A gothic retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, WHAT MOVES THE DEAD is a quiet horror packed with vibrant and disturbing imagery. This quick and short read will leave you turning the page and wanting more as the tension continues to grow on each page. You'll never look at a hare the same way again.

I’ll be 100% honest with you, I don’t really enjoy re-telling / re-imagining stories. And I wasn’t too sure about that being done to Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher… but – again, 100% honest here- when I first laid eyes on that epic cover art, I just HAD to read this one. Just extraordinary work! The art made me feel so curious about the plot of the book.

What Moves the Dead starts off a little slow moving. It gradually builds to an extremely creepy ending. Defiantly a slow burner. Don’t know if the slow build worked well with such a short book? I was left wanting more at the end. Like, it felt like too much building and the finale just felt too short.

Do love the eerie tone running throughout the book. All the creepy hares are a BIG plus! The twist about what is really going on is pretty great, gross and dreadful! I loved it! :D I wanted more spooky fungi fun!!

What Moves the Dead handles the retelling well, giving the House of Usher a fresh coat of paint. The book is maybe a little too short, but the spooky atmosphere and creepy -crawly plot leave you feeling satisfied and disturbed.

This is a retelling of Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" and my god was it good. Kingfisher is so hit or miss for me but when she hits, she HITS.

Lou Jacobs's Reviews > What Moves the Dead
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, #1)
by T. Kingfisher
M 50x66
Lou Jacobs's reviewNov 14, 2022 · edit
it was amazing
bookshelves: to-read
Read 2 times. Last read November 9, 2022 to November 14, 2022.

WHAT MOVES THE DEAD by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon)
Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire ( 176 page novella)
Audio: 5 hours, 11 minutes
Narrator: Avi Roque



Another gem from the multi-award winning author , across many media. Kingfisher greatly and deeply expands upon Edgar Allan Poe’s classic story: The Fall of the House of Usher. …. maintaining its dark and gothic nature, but delves much deeper in the character and personality of the characters … while providing an ingenious explanation for the mounting horror. Our main protagonist in this version is given a name and rich back story (unlike Poe’s original tale).. … also of note, Alex Easton is a non-binary person, who is a “sworn” retired soldier from the fictitious country of “Gallacia”. ( A particularly violent and warring country. However, it does this very ineffectually and usually looses. This backstory gives Kingfisher the chance to insinuate her humor into the tale ). Alex rushes to the remote countryside of Rurtania, to the ancestral home of the Ushers…. after receiving a letter from Roderick that his sister is dying …. from “what” he cannot explain.
Roderick briefly served in the military with Alex, and Madeline is a childhood friend of theirs. Upon arrival Alex finds both of the Usher siblings in an extremely emaciated state… both obviously ill, fitting right in with the dilapidated and crumbling mansion they live in.
Alex is aided in her investigation of increasingly inexplicable events by both the American, Dr Denton and a rather prim and proper British Mycologist and artist, Miss Eugenia Potter. Both are continually called upon by Alex to offer possible explanations or insight, while using their expertise in medicine and knowledge of fungi. She is perplexed by the strangeness of the situation: a local lake (“Tarn”) that intermittently will pulse with varying color lights of unknown origin … as well as bering inhabited by fish that appear to be infested with “some type of fungal growth.” The local area around the gothic and foreboding Usher House is seemingly overrun with “witch” hares (named by the locals) which behave and move bizarrely. At one point Alex shoots one in the head .. and yet it’s able to get up and awkwardly amble away. Intermittently Alex finds Madeleine “sleepwalking” while talking and acting in a disturbingly weird manner. ( Madeline visually looks like “death warmed over” ). Alex frantically investigates in hope of finding the source of Madeline’s malady in an effort to save her. The narrative is laced with menacing and gothic descriptive imagery which effortlessly ratchets up the intrigue , tension and dread.
Kingfisher proves to be a master storyteller as the narrative brings to life the wonder and weirdness of the events, while expanding Poe’s story and infusing it with rich character development and an ingenious and reasonable explanations for the expanding dread. The ever present level of creepiness is so enjoyable, and yet disturbing. A perfect read for a stormy night.
I experienced the added benefit of being treated to the audio performance of Avi Roque, who expertly narrated the individual characters with such a wonderful nuance …. I enjoyed the ongoing “play” in the theater of my mind. Thanks to the narrator who allowed my mind to be fully invested in this gothic delight .
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advance audio performance in exchange for an honest review.

What Moves the Dead is a creepy Southern Gothic horror by an author who is now one of my favorites. The atmosphere and world-building is immersive. I typically cannot handle horror reads, but Kingfisher's books are more like "creepy fantasy" so the horror is more a product of nature or supernatural gone wrong, vs appalling human behavior.

This is such an original and interesting take on a classic. Despite being relatively slim, it packs a hefty punch and offers a lot to talk about. Our book group loved it.

I am a Poe fan and have recently found interest in the Fall of the House of Usher story before realizing that this was a retelling. Poe is famous for his horror and unnerving anticipations, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author was able to capture that in their own way.

It was dark, rainy and gloomy out when I read this, and that definitely elevated my reading experience. The setting of this story was written so well, visualization is important for me in books like this. And the tone throughout was consistent and heavy - exactly what you would want it to be.

This is an author I will read from again!

I went into this one really without knowing the premise and was drawn into the darkness. Much like Mexican Gothic in its mysteriois atmosphere, there's just enough oddity to keep you turning the pages. Looking forward to the sequel!

I really enjoyed this book. This is my first foray in to T Kingfisher's writing and I will definitely be back for more.
5 amazing stars

I absolutely loved this novella. I read this as part of the Literally Dead Book Club, hosted by booktuber BooksandLala. I have never read a T. Kingfisher novel before and after reading this I will definitely continue with more. I have read the story "The Fall of the House of Usher" only once and I will definitely have to go back and reread it. I read part of it physically, but the audiobook was very enjoyable. I loved being able to spend time in Alex's mind with the story. T. Kingfisher really knows how to build atmosphere and it really shines through in this book.

I really loved all of the inclusions of the mushrooms and the hares in this book. I also love how T. Kingfisher took the original and gave a more in depth explanation of what was going on. I was listening to a podcast T. Kingfisher was on and she mentioned that she was working on the second Alex Easton novella, so I'm really looking forward to that.

This was my first book by T. Kingfisher and I'm not sure how I feel about it. This was a retelling of "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allen Poe, which I reread right before I read this one. Overall, the plot itself was very similar and the first half of the book was a little slow. BUT T. Kingfisher definitely added a creepy spin on this story in the second half of the book and made it her own unique creepy story. I also had the chance to listen on audio, which usually helps a lot. However, the narrator (while not bad) didn't fit the character in my head. Still not my favorite but I would be willing to try another book by her in the future.

Kingfisher takes her own unique spin on Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher," and the result is a novella that's simultaneously atmospheric and dark while maintaining a brisk pace. Prepare for some genuinely unsettling imagery that sent shivers down my spine. Kingfisher's talent shines in the art of tension-building and the clever incorporation of unexpected plot twists. She never lets me down!

Although this novella stands apart from her previous works, it retains the compulsive readability that keeps you glued to the pages until the very end. I found myself on the edge of my seat at times, unable to put the book down. Kingfisher is known for creating witty and likable main characters, and this story is no exception. Alex's humor provides a delightful contrast to the ever-encroaching sense of dread in the story.

In short, I highly recommend this novella, especially if you enjoy horror and gothic stories. It's best to dive in with little prior knowledge, as there are surprises even for those who know Poe's original tale.

Many thanks to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for my review copies

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’ve been meaning to read something by Kingfisher for a while, solely based on the covers. I mean, look at that thing. It’s so horrific, and I am intrigued about what it means! Now I know. I was definitely pleased by this one! It’s pretty short; I could have read it in one sitting if had the time, but its length was perfect for what the story was trying to accomplish.

This book is a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, which I have never read, to be honest. I like Poe’s stuff and have read several stories, but just not this one, as far as I can remember. Big fan of The Tell-Tale Heart, though. Easton, who is a sworn soldier in the fictitious country of Galicia, receives a letter from a childhood friend, Madeline Usher, who claims she is dying. Upon arrival, Easton realizes this is the case, and decides to figure out why Madeline’s current state doesn’t seem normal. This book was a lot of fun and really creepy in parts. I know another Easton book comes out in 2024, and I’ll definitely be picking it up.

Very strange, as well as dark and creepy which way in some ways I liked it . And had me turning the pages to see what happens next .

The dead don't talk. Except, sometimes,when they do."

A beautiful and dark reimagining of the The fall of the house Usher by Edgar Alan Poe
Love the atmosphere and humor of the book. If you like Mexican Gothic you will love this one

Any offering from T. Kingfisher is always welcome. What Moves the Dead is no exception. Having read The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places previously I now dug into the author's new novella. This is the author's take on Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher and I was not disappointed. Fish, hares, people and fungi oh my! Highly recommended.

I absolutely loved this beautiful and CREEPY novel. Such an interesting retelling of Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher. I loved that there more depth added to the story! Can’t wait to read more from Kingfisher!!

This just might not have been my cup of tea. I usually enjoy T Kingfisher, but this one was a little too descriptive about the body things that were happening. I still think the writing and story were great as usual.

I love T Kingfisher and this story was so good! I loved the atmosphere and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

Free ebook from NetGalley, review is my own.

I loved this book. So much so that it inspired an art project. Creepy and dark body horror. The rabbits definitely were my favorite scary part

This book was everything I was hoping it to be. It really packed a creepy punch for being so small. The writing was strong and atmospheric. As a retelling, this was strong and definitely holds a candle to the original. However, even those unfamiliar with the original Poe story will still enjoy this. This def gives Mexian Gothic vibes in the best way.