessarily) concerned about her writing not measuring up and also so generously enthusiastic about other people's writing, but the main takeaway from that is even if you're all fungi-d out, take a note from my poe-athon and make some room in your heart for this one.
you won't need to make much room; this is trim and streamlined—a gothic novella stripped of the genre's usual hundred or so pages spent shadowing the heroine as she stumbles down corridors weighed down by dread and restrictive undergarments.
here, we have the magnificent lieutenant easton, who is gendered as a soldier, not by their plumbing, and tho' they do become weighed down by dread after being summoned to ruravia—the location of the crumbling manor house inherited by their "genteelly impoverished" childhood friends roderick and madeline usher�"dread" is the only rational reaction to what they find on their arrival: roderick whittled down to the bone, madeline so very pale and wispishly addled, the grounds riddled with staggering hares, the pondfish bursting with slimy fibers, the waters around them aglow.
but soldiers don't let dread (or tinnitus) prevent them from taking action, and along with eugenia potter (aunt to beatrix, illustrator and would-be mycologist, if females were permitted to mushroom), dr. denton (but not the pajamas), and angus; easton's batman (but not the emo superhero), easton and what's left of the usher siblings investigate the puzzle of what's rotten in ruravia, and What! Moves! the! Dead!
t. kingfisher never needs to worry about taking the well-trod road, because even when she does, her style and skill make her the most memorable traveler, so even when you know where she's going, you'll enjoy the journey AND the destination.
**
i got my hands on an early finished copy (� you, nightfire!) and LO! just like , there's a little spooky-shiny surprise hiding underneath that gorgeous dust jacket
and some kickass endpapers
nightfire is KILLING IT!
**
i had food poisoning recently and spent the day in bed reading. first i read the poe-medley that was , and then i read this one, which i had just gotten in the mail the previous day, making all the books that have been sitting here unread for months n' years SO MAD.
it was a risky decision, though, because this one is ALSO poe-themed, and i was worried that i would get the two books mixed up in my dum-dum brain, or that i might get so poe-saturated that i wouldn't be able to enjoy this book, which i'd been looking forward to almost violently ever since i first glimpsed its stunning cover, which is gonna be such great shelf-buddies with this book when it comes out:
fortunately, t. kingfisher always comes through, and this rework was nothing like 's treatment of the same source material, so they didn't meld in my brain, and there was room for both in my heart.
which brings me to the author's note. sure, it may be unconventional to call out the author's note before talking about any part of the book (besides that cover), but bear with me. raaar.
so, you know how fungal horror is, like, a thing now?
well, is also about fungi—in fact, it opens with a particularly unpleasant description of a particularly unpleasant mushroom, and the fungus is among us until the very end.
but, so kingfisher was blithely writing this book, gaining steam and pleased with her progress...
...and then I happened to read the magnificent novel Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and thought, "Oh my God, what can I possibly do with fungi in a collapsing Gothic house that Moreno-Garcia didn't do ten times better?!" and shoved the whole thing in a virtual drawer and took heavily to the bottle. (Seriously, put down this book and go buy that one. Then pick this one up again, of course, God forbid anyone not finish the Author's Note, but make sure you've put Mexican Gothic on your reading list.)
But.
Well.
As writers say to each other, "Yes, it's been done, but you haven't done it yet."...and also my fungus was different, dammit...
i find it absolutely delicious that kingfisher, who has written a billion excellent books, is both (unnecessarily) concerned about her writing not measuring up and also so generously enthusiastic about other people's writing, but the main takeaway from that is even if you're all fungi-d out, take a note from my poe-athon and make some room in your heart for this one.
you won't need to make much room; this is trim and streamlined—a gothic novella stripped of the genre's usual hundred or so pages spent shadowing the heroine as she stumbles down corridors weighed down by dread and restrictive undergarments.
here, we have the magnificent lieutenant easton, who is gendered as a soldier, not by their plumbing, and tho' they do become weighed down by dread after being summoned to ruravia—the location of the crumbling manor house inherited by their "genteelly impoverished" childhood friends roderick and madeline usher�"dread" is the only rational reaction to what they find on their arrival: roderick whittled down to the bone, madeline so very pale and wispishly addled, the grounds riddled with staggering hares, the pondfish bursting with slimy fibers, the waters around them aglow.
but soldiers don't let dread (or tinnitus) prevent them from taking action, and along with eugenia potter (aunt to beatrix, illustrator and would-be mycologist, if females were permitted to mushroom), dr. denton (but not the pajamas), and angus; easton's batman (but not the emo superhero), easton and what's left of the usher siblings investigate the puzzle of what's rotten in ruravia, and What! Moves! the! Dead!
t. kingfisher never needs to worry about taking the well-trod road, because even when she does, her style and skill make her the most memorable traveler, so even when you know where she's going, you'll enjoy the journey AND the destination.
January 27, 2024
The title and cover art of this book? Instant brain-boner.
Not only did the cover stimulate my grey cells in the nicest way possible, as a Poe-stan who is also fascinated by fungi, I was expecting to love this book. Unfortunately, my excitement died more quickly than an ant infected by ophiocordyceps unilateralis.
The reader knows what's up (what moves the dead) from the very beginning, and waiting for the characters to catch up is almost never fun, IMO.
The part near the end, where Madeline's motivation is explained, was my favorite, leading up to an anticlimactic ending.
I wish this book wasn't a retelling of EAP's The Fall of the House of Usher, because it pales even more in comparison. While the original is deeply atmospheric and creepy, What Moves the Dead didn't manage to make me feel even mild discomfort.
Adding to that, House of Usher is a short story, and stretching the source material to full novel length forced the author to add a lot of unnecessary filler.
I think running with the fungi idea but telling an entirely new story would've made more sense, giving the author some much-needed freedom to do something more interesting plotwise.
Goes to show the old saying is true: You should always judge a book by its cover and then wallow in your disappointment and ruminate on how you can't ever have nice things.
Not only did the cover stimulate my grey cells in the nicest way possible, as a Poe-stan who is also fascinated by fungi, I was expecting to love this book. Unfortunately, my excitement died more quickly than an ant infected by ophiocordyceps unilateralis.
The reader knows what's up (what moves the dead) from the very beginning, and waiting for the characters to catch up is almost never fun, IMO.
The part near the end, where Madeline's motivation is explained, was my favorite, leading up to an anticlimactic ending.
I wish this book wasn't a retelling of EAP's The Fall of the House of Usher, because it pales even more in comparison. While the original is deeply atmospheric and creepy, What Moves the Dead didn't manage to make me feel even mild discomfort.
Adding to that, House of Usher is a short story, and stretching the source material to full novel length forced the author to add a lot of unnecessary filler.
I think running with the fungi idea but telling an entirely new story would've made more sense, giving the author some much-needed freedom to do something more interesting plotwise.
Goes to show the old saying is true: You should always judge a book by its cover and then wallow in your disappointment and ruminate on how you can't ever have nice things.
Want to read
October 4, 2024happy creepy short books season
July 18, 2022
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Jordan Hanley at Tor, and T. Kingfisher for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 7.12!**
The dead don't walk...
The dead CAN'T walk...
Or can they?
T. Kingfisher's re-imagined Fall of the House of Usher is spooky, funny, a teeny bit gory, with just a sprinkle of contemporary details to make this tale feel new, fresh, and FANTASTIC!
Alex Easton is a non-binary (them/they) soldier, fresh from the Gallacian army, who has left the unpredictable world of the military to startling news. They have learned their army friend Roderick's sister Madeline's is struggling with a strange and debilitating illness, and is demonstrating catalepsy. Since Easton is close to the family, they rush to the House of Usher to provide aid and moral support. Roderick is also in poor health, and upon arrival, Easton runs into a baffled American doctor and a quirky mycologist who is studying the area and feels there might be more going on than meets the eye...and could three of them possibly be wrong?
Easton experiences the changes in Madeline firsthand, from her creepy sleepwalking and talking to a strange, fine white hair on her arms that seems it could be swept away. Couple that with Roderick's slowly changing behavior and the terrifying jaunt of one CREEPY hare...and Easton is left wondering where the evil lies and how they can possibly stop it...or is it only the Fall of this House that can stop the evil from walking once and for all?
I have to admit that I actually THOUGHT I had read the source material for this one back in the day...but about 3 pages in, I realized that the only Poe work I have ACTUALLY read is The Tell-Tale Heart. Why or how those two could be crossed in my mind is beyond me...but in a way, I am SO GLAD to have gone into this deliciously dark novella completely blind! Kingfisher finds the perfect balance between having this story set in 1890 with full authenticity, but also throwing in touches of our modern world, from LGBTQIA+ rep to a whole new set of pronouns (ka/kan and va van). I loved her creativity and how none of these choices felt gratuitous and simply flowed in the context of the story.
Atmosphere is king in a novella like this one, and KINGfisher nailed it (haha) from start to finish. It was so easy to visualize the world of Ruritania, the eerie woods, and the fated House itself. I had a concrete image of what this house looked like, so that was a huge plus!
And then there's the CHARACTERS...I just loved them all! Witty, unique, and of course in Madeline's case CREEPTASTIC! Easton was such a fun narrator who managed to keep the tone from getting too macabre while still somehow maintaining the seriousness of the situation. I have no idea how this compares to Poe's group, but seeing the differences will be fun now that I've completed the book. My favorite character by far, however, is Easton's lovable horse Hob, and I found myself rooting for him to make it through unscathed (I won't spoil anything, you're just going to have to read and find out his fate!)🐴
Kingfisher also addresses the elephant (or elephant ear mushroom, rather) in the room in her author's note: it is nearly impossible to read this novella and NOT instantly think of another horror novel in which creepy mushrooms play an integral role. HOWEVER, the great irony is that Kingfisher seems to think her book pales by comparison...while I'd argue it is FAR more engaging, creepy, and well-written than the other, and had me hooked from start to finish. I cannot say the same about a book that rhymes with, well, Texican Hypothic. (Hey, at least the real title was better!) 😏
I'm so thrilled to add Kingfisher to my list of horror authors I will be on the watch for...and if she has any other Poe adaptations in mind...I could always use the incentive to ACTUALLY check out the rest of his catalogue! 😉
4 stars
The dead don't walk...
The dead CAN'T walk...
Or can they?
T. Kingfisher's re-imagined Fall of the House of Usher is spooky, funny, a teeny bit gory, with just a sprinkle of contemporary details to make this tale feel new, fresh, and FANTASTIC!
Alex Easton is a non-binary (them/they) soldier, fresh from the Gallacian army, who has left the unpredictable world of the military to startling news. They have learned their army friend Roderick's sister Madeline's is struggling with a strange and debilitating illness, and is demonstrating catalepsy. Since Easton is close to the family, they rush to the House of Usher to provide aid and moral support. Roderick is also in poor health, and upon arrival, Easton runs into a baffled American doctor and a quirky mycologist who is studying the area and feels there might be more going on than meets the eye...and could three of them possibly be wrong?
Easton experiences the changes in Madeline firsthand, from her creepy sleepwalking and talking to a strange, fine white hair on her arms that seems it could be swept away. Couple that with Roderick's slowly changing behavior and the terrifying jaunt of one CREEPY hare...and Easton is left wondering where the evil lies and how they can possibly stop it...or is it only the Fall of this House that can stop the evil from walking once and for all?
I have to admit that I actually THOUGHT I had read the source material for this one back in the day...but about 3 pages in, I realized that the only Poe work I have ACTUALLY read is The Tell-Tale Heart. Why or how those two could be crossed in my mind is beyond me...but in a way, I am SO GLAD to have gone into this deliciously dark novella completely blind! Kingfisher finds the perfect balance between having this story set in 1890 with full authenticity, but also throwing in touches of our modern world, from LGBTQIA+ rep to a whole new set of pronouns (ka/kan and va van). I loved her creativity and how none of these choices felt gratuitous and simply flowed in the context of the story.
Atmosphere is king in a novella like this one, and KINGfisher nailed it (haha) from start to finish. It was so easy to visualize the world of Ruritania, the eerie woods, and the fated House itself. I had a concrete image of what this house looked like, so that was a huge plus!
And then there's the CHARACTERS...I just loved them all! Witty, unique, and of course in Madeline's case CREEPTASTIC! Easton was such a fun narrator who managed to keep the tone from getting too macabre while still somehow maintaining the seriousness of the situation. I have no idea how this compares to Poe's group, but seeing the differences will be fun now that I've completed the book. My favorite character by far, however, is Easton's lovable horse Hob, and I found myself rooting for him to make it through unscathed (I won't spoil anything, you're just going to have to read and find out his fate!)🐴
Kingfisher also addresses the elephant (or elephant ear mushroom, rather) in the room in her author's note: it is nearly impossible to read this novella and NOT instantly think of another horror novel in which creepy mushrooms play an integral role. HOWEVER, the great irony is that Kingfisher seems to think her book pales by comparison...while I'd argue it is FAR more engaging, creepy, and well-written than the other, and had me hooked from start to finish. I cannot say the same about a book that rhymes with, well, Texican Hypothic. (Hey, at least the real title was better!) 😏
I'm so thrilled to add Kingfisher to my list of horror authors I will be on the watch for...and if she has any other Poe adaptations in mind...I could always use the incentive to ACTUALLY check out the rest of his catalogue! 😉
4 stars
February 5, 2022
Wow. This started off reading like a fairly straightforward novelization of and then veered off in a direction I TOTALLY was not expecting. It's certainly more of an explanation than Poe gave in his original story, hah.
There are some other interesting differences here: more characters, including a non-binary narrator with an intriguing background and unusual personal pronouns (which pronouns actually comes into play in a surprising way much later in the story), a mushroom scholar and artist who appears to be Beatrix Potter's maiden aunt, and the narrator's horse who has personality to spare. Madeleine Usher is a more fully developed character, which is all to the good. And there's a tarn around the Usher mansion with odd lights in the water ...
Excellently creepy.
Full RTC! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
There are some other interesting differences here: more characters, including a non-binary narrator with an intriguing background and unusual personal pronouns (which pronouns actually comes into play in a surprising way much later in the story), a mushroom scholar and artist who appears to be Beatrix Potter's maiden aunt, and the narrator's horse who has personality to spare. Madeleine Usher is a more fully developed character, which is all to the good. And there's a tarn around the Usher mansion with odd lights in the water ...
Excellently creepy.
Full RTC! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
January 28, 2023
“If we ran then we would have to admit there was something to run from.�
this year, i really want to read so much from t kingfisher! year after year, so many people recommend them and their stories to me so i knew i wanted to pick something up by them this first month of 2023. i really enjoyed this, the atmosphere, and the writing... whew... the writing was 11/10! but i think i would have enjoyed more if i would have reread the fall of the house of usher. not that you need to, this story completely stands on it's own! but this was still a powerful novella that i thoroughly enjoyed! and i can't wait to pick up something else by this author extra now! (also, the way i have read so many stories this month about spooky houses after finishing this one... completely unintentionally)
trigger + content warnings: mention of tumors for descriptions, talk of war, talk of surgery, insect depictions, death, animal death, talk of dead bodies, mention of suicide, loss of a loved one, brief mentions of transphobia
| | | | |
November 3, 2022
I love mushrooms and I think mushrooms in horror stories are creepy! With a gothic vibe, it's so intriguing. So far I read two horrors with mushrooms and neither worked for me. As for What Moves the Dead, I just couldn't get into this story at all. I probably should've dnf it but because it was relatively short I just push myself to finish it. Unfortunately, not an author for me. There are many four and five stars reviews so please check those out. 🍄👏
September 18, 2022
I listened to the audiobook and wow oh WOW is the narration horrendous. Truly terrible. I don't understand what Shakespeare summer camp this narrator went to but keep it in the scrapbook.
I want to say more but on the off chance the narrator sees this, I will politely end it here.
I want to say more but on the off chance the narrator sees this, I will politely end it here.
April 23, 2022
Thank you T. Kingfisher and Tor Nightfire for the free copy! I was excitedly anticipating the release of this book as a fan of both Poe and of imaginative retellings, so I felt doubly grateful for the ARC. However, I cannot finish it. By only the twenty-page mark, I felt that the author wrote this retelling entirely just to push a genderqueer agenda. The backstory of the main character is a flimsy artifice designed only on the premise of said character’s gender self-identification. I wanted to read something entertaining based on a beloved author’s work, but I felt I instead received a lecture on proper pronoun usage.
July 12, 2022
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!
“The dead don’t walk. Except sometimes, when they do.�
Officer Alex Easton rushes to Ruritania when they learn their childhood friend, Madeline Usher, is dying. Finding the manse surrounded by fungus and a glowing lake, they speculate as to the cause of Maddy and her brother Roderick’s strange behavior. Can Alex, an American doctor, and a mycologist solve the mystery of the House of Usher before it is too late?
No one does creepy horror better than T. Kingfisher, so who better to write a reimagining of Edgar Allen Poe’s classic Gothic tale of The Fall of the House of Usher?!
Ի�
She nailed it!
Kingfisher is an absolute master at writing psychological horror. She seamlessly fills in the gaps of information left out of the original tale and inserts a plausible, clever, and original explanation for Poe’s initial plot points.
And the creepy hares? I don’t think that I will be able to think of sweet Thumper 🐇 in the same way!
The addition of a gender bending main character of Alex Easton, as well as a new set of pronouns make this retelling unique and current while keeping within the original setting of 1890.
Do not skip the author’s note if you want to know more about how and why this retelling was born! I’m so glad she decided to complete this novella! I loved it!
I highly recommend this book to readers of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Shirley Jackson, and M.R. Carey.
5/5 stars
Expected publication date 7/12/22
Thank you to Jordan Hanley at MacMillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC of What Moves the Dead in exchange for an honest review.
“The dead don’t walk. Except sometimes, when they do.�
Officer Alex Easton rushes to Ruritania when they learn their childhood friend, Madeline Usher, is dying. Finding the manse surrounded by fungus and a glowing lake, they speculate as to the cause of Maddy and her brother Roderick’s strange behavior. Can Alex, an American doctor, and a mycologist solve the mystery of the House of Usher before it is too late?
No one does creepy horror better than T. Kingfisher, so who better to write a reimagining of Edgar Allen Poe’s classic Gothic tale of The Fall of the House of Usher?!
Ի�
She nailed it!
Kingfisher is an absolute master at writing psychological horror. She seamlessly fills in the gaps of information left out of the original tale and inserts a plausible, clever, and original explanation for Poe’s initial plot points.
And the creepy hares? I don’t think that I will be able to think of sweet Thumper 🐇 in the same way!
The addition of a gender bending main character of Alex Easton, as well as a new set of pronouns make this retelling unique and current while keeping within the original setting of 1890.
Do not skip the author’s note if you want to know more about how and why this retelling was born! I’m so glad she decided to complete this novella! I loved it!
I highly recommend this book to readers of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Shirley Jackson, and M.R. Carey.
5/5 stars
Expected publication date 7/12/22
Thank you to Jordan Hanley at MacMillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC of What Moves the Dead in exchange for an honest review.
June 12, 2022
"What was it—I paused to think—what was it that so unnerved me in the contemplation of the House of Usher? "
-Narrator, The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allan Poe
This is how you do it!!!!!!! A retelling of ! Yes, please! But wait! the Author, throws in some more into the plot, she tightens things up and gives more of an ending. Like fungus, this book will grow on you!
1890 Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives a letter that childhood friend, Madeline Usher is dying. Alex Easton hops on Hob, the ever-trusty horse, and heads to the house of Usher to be with friends, Roderick, and Madeline Usher. Along the way, Easton meets Miss Potter, a woman ahead of her time, researching and paining fungus. She is quite the knowledgeable lady and she and Easton develop a rapport.
Easton is shocked to see the condition of the Usher home; and although warned that Madeline was ill, was shocked to see her state. Denton, an American doctor, is treating Madeline, but does not know the exact cause of her malady. During the course of Easton's stay, strange things are not only observed but experienced. Roderick Usher is also not quite himself. He looks worn out, claims to be hearing things in the walls, and is not sleeping well.
This was deliciously and wonderfully creepy. I love how Kingfisher elevated this classic and made it even more sinister. I love how more of an explanation is given at the end. This is not a blood and guts slasher book but one that creeps up on you, in small ways. Where there is an inkling that something isn't quite right, but not enough to scare you away. Just enough to make you still feel safe, until you realize that you are not. Because you are in the hands of a master storyteller who knows how to ramp up the tension, to suck you in, and have you wanting more.
While reading this, I saw it playing out in my mind. I love black and white movies, and this book played out like a black and white movie in my mind. If you have read you know the gist of this book. This was a brilliant and creepy retelling that delivered and then some!
Absolutely Brilliant!
#WhatMovestheDead #NetGalley.
Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at
This is how you do it!!!!!!! A retelling of ! Yes, please! But wait! the Author, throws in some more into the plot, she tightens things up and gives more of an ending. Like fungus, this book will grow on you!
1890 Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives a letter that childhood friend, Madeline Usher is dying. Alex Easton hops on Hob, the ever-trusty horse, and heads to the house of Usher to be with friends, Roderick, and Madeline Usher. Along the way, Easton meets Miss Potter, a woman ahead of her time, researching and paining fungus. She is quite the knowledgeable lady and she and Easton develop a rapport.
Easton is shocked to see the condition of the Usher home; and although warned that Madeline was ill, was shocked to see her state. Denton, an American doctor, is treating Madeline, but does not know the exact cause of her malady. During the course of Easton's stay, strange things are not only observed but experienced. Roderick Usher is also not quite himself. He looks worn out, claims to be hearing things in the walls, and is not sleeping well.
This was deliciously and wonderfully creepy. I love how Kingfisher elevated this classic and made it even more sinister. I love how more of an explanation is given at the end. This is not a blood and guts slasher book but one that creeps up on you, in small ways. Where there is an inkling that something isn't quite right, but not enough to scare you away. Just enough to make you still feel safe, until you realize that you are not. Because you are in the hands of a master storyteller who knows how to ramp up the tension, to suck you in, and have you wanting more.
While reading this, I saw it playing out in my mind. I love black and white movies, and this book played out like a black and white movie in my mind. If you have read you know the gist of this book. This was a brilliant and creepy retelling that delivered and then some!
Absolutely Brilliant!
#WhatMovestheDead #NetGalley.
Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at
July 15, 2023
|| || || ||
UPDATE: ŷ did that thing where they deleted my old review (and all the likes) because I guess my review and love of T. Kingfisher were just too amazing for this world. But that's okay because I'm just going to use this as an opportunity to scream at you to READ HER BOOKS BECAUSE SHE'S AMAZING. Also, stop being toxic, ŷ. �
I'm not usually into horror novels but I like classic horror that relies less on blood and gore and more on psychological tension and atmosphere, and this book has both of those things in spades. WHAT MOVES THE DEAD is a delightful bundle of tropes: creepy animals, crawling mold, a gothic castle, a family filled with madness, and a dark, dank secret that would chill the blood of men, all told by a dryly witty nonbinary protagonist, Alex, who has come to the House of Usher to aid a childhood friend as she succumbs to a mysterious illness.
I don't know if any of you are familiar with Magic the Gathering lore, but this has very similar vibes to the plane of Innistrad when it was being influenced by Emrakul: picture a quaint 19th century European village being slowly poisoned by toxic and sinister influences. The interactions with the flora and fauna and the palpable terror of the villagers made this feel like an old skool horror movie that could have starred Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff. I also liked the comedic elements that came from Alex and the proper Ms. Potter, Beatrix's fictional aunt, and determined female mycologist.
Less is definitely more going into WHAT MOVES THE DEAD because part of the fun is figuring out what's going on. But this is definitely creepy and despite being under 200 pages, the pacing was economical and perfect. If this isn't made into a movie, somebody's not doing their job.
P.S. Don't read this at night.
4 to 4.5 stars
November 14, 2022
This is a very clever and scary story.
August 1, 2022
I don’t typically go for these kinds of books despite being an Edgar Allen Poe fan, so I might be rather biased here. I was, however, intrigued to read this BECAUSE it is based on The Fall of the House of Usher by Poe.
Back in 2020 in the midst of lockdown, I borrowed my best friend’s copy of the Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe. (To say it was a beast of a book is an understatement. I think it took me over a month to read in full.) A few things I want to start with that I promise coincide with my review:
Poe wrote poems and stories during approximately 1827-1846 during a time when publishing was incredibly difficult. He’s also the first author to have published works of horror and surprisingly enough, mystery! To create essentially two new genres of writing during a time when all odds are against you given the difficulties the publishing world was having really shows you his talent, drive and dedication to what he was passionate about.
The reason I bring this up is that anyone who wants to write fan fiction or a spin-off of Edgar Allen Poe’s works clearly has HUGE shoes to fill.
I think Kingfisher is very talented. She has such a way of describing the simplest things and describing them in such a graphic and gruesome way. Who knew rabbits and mushrooms could appear so gross! 🤷♀�
I also had a big appreciation for her Author’s Note at the end which says that she likes asking the ‘why� and wants to explain ‘why�. I thought she really did her homework when it came to explaining about different mushrooms and things in nature and how they react to the world around them. She clearly did a lot of research on that topic.
There were times I did feel things got a bit redundant. I felt like I had read certain lines 4-5 times in different parts of the book. When I would think we’re going to move on from a topic, it would come back a few more times before something else happened. It got a bit repetitive in my opinion. Maybe the reason The Fall of the House of Usher is a short story is that there isn’t as much to be said and the imagination can take hold instead of everything being spelled out. Sometimes classics are best left untouched for this reason, in my opinion.
I would definitely read more of Kingfisher’s works although if you’re a big Poe fan, this might not be the best place to start.
However, I have seen some glowing reviews for this one so be sure to check it out for yourself!
A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.
3.25⭐️
Back in 2020 in the midst of lockdown, I borrowed my best friend’s copy of the Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe. (To say it was a beast of a book is an understatement. I think it took me over a month to read in full.) A few things I want to start with that I promise coincide with my review:
Poe wrote poems and stories during approximately 1827-1846 during a time when publishing was incredibly difficult. He’s also the first author to have published works of horror and surprisingly enough, mystery! To create essentially two new genres of writing during a time when all odds are against you given the difficulties the publishing world was having really shows you his talent, drive and dedication to what he was passionate about.
The reason I bring this up is that anyone who wants to write fan fiction or a spin-off of Edgar Allen Poe’s works clearly has HUGE shoes to fill.
I think Kingfisher is very talented. She has such a way of describing the simplest things and describing them in such a graphic and gruesome way. Who knew rabbits and mushrooms could appear so gross! 🤷♀�
I also had a big appreciation for her Author’s Note at the end which says that she likes asking the ‘why� and wants to explain ‘why�. I thought she really did her homework when it came to explaining about different mushrooms and things in nature and how they react to the world around them. She clearly did a lot of research on that topic.
There were times I did feel things got a bit redundant. I felt like I had read certain lines 4-5 times in different parts of the book. When I would think we’re going to move on from a topic, it would come back a few more times before something else happened. It got a bit repetitive in my opinion. Maybe the reason The Fall of the House of Usher is a short story is that there isn’t as much to be said and the imagination can take hold instead of everything being spelled out. Sometimes classics are best left untouched for this reason, in my opinion.
I would definitely read more of Kingfisher’s works although if you’re a big Poe fan, this might not be the best place to start.
However, I have seen some glowing reviews for this one so be sure to check it out for yourself!
A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.
3.25⭐️
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March 7, 2023Intensely creepy retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher, with more fungal infection. Wonderfully vivid and compelling storytelling with a beautifully drawn world. Lovely casual detail about the pronouns in narrator Easton's language, reminding us how clunky and limited/limiting the basic English pronouns are and how language can shape thought. (Easton's gender is basically "soldier" because there is a pronoun just for soldiers, which includes people who were previously counted as women but enlisted.)
October 29, 2022
I mean, I know Edgar Allan Poe married his thirteen year old cousin and all, but what did he do to deserve this?
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