Mushrooms may be having a real moment lately but the body horror here is why I’m unwilling to put them on my pizza or hang out with fungus of any kind; can’t take the chance that <i>this</i> might be the outcome (also they taste weird). I’ll pass, thanks! Kingfisher’s quick and dirty take on <i>The Fall of the House of Usher</i> is a treat, from her gem of a narrator and their very cool system of pronouns (that come up in a deliciously creepy way near the end of the book) to her satisfyingly alarming explanation for just what is making all those poor hares act so odd and keeping those poor Ushers in their terrible house.

What an excellent, creepy and atmospheric retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher. With Non-binary representation and a unique use of various pronouns this redux is definitely modernized with more inclusive terminology and etymology. The story itself presents the most macabre and disturbing imagery. I really enjoyed this one!

This was exquisite. A weird and creepy novella that I never wanted to put down.

From the opening paragraph, I just knew this book would be excellent. Our main character Alex Easton was sarcastic and down-to-earth and I loved their vibe. Alex is also written in a way, that to me, seems like she would use she/they pronouns, although the pronouns used in the book were a bit different.

And the title of this book...PERFECT.

The writing was great. So many WTF moments. Loved it.

Let me start by saying this book is a gothic lit work of art. It's a reimagining of The Fall of the House of User by Edgar Allan Poe but, and I'm being completely honest with this, What Moves the Dead was even better than the short story by Poe.

This is a novella so it'll quickly grab your attention and refuse to let you go. One of the things I love the most about gothic lit is the atmosphere and the representation of the human psyche through the house (because let's face it, the house is always haunted). T. Kingfisher did an excellent job setting up the story, the creepiness and the atmosphere. I'm honestly so in love with this creepy gem of a book that I'm desperate to read it again, even if the cover unsettled me a bit. Overall, the writing is stunning and I really loved it.

Everything I was hoping for and more!!

From the moment I saw that incredibly creepy cover art, I couldn’t wait to read this book. When I found out it was T Kingfisher’s twist on The Fall of the House of Usher, I was even more excited. With the signature blend of humor and horror, this novella is teeming with haunted hares, freaky fungi, and gothic gloom. Our narrator, Alex Easton, has been summoned to the House of Usher by childhood friend Madeline, who has been unwell. When Easton arrives, Madeline is shockingly gaunt and her brother Roderick believes she is dying. Easton is thoroughly unsettled by the state of the house, which overlooks a dismal tarn that seems to absorb rather than reflect light. Poe’s original tale is short, culminating in a shocking payoff. Kingfisher has added to the story with memorable characters, an explanation of what’s going on in the house, and the creepiest mushrooms I’ve read about since Mexican Gothic. I can’t recommend this one highly enough!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an early copy in exchange for my honest review. I’ve never been more excited for an arc.

When I started reading this book, I didn't know that it was a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classics "the Fall of the House of Usher". Now I have one more story added to my TBR list! When a book starts with someone looking into mushrooms in damp woods, wait for those mushrooms to take center stage. They are always like Chekov's rifle hanging on the wall.

Alex Easton went to see his friends who were taken down by a weird malady. His childhood friend was about to die and her brother was losing his mind. Easton started his own investigation trying to figure what might be causing them wither away this fast. One thing he realized was the environment that the ancestral house of Ushers was in. It was damp, torn-down, and covered in mold. Mushrooms were popping up everywhere. Hares in the woods were staring into your soul and they might be immune to gun shot! Alex had little bit of time figure out what's going on here.

One thing we all need to remember is "dead don't walk because they are dead". However, what goes on in this story might make you question that fact and what's considered "dead". So bring out the fire and let's solve this mystery.

Today I wanted to talk about a book that I read 2 months ago that is still on my mind daily. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher is a dark retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher. Now, how do you make an already dark story darker? I mean, I guess you add zombie-esque bunnies and lots of mushrooms? This story was a little slow so, at first, I thought I wasn't liking the book but it's still stuck in my head after 2 months so obviously the author did something right.

3.5 stars. Not terrible, was slow and a bit boring but it was still very creepy.(have since moved it to 4 stars because it wont leave my head so i must have liked it more than I originally thought)

Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s classic “The Fall of the House of Usher,” T. J. Kingfisher’s retelling “What Moves the Dead” gives the work a nightmarish and unsettling twist.

When retired lieutenant, Alex Faston, receives a letter from their dying childhood friend Madeline Usher, they rush to her ancestral home in the countryside of Ruritania. Alex finds the property teeming with acres of fungi, strange wildlife, and a pulsing lake when they arrive. Madeline and her brother sleepwalk, speak in strange voices, and suffer from paranoia.

With the help of a British mycologist and an American doctor, Alex dives into the secrets of the House of Usher–or risks being consumed by the same maladies as the Ushers.

Kingfisher’s writing style would make Poe proud–intricately detailed and steeped in suspense. The writing had wildly cinematic energy that most authors can only aspire to achieve.

This retelling is an impressive continuation of Poe’s classic with all of the makings of a perfect horror, but falls short with the strange fungi and possessed rabbits. Although suspenseful, the nail-biting, heart-pounding fear Kingfisher tried to weave into the narrative was lacking. The nightmarish fungi were reminiscent of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s bestseller “Mexican Gothic” without the actual nightmare, making this novel a bit of a let-down in that department.

Beautifully detailed and an unsettling revamp, “What Moves the Dead” had all the makings of a horror classic. Still, it fell short of inciting fear or obsession. Nevertheless, I’ll never look at fungi the same way again after “What Moves the Dead.”

T. Kingfisher’s previous horror novels, The Twisted Ones, and The Hollow Places, are two of the most terrifying books I’ve ever read. They are also hilarious, which is unbelievably weird. So I had very high expectations for What Moves the Dead, Kingfisher’s reworking of the Poe short story, The Fall of the House of Usher.

Alex, a former soldier, receive word that their childhood friend Madeline is dying, and so goes to visit her. However, Alex finds Madeline, and her home, in a huge state of disrepair, and he encounters strange fungus and even stranger hares. Can Alex work out what the heck is going on before the spores kill everyone?

It was great to once again be in Kingfisher’s world of weirdness; there are some genuinely scary, unselling moments in this book. Kingfisher knows how to create a ghastly image in the reader’s mind. I also enjoyed the humor of the central character, Alex, as well as their fascinating background.

My one minor complaint is that this enthralling ride was over so quickly! But as Kingfisher points out in her notes at the end of the book, the original story by Poe is incredibly short; only around 20 pages. However, we do have a new Kingfisher book in the form of fantasy novel Nettle and Bone, so I can’t complain too much.

I loved this book! I know it might not seem like it since it took me so long to read (from February 10th - May 15th!). But it actually took me maybe two-three weeks to read this book. I'm rubbish at reading e-books.

I really liked Alex Easton. Miss Potter was a fun character as well. And all the characters were really well-written!

It was heartbreaking what happened to the Ushers, Roderick and Madeline.

And then Angus and Miss Potter returned with sulfur and Alex and Denton and Angus and Miss Potter and Aaron killed the tarn!

To sum up how much I loved this book in one sentence: I support mushrooms' rights, but more importantly, I support mushrooms wrongs. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for providing me a copy of this ARC.

In this retelling of Poe's the Fall of the House of Usher, we follow Easton who is a soldier who received a letter from their friend Madeline, urging them to come as they are very sick. When Easton arrives at the crumbling manor, they find strange goings on surrounding the Usher household, and are both horrified and intrigued by the things that occur behind closed doors in the manor.

I absolutely loved Easton, and how they think and operate. While this is a horror book, Easton's asides were often enough to make me laugh out loud. Furthermore, I found all of the characters likeable, and the plot was enthralling. I particularly enjoyed the history of Easton's character and the conversation on pronouns; it's what added some depth to this retelling. I was reading this book in the middle of the day in the woods and was so spooked I managed to scare myself.

I will be adding a physical copy to my shelves when this releases, and will be posting my review on Booktok. An amazing book, I can't wait to read more by this author.

This book is Creepy. Short, atmospheric, and absolutely creepy. I liked it way more than I thought I would, since i'm not a huge horror fan. While this is short, the length of a novella, Kingfisher has done a great job of creating a fully realized, satisfying story. Alex Easton is a recently retired solider traveling to visit childhood friends after a distressing letter arrives saying that one of them-Madeline-will likely die soon. When Alex arrives, they are met by Roderick, his friend and Madeline's brother, and Denton, an American doctor and family friend. Alex is shocked by Madeline and Roderick's appearance, both have visually deteriorated, with Maddy suffering from a range of ailments and Roderick's nerves being completely shot. Outside of the Usher house, Alex befriends the fictional aunt of Beatrix Potter, who is an expert on fungus and is studying particular strains that grow in the area. As the plot progresses, Alex realizes there's a much more disturbing reason for Madeline's illness, and it's one that could spread and cause untold destruction. I liked how everything came together in the end, and how there were enough hints for you to guess what was actually going on before the big reveal, which really fed into a great growing sense of horror as you go along. My one issue was it felt like some of these places were made up (or they're historical places that don't exist anymore) and I found myself distracted about whether or not they're real. It would've been nice if that bit was thrown in somewhere, alongside the worldbuilding info we get with Alex's pronouns and their cultural meaning.

Loved this book!

Thank you Netgally for providing me with this advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a lovely interpretation of a classic Poe story, with definite Mexican Gothic vibes. I enjoyed the many different pronouns used, as well as having a nonbinary protagonist. While certain elements of the book can be a little icky, it doesn't go too far into body horror as to be unpalatable. I feel as though I would've enjoyed it more if I'd read the original story, but it does still have feet on its own. I'd recommend this novella to anyone wanting to dip their toes into gothic horror or who loves Edgar Allan Poe.

*Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

As a big fan of Edgar Allan Poe and horror books in general, I was looking forward to reading What Moves The Dead. I had heard great things about T. Kingfisher’s books so that added to my excitement but I hate to say that I did not love What Moves The Dead and it did not exceed my expectations.

The book opens and I was hoping to feel connected to the characters or setting and I did not feel anything for our protagonist or the Ushers or any of the supporting cast of the book. I felt that the characters felt like checks on a box instead of Three Dimensional people that could be real.

The biggest positive for the book is that it is a quick read and I enjoyed the third act of the book much more than the dull middle that felt like it was dragging.

Overall I did not hate What Moves The Dead and I did not love it and I hope if I read any other books by T. Kingfisher that they will be scarier and give me the characters that I can connect with.

Atmospheric, creepy, and just the perfect amount of gothic vibes. If you are a fan of Mexican Gothic, you need to read this book.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Creepy!!
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher meets the cordacyeps virus ( from The Last of Us). This is a very short novel but definitely creepy and had me theorizing potential outcomes almost from the first page. I love the characters and I love the “villain”. I’m afraid to say much more and give anything else away so go read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and T. Kingfisher for the advanced copy of What Moves the Dead in exchange for my honest review.

I have admittedly never read "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe, so while I know that's what interested a lot of people about this book, I was drawn to What Moves the Dead strictly from the gorgeous cover.

The imagery in this book was *everything.* Certain scenes were so delightfully creepy it was almost like a nightmare I didn't really want to wake up from.

I also found the little drops of humor to be a welcome surprise. This was my first read by T. Kingfisher but it will definitely not be my last.

What Moves the Dead will be on US bookshelves July 12, 2022!

This was a wonderful new take on The Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allen Poe.
The atmosphere is totally creepy from beginning to end.
Alex Easton receives a letter from his friend Madeline, who he knew as a child. She is very ill and wishes that he comes to the family home to see her. So off he goes to the House of Usher. What he finds is his friend Madeline, bearing hanging on to her life, her brother is also in decline and the house is falling apart around them. The house is riddled with mold and fungal everywhere. Some odd and glowing is in the lake where their water comes from. They see animals behaving strangely and unexplained things happening in the night. I really enjoyed this story and I think you will too. Your in for a wild ride. Thsnk youbto Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Fantastic retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, full of grotesque body horror and a big old gothic house. Highly recommend!