“The dead did not get up and walk around.”
…Or do they?

What Moves the Dead was a deliciously creepy and expansive retelling of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. I was glad to have read the short story before diving into this short novel, if for no other reason than to be able to appreciate how much T. Kingfisher expands on the original short story and adds some social commentary to the mix.

We follow the narrator, Alex Easton, a nonbinary soldier who rushes to the Usher estate to visit old friends Roderick and Madeline, while Madeline suffers from what they believe to be a fatal illness. Immediately, Alex is taken by the creepy tarn in front of the house as well as the gothic mansion itself, but things only get weirder as wild hares and Madeline begin acting erratically (and strangely similar…). The ride the author takes us on is one full of dread, mysterious mushroom species and bizarre zombie-like qualities.

The plot moved quickly, which I thought was smart for a short story retelling, and I appreciated how things were linked and tied up nicely in the end. It was also really cool to see the use of neopronouns throughout the story as well as some commentary on the patriarchy. There was a little bit of humor sprinkled throughout, which I thought helps lighten up the dark, gothic mood. Overall, I was really taken in by the author’s ability to answer readers’ questions from Poe’s story: What actually happened to Madeline Usher, and what the heck was going on inside that house?

I also highly recommend people read the author’s note. It was interesting to get the inside perspective on the writing (as well as the author’s acknowledgment of another mushroom-related gothic story I was thinking about whilst reading this one).

In this retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, Kingfisher unleashes her dark imagination through this retelling making it her own. In What Moves the Dead, Alex Easton comes to check on their friend, Madeline Usher at the request of her brother Roderick. Upon seeing them, they quickly note the health deterioration of both. Madeline continues to go downhill with sleepwalking and other very strange behaviors. To make matters worse, Roderick seems to be affected as well.

American doctor Denton has been brought in by Roderick to help with Maddy’s condition as well. We also have the addition of Eugenia Potter to the plot who helps flesh out the casts of characters. Even the environment and the inanimate seems to be characters in the story.

Kingfisher does an amazing job with these characters, but what stands out the most is her ability to create a creepy oppressive atmosphere. As a fan of Poe, I would say that Kingfisher holds her own in this retelling. The fact that she takes a classic and not only adds her own details but can add to the dark gothic feeling is amazing.

Overall, a great book! It’s full of all the wonderful elements that I expect from Kingfisher. While it reads a little more gothic mystery with horror elements, I think it’s a book that is easily read by people who aren’t big fans of the horror genre.

A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher.

The first half is essentially Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher up to Madeline’s death, with a few new characters, including Alex Easton, a sworn soldier and friend of the twin Ushers. Alex narrates Kingfisher’s reimagining of Poe’s story, but Poe’s narrator, Denton, is also here.

What Kingfisher does, and does well, is provide an explanation for the “madness” that infects and ultimately causes the deaths of Roderick and Madeline Usher. Fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic will find a similar vibe here. While I didn’t find this particularly scary (it’s definitely not a “boo!” kind of horror novel), it is creepy and kind of gross and also rather fascinating. So, kudos to T. Kingfisher for that.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Writing is very good, entertaining and builds a spooky, creepy atmosphere. The main character was interesting but a little underdeveloped. I love the overall gothic tones of this novella and I don’t think it was a bad take on Poe’s “Fall of the house of Usher.” However the ending was lackluster and a bit rushed. I felt let down to go through all that awesome ambiance and gothic feel to have a flat, boring ending that literally wrapped itself up in a few scenes. I did enjoy the story but the ending definitely knocked off a few stars for me.

A retelling of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, T. Kingfisher's What Moves the Dead is a tour de force of creepy, economic storytelling that stands on its own. T. Kingfisher takes the small ideas that Poe planted within the original story - concerning fungus - and runs with it. There is no need to have prior knowledge of the original before reading this novella.

What Moves the Dead follows Alex Easton, a retired soldier in the Galician army, as she travels to the Ushers’ manor after receiving word that her old friend, Madeline Usher, has become extremely sick. Upon arrival, she meets a British mycologist, studying fungi local to the area, an American doctor, tasked with treating Madeline, and her old friend and brother to Madeline, Roderick Usher. While exploring the Ushers’ land, Alex starts to notice local wildlife acting eerily strange, and possibly infected with fungi, and thinks this may be the cause behind Madeline’s sudden illness. Alex is tasked with trying to get the Ushers away from their home before it’s too late, and her friends succumb to mushroom-induced madness.

Few other writers are able to capture the terrifying and gruesome effects that fungus can have on one’s body with their words like Kingfisher can. I was enthralled with this novella from the beginning and since finishing I have been haunted by it. In fact, it give me nightmares! I woke up in the middle of the night and bizarrely told my wife that the "mushrooms were growing." I think this is the sign of a successful horror novel!

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the free galley, in exchange for an honest view.

I also have to say that the cover art is absolutely bizarre and beautiful.

I am a fervent Poe fan, so while I was intrigued by a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, my hopes were metered. But boy was I impressed by this one. Kingfisher takes the baton from Mexican Gothic and Wanderers and reimagines just what was haunting the Usher family leading to their descent into madness. The writing is atmospheric and the characters have a great modern twist. 

This was close to a five star read for me but I really wanted a creepy, haunting wink at the end but instead it wraps up with a nice bow. I think that's ok too and will please a lot of folks but I'm leaving this one at 4.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for advanced access to this story. All opinions above are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Tor/Forge Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the new book by T. Kingfisher and narrated by Avi Roque - 4 creepy stars!

Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that his childhood friend, Madeline Usher is dying and races to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside. What he finds is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed hares, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is sick with a mysterious nervous issue. Alex meets a British mycologist and an American doctor who help him solve the secret of the House of Usher before they all succumb.

This is a retelling of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher" and it is such a slow-burn but increasingly tense, creepy tale. The narrator's voices really added to the creepy factor and I couldn't stop listening to this one. And that cover!

📚BOOK REVIEW📚 and HAPPY PUB DAY to WHAT MOVES THE DEAD by T. Kingfisher. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and @torbooks for the e-ARC.

I am generally a sucker for a retelling, but when I heard that I was going to be treated to a new imagining of Poe's short story The Fall of the House of Usher AND it would be written by none other than one of my favorite creepy story writers, T. Kingfisher, I knew I was in for a treat. Kingfisher absolutely did not disappoint. Thank you to @netgalley @macmillanusa @torbooks
and the author for the e-ARC of this most excellent book.

“I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.” - EAP

Kingfisher paints a grotesquely gothic and dreary scene as the main character, Alex Easton, a retired Galacian soldier, rides onto the tarn of Ruritania and upon the House of Usher. An urgent letter from their friend Madeline Usher has beckoned them to this bleak and crumbling vestige of aristocracy as Madeline and her brother Roderick believe she is dying. Alex is appalled by the ghostly appearance of their childhood friends and the rotting dwelling around them but cannot convince them to leave. Soon Alex starts to realize even more strange goings on including putrid mushrooms, bizarre viscera in animals, and hares that are acting rather unusually. And why do they keep seeing Mary standing at the edge of that swampy pond?

The atmosphere of this book was compulsively dark and gripped me from page one. I was immediately invested in the mystery of the tarn and the House of Usher as well as Alex themselves. I found Kingfisher tried to stay true to the feel and chill of EAP's work including quips about dull Americans and the stuffy English and spine-tingling descriptions of horrific sights. In the introduction, Kingfisher writes that she loved The Fall of the House of Usher but wanted more and I have to see that I think she has succeeded and also breathed new life into a classic chilling tale.

Without giving too much away, I absolutely LOVED the reveal of this book. You definitely know what is coming before the characters but you are stuck watching their wheels turn while they put together the pieces and try to rationalize away what they see with their own eyes. I don't think I can say enough now much I loved this book. Now to go out and find myself a physical copy because I guarantee I will revisit this one.
IMHO, Kingfisher is one of the most underrated authors out there. Her work is inventive, dark, gothic and leaves me in absolute dreary delight!
Rep: LGBTQ+ (Kingfisher creates multiple gender pronouns in the Gallacian language referred to as ka/kan or va/van)

At one point I got a little bit physically ill reading this and that's the mark of a good horror book to me.

T. Kingfisher is my favorite horror author by far. The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places both had me scared to sleep so I had high expectations for this one and I was not disappointed. What Moves the Dead is a novella based off of Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher and I dare to say that Poe would be proud of this reinvention of his classic, horror tale. I also love Poe and reinterpretations of classic stories so that was right up my English Major alley.

What Moves the Dead takes The Fall of the House of User and asks the question, why? Why were Madeline and Roderick Usher so sick? Why was there so much fungus everywhere? And what if...what if those two things were correlated?

If had a nickel for every time I'd been grossed out by a horror book about fungus, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it's happened twice. T. Kingfisher mentions in her authors note that she read Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia after she had started on this book and she almost didn't finish this one because Mexican Gothic truly took fungus-horror to the next level. But I would say that both books have made me scared of mushrooms.

Not only does this book use atmosphere and description to build the scare. We also have a cast of characters that both play into the deteriorating plot but also make choices that I agree with. We don't fall into the trap of stupid decisions but instead our MC (who is a non-binary soldier with both heart and snark) makes smart, logical choices. Which makes the illogic of what's happening even more terrifying.

I absolutely loved this and was simultaneously wigged out by it, perfection.

I would say to add this to your October TBRs immediately, but it deserves to be read right now.

Thank you, Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the digital arc!

Wow, I did not anticipate the wild ride this book would take me on. It's a genre-spanning gothic horror tale that reimagines Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher.

What Moves the Dead mixes gothic horror, classic retellings, and a bit of sci-fi and fantasy to weave a captivating story that gets under your skin in the best and worst ways. It's a perfect short page-turner for those who love Poe mixed with the weird and disturbing sci-fi horror of Jeff VanderMeer.

It's a short novella, but the first third or so of the book is a serious slow burn that was, at times, hard to slog through. But then one moment causes all hell to break loose, and I couldn't put the book down after that. You'll probably want to steer clear of mushrooms for a bit after finishing this one.

4.25 stars

An expansion and revamp of Edgar Alan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, Alex Easton, a former soldier, rushes to the ancestral home of a childhood friend when she appears to be dying. What Easton finds is a dilapidated house by a tarn infested with all sorts of growths and siblings reduced to improbable states of madness.

When I read the short story this was based on, I was left wanting more; in the author's note, Kingfisher says she felt the exact same way. This gives exactly what one would want in an expansion on a classic story. The tone and the atmosphere are the same as Poe's original, this time with more room to grow. There's more of a plot and more chances to interact with each of the characters. I enjoyed that this was a more realistic interpretation of the horrific elements of the story, and, in my opinion, it made the story all the more horrifying! The descriptions of rot, fungus, and the dead were the perfect type of creepy and gross. There were two things I didn't expect: the humor and the fictional country our characters hail from. In a way that reminded me of Tamsyn Muir, our main character will make funny and dry comments about what's going on. The country had an interesting impact on the story, with a set of neo-pronouns (ka/kan) especially for soldiers that Easton utilizes. This nonbinary identity is occasionally discussed as Easton is interacting with people outside of kan home country who aren't used to a nonbinary identity (especially since this is still set in the 1800s). I will say that I often want more from novellas, but I think this one was just about the right length for the story it wanted to tell.

Overall, this was a really cool horror novella filled with creepy descriptions that kept me glued to the page (or rather, my screen). I can't wait to read this author's previous release and to recommend this to fans of Poe and horror!

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher is an eco-horror retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher that gave me a lot of mixed feelings.

Upfront, I’ve got to say I was not a fan of roughly the first half of the book. The narrator's ramblings and long tangents bog down the plot and made for a slow start.

On top of that, the constant dripping British sarcasm removed any sense of urgency. Maybe it was supposed to add personality to the story, but given the circumstantiates of Alex trying to save their childhood friend, it felt tonally off to me.

It takes 40% of the novella for me to actually start to feel a sense of eeriness and foreboding. Around that mark we start diving deeper into Alex’s character (like their PTSD as an ex-soldier or their feelings about Madeline). Those parts were great, and I wished that had been woven in earlier on!

Honestly, this book had so much potential an eco gothic, but the story lacked focus and its artistic direction actively undermined its horror elements.

The last T. Kingfisher book I read (The Hollow Places) made me terrified of willow trees and school buses, and now this one made me terrified of rabbits (technically hares, but, ya know). Which is to say, this is another astoundingly imaginative work. While it’s certainly not necessary, I’d recommend reading Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” before this as it’s based on that short story. It gives you a great appreciation for how the author changed (I’d say improved) the story. As a side note, Alex is Gallacian. Their language has a lot more pronouns than English (or Ruravian), including one for soldiers (ka/kan) that Alex has elected to keep using even after retirement. In terms of making this more readable while still respecting them, I’ve chosen to use the nonbinary they/them in this review.

Alex is a retired soldier who served with Roderick Usher, and after receiving a disturbing letter from his sister Madeline, they travel to the Usher house in Ruravia in hopes of helping their childhood friends. It’s even worse than they expected: the house is a crumbling pile, the countryside is strangely unnerving, and both Roderick and Madeleine are almost unrecognizably wasted away. But that’s just scratching the surface of the horror that awaits Alex…

“I’m not, for the most part, an imaginative soul. Put me in the most haunted house in Europe for a night, and I shall sleep soundly and wake in the morning with a good appetite.”


I am a humongous fan of T. Kingfisher’s writing, so it’s no surprise that I was drawn in from the first pages. Told from Alex’s first person POV, the novella starts with them arriving at the house and bumping into an English mycologist, Eugenia Potter (yes, related to that Potter), whose knowledge of particularly odiferous mushrooms doesn’t do much to endear the countryside to Alex. Discovering the state of their friends and their residence is also a huge shock. But Alex is gamely determined to do something to help, even if it’s just to keep them company and try to raise their spirits.

“You know I’m not a superstitious soul, Angus, but I swear there’s something wicked here.”
“Well, I am a superstitious soul,” said Angus, “and I know there is. It ain’t canny. The sort of place you find devils dancing on the moors.”
“There aren’t any moors. There’s a sort of heath and a tarn and a mad Englishwoman painting mushrooms.”


The characters are exceptional, and Alex’s way of categorizing them – much like Miss Potter categorizes her fungi – is insightful and hilarious. Beyond Roderick and Madeline, Denton, an American doctor (of sorts) who’s already tried and failed to help Madeline, is also staying at the house and joining Alex is their batman Angus. The interplay between Alex and Angus was especially entertaining while also serving to give Alex a trusted person to puzzle out how not right everything is.

“Both Denton and I knew the truth, but saying the words would make it real, and dear God, how I wanted it not to be real.”


The book is exactly as gothic as you’d expect, but in traditional T. Kingfisher style, it’s got plenty of humor and “oh @#$@ no” moments skillfully woven throughout. There were points – especially once the creeping realization of what’s happening starts to settle on both Alex and the reader – that I was reading through my fingers, both absolutely horrified but unable to stop reading. The way the bits and pieces of the story start to come together was just *chef’s kiss*, and it all ratchets the tension up perfectly.

Overall, yet another book that hits it out of the park. Imaginative and spine-chilling in all the best ways, and highly recommended for anyone looking for a quick frightening read to cool down with!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Jordan Hanley at Tor, and T. Kingfisher for an ARC of this book!**

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

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

T. Kingfisher is known for fantasy and more recently, romantic fantasy, but I believe her horror novels and novellas to be some of her best work. This retelling of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher is creepy and chilling and well done.

Our narrator for this story is retired Lieutenant Alex Easton, who is summoned to the Usher estate by their childhood friend Roderick, on behalf of his dying sister Madeline. As soon as Easton steps foot on the dilapidated estate, full of weird funguses and creepy local wildlife, they know something is wrong. That feeling only escalates when Madeline and Roderick’s appearances show their deep decline. Easton, along with another houseguest, American doctor James Denton, set out to discover what is causing the siblings to sicken and what their link to the estate may have to do with it.

I won’t go too deep into the plot, but I will say the sinister atmosphere and shocking revelations kept me glued to the page. Fans of this author and the horror genre will not want to miss.

This book has guaranteed I will never eat another mushroom again. I absolutely adored The Fall of the House of Usher, and this book is not only a fantastic retelling but it carves out it's own place as well. Easton is such a great point of view character. I wanted to stay with all the characters forever but the book doesn't stretch out too long, or wrap up too quickly. The whole thing was satisfying from beginning to end.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher is a horror novella, and basically a re-make of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher".

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Tor/Nightfire (and in particular Jordan Hanley) and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Retired soldier Alex Easton visits his childhood friend Madeline Usher, after receiving a letter saying that she is very unwell, and that her twin brother Roderick is very concerned with her health.

The decline in health of both Madeline and  Roderick comes as a shock to Alex.  They are both emaciated, both almost white in colour.  Roderick is overly anxious and Madeline has problems sleepwalking, and even her gait is strange.  An American doctor is visiting, and he is baffled as well.

In the countryside, a British mycologist is studying mushrooms and fungal growths in the area, and Alex wonders if there is something in the area that could be causing Madeline's illness.  Something is certainly affecting the wildlife and lake.


My Opinions:  
First, the cover creeped me out.

Second, I was surprised (pleasantly) with the humour and writing of this short novella.  I don't generally enjoy humour in my fiction/horror, but there were some great lines!   I hope the author starts writing more books for adults,  or I'm going to have to start reading children's books...

Third, I love the way she described tinnitus and balance issues.  I have Meniere's and it's so true!

The actual plot, although taken from Poe's epic short story, has it's own twists and variations.  It was very atmospheric and creepy.  The characters were great.  I thought Hob the horse was classic, as was Mrs. Potter (apparently Beatrix Potter's maiden aunt).  I loved the use of pronouns, and the fact that Alex was non-binary.   Both the house and the tarn took on new meanings for creepy characters....not to mention the hares!

For a short story, you couldn't ask for more!

The House of Usher, which was first published in 1839 in Burton’s Gentlemen’s Magazine, has always been one of my favorite Poe short stories so I couldn’t resist checking out T. Kingfisher’s retelling, What Moves the Dead. Kingfisher fleshes out the Poe’s short story with more fully developed characters, but keeps the haunting gothic quality of the original. In this version the narrator is Alex Easton a retired Gallacian soldier, who was assigned female at birth but began using a gender neutral pronoun, ka, specifically used by the military for soldiers in the Gallacia’s language, comes to visit kan friends the Ushers when ka hears kan friend Madeline is ill. Also in the mix are an American doctor and British Mycologist, but time is running out to uncover the mysteries of the House of Usher. Besides her other adult novels, Kingfisher also writes books for children under her name Ursula Vernon.

This is a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher". While not as short as Poe's, this is also a very quick read that I zoomed through in less than a day. All twelve chapters are creepy and completely addicting. I got some grossed out shivers during this book and that normally doesn't happen. T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) does a fantastic job of expanding and building upon a classic horror tale. An award should be given to whoever made that amazing cover art. I desperately want this to come to life on the big screen!