T. Kingfisher has done it again, this time with a fantastic retelling of one of Poe’s most beloved tales. I was thrilled to see this on the “upcoming releases” calendar and figured it would be a good way to build my hype for Mike Flanagan’s Netflix adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher.

I don’t like dropping too many details in my reviews since I think the best way to experience horror is to go in blind, but I loved the character development for such a short novella and the deviations Kingfisher took from the original. Poe is one of the most celebrated horror writers in the history of American literature and I can’t imagine the excitement and the pressure that comes with adapting the work of a legend.

The novella was an overwhelming success on all counts. I was thoroughly chilled and finished the story in two quick sittings. T. Kingfisher continues to be one of those authors that I’ll read anything they put out.

Let me start this off with I am not a horror novel fan, but I this novel changed mind. The fall of house of usher is one of favorite poe stories and I was impressed with this version. The cover art is fantastic.

Alex leaves the war to visit his childhood friend who is ill. Upon arriving at her home, he is unsettled by seeing his friend Madeline and her brother Roderick Usher. They look to be in poor health and Madeline looks near death with odd thin white hair growing on her body and sleepwalking spells. A strange smell comes from the lake and zombie looking rabbits are everywhere. With the help of an English mycologist and an American doctor, Alex tries to figure out what's going. This is based on the short story The Fall of the House of Usher. There were some creepy scenes, I was confused about the use of the many different pronouns.

I have never read Poe's story, The Fall of the House of Usher. But What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher grabbed me from the opening descriptions of fungus. It's so odd to say, but wow -- this book bowled me over with how much I loved it.

It's not a long book, but the sheer gothic feel, the horror, the unexplained, the descriptiveness, it all led to something beautiful to read. This is the first book I've read of Kingfishers but I will most definitely be seeking out more.

I genuinely found this so interesting and well done. I'm not a big horror fan, but the plot was intriguing enough for me to want to read it. It took a little while for me to actually get into it, but once I did, I was hooked. Definitely recommend if you want a quick read and are looking for well wrought characters! The writing was also great and buoyant.

"The dead don't walk. The dead don't walk. The dead don't walk."

I have to say that I had such a fun time reading this book! It started as a close retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, which I am okay with, and then became a wild ride and I was here for it! I love that we were able to see more of the main characters as well as have some new folks introduced. I personally loved the fungi enthusiast, Miss Potter and the narrator, Alex Easton.

This book was spooky and had a wonderful gothic atmosphere that I really enjoyed. Some of the images described stayed with me and I loved that I did not see some of the twists as I was reading. This was a great read for anyone who enjoyed The Fall of the House of Usher or books that are classically creepy.

4.5/5 stars


Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

I enjoyed this retelling very much - I do think it miiight have been a bit snappier if it had been shorter, dropped some of the backstory of the main character (who, after all, isn't named Usher) and just tightened up the early bits. I still would absolutely recommend it - as always I love T. Kingfisher's work.

This is my third book by this author and im obsessed to say the least. Ive read this book in one sitting and just blowed away by the creepiness. The writing was phenomenal this is evwrything you want in a horror book and this author keep coming with best sellers after best sellers

5/5 THANK YOU TOR NIGHTFIRE FOR THE ARC

To be completely honest, there's lots that drew me in particular to this title in particular. For one, the cover art is absolutely immaculate and totally the vibe for this book. When I saw this on Netgalley I was determined to read it somehow.

This is gothic horror that is a horror lovers dream. It has the classic horror tale atmosphere you would expect from an Edgar Allen Poe story as it is based off of his short story 'The House of Usher'. It's exploration of sci-fi horror revolves around mushrooms. In the author note I think it's funny that T. Kingfisher thought she couldn't pen this novel because of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic. However, both of these works are dramatically different and both are incredible modern horror masterpieces.

What Moves the Dead follows soldier Alex Easton, with one of the best uses of pronoun variation I've read in a really long time with an excellent language background to boot, as they travel at the calling of their friend Madeline's letters. The letters are worrisome and Alex is like, "is my friend dying?" It's absolutely such a riveting novel because Alex Easton is by far one of the most sarcastic and hilarious horror protagonists I've ever read. Fully formed and tired, Alex is the definition of, "this is surely a haunted house, we need to leave now' type of person I feel this landscape of horror severely lacks.

Kingfisher weaves this novel by through the exploration of few characters and it's literally just vibes. We have Maddy's super paranoid brother who seems to be ill as well nervous and convinced that their family home is cursed. We have Denton, an American soldier who doesn't know what to make of Alex but realizes that something is very wrong and they all need to leave as soon as possible. And then there's Ms. Potter, a mycologist that aids in understand the terrors of what grows in and outside of this house.

The horror is both mood driven with specks of body horror throughout. We get beautiful and lush descriptions of creatures that act strange and demented after being arisen from the dead by unknown agents. There's so much to love if you are a fan of weird mushroom/mold based horror, which at this point feels like it's own subgenre. It's presentation of mold both through scientific means and through the supernatural adds a twist that both shocks and terrifies readers into thinking about organic matter in a whole new light.

I read this over the course of two days. It's a very short novel that does not skip a single-story beat, fully utilizing great pacing, tone, and mystery to make this a standout amongst 2022 releases. Horror is a versatile genre that can be about so many different things and despite this being a retelling, Kingfisher writes a tale transformative that takes life of its own (no pun intended). Night terrors, crypt chasing, and undead bunnies are going to be on your mind a lot after reading What Moves the Dead and you know what? It's worth it.

A link will be provided for this review when Gatecrashers posts this review closer to release date.

Will be making Instagram posts, Twitter Posts and Tik Toks discussing how much I loved it and how people should pre-order it until the review goes live for maximum pre-order coverage!

What a gothic atmospheric novella! This reimagining of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher takes an already creepy story and breathes new life into it.

The descriptions of the fungus, the decrepit house, the tarn, and the characters were so off putting and creepy. It was grotesque without being over the top- just the right amount of unease to keep you reading.

This can easily be read in one sitting but the images remain long after reading. Definitely recommend!

Fantastic retelling of Poes Fall of the house of Usher. I forgot how creepy it was 10 to 15 years when I first resd it in school. This was beautifully done. Gothic retelling with some nice new twists. I really liked the extra details this author put into this story.

What Moves the Dead is creepy, so, so creepy. I’m usually a baby when it comes to horror but this was a really good retelling of The Fall of The House of Usher. The cover continues the creepiness. The atmosphere was so thick and well detailed, I felt like it was another character. If you like gothic, creepy and retellings this is definitely the book for you. Thank you to NetGalley, Tor and T. Kingfisher for e-galley.

When I saw that this book was a reimagining of an Edgar Allen Poe tale I knew I wanted to read it. I'm a sucker for creepy gothic tales and this book did not disappoint on that front. What Moves the Dead is Kingfisher's take on Edgar Allen Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" and parallels the original story fairly well, beginning with the narrator, Easton, traveling to the House of Usher on the request of a letter stating that one of the Usher twins has fallen ill.

I liked the differences that Kingfisher added to the original. The addition of new characters help to fill in the gaps of Poe's original tale, and the novel veered into a different direction that was sufficiently creepy and shocking. Definitely got some Mexican Gothic vibes, which the author does mention in the author's note at the end of the book (I suggest reading it!). I also found the pronouns from the land of Gallacia interesting, the use of va/van and ka/kan. It was a bit confusing at first, but I caught on. I also liked that this book had some closure at the end, compared to Poe's open-ended tale.

What Moves the Dead definitely delivers in the creepiness factor. The zombie-like nature of the twins, the eeriness of the house, and the hares. The hares! They totally creeped me out.

This was fast paced and a fairly easy read, which I appreciated. If you like creepy gothic tales and retellings, I would recommend it.

I have loved all of the previous books Ive read by T. Kinfisher and this one is no different. 5 Stars. It sucked me in from the first page with Easton and her horse Hobb, as they stumble across a mushroom that when poked releases spores that smell like death..

When Leiutenant Easton gets a letter from her friend Maddy that she is quite ill Easton decides to go for a visit and see whats going on. As Easton gets closer to the manor an weird feeling begins to creep up. As they arrive at the house our stoic soldier Easton who doesn't believe in anything paranormal is like could this house possible any creepier.. It sits on a lake that doens't seem to reflect any light, the house itself is dark and damp and just has an overall feeling that something is going to creep up behing you at any moment.. Could a house even look like more of a gothic horror story?

Both Madeline and her brother Rodrick look like they could keel over any moment, and Madeline especially has no desire to leave her house. When she starts acting even weirder, if thats even possible and Easton finds her wandering the halls at all hours and talking like a child?? Good thing Easton is now on the case and they won't stop until they figure out what the heck is going on in this house.. thankfully they have the help of Denton a doctor, and a local mycologist.... Because when the dead things start moving on their own they need all the help they can get..

Kingfisher does a wonderful job of capturing that ominous creepy feeling in this gothic horror. The atmosphere and attention to detail really make this book shine.. and now I will have to make sure to always pay attention to the local wildlife. I mean only T. Kingfisher can make a Hare THAT creepy and weird.. She has quickly become a favorite and I can't wait to see what she will write next!!

If you read Mexican Gothic and thought it could use a little bit of slightly lgbtq+ flavor and a lot more inspiration from Poe, you'll love this short novella. Not that I've read anything by T. Kingfisher I didn't love - I looked for this novella immediately when I heard it was available as an ARC... and it did not disappoint. Then again, my fangirl heart will always be smitten if someone so much as sneezes at a Star Trek reference. And, no, if you read the author's note at the end you'll find out that I am definitely not the first to make the connection to a Moreno-Garcia supernatural gothic.

Which is a long-winded and slightly ridiculous way of writing a review to say that I loved every creepy, mycological minute of reading this. My entire thanks to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and the author for providing an e-arc for review.

This was a wonderfully atmospheric read and very much put me in the mind set of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Reading the Author's Note definitely let me know I was in the right mind.

This is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story “The Fall of the House of Usher”, which I’ve never read (and I think that’s an advantage, that way I don’t consciously or unconsciously compare this book to that one).

When Tor graciously reached out to me with an offer to review this book, I was hesitant. I don’t read horror very often. Well, apparently they know me better than I know me, because I loved this book!! The description of the atmosphere and setting is top notch! The whole time I was reading about the gloom and dusty and swampy and funky I desperately wanted to take a hot shower and then stand in the sun for a while 😁 The characters are well described and I could clearly picture them in my head, and the different use of personal pronouns was really interesting. But I think the one aspect of the book I was most impressed with was the overall writing style. For anyone who’s read books that were written in the 1800s, they definitely have a particular cadence to them, in the way that the narrative flows, and the author does such a good job in mirroring that style, and yet making it just a bit more modern for today’s audience. Very well done! Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go to scrub my skin some more 😉

Thank you to NetGalley & Tor Nightfire for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Kingfisher delivers a brilliant retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher. The prose is beautiful and emotional with a tone of doom and a creepy, dark atmosphere that will get under your skin. This novella is an original gothic horror with gore, spooks, and nasty mushrooms. Yet, through all the eerie and creepy, the characters are dimensional and interesting. What Moves The Dead is a well-written and captivating tale.

4/5 stars – highly recommend for fans of Edgar Allan Poe and gothic horror literature

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and T. Kingfisher for the electronic ARC.
Expected Pub Date: July 12, 2022
#NetGalley #WhatMovesTheDead

This is a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." I've not read the original and can't comment on how much this retelling strays, but I enjoyed it either way. This is excellent gothic horror with a creepy mansion, a naturalist who specializes in fungi, creepy wandering beings, animals who act possessed, and more. A+ for gothic creepiness.

I quite liked the characters too, especially the main character and the fungi naturalist. I'm guessing that the author put a lot of herself into these characters and it is delightful. Anyone who watched T. Kingfisher give her acceptance speeches at the 2020 Hugo Awards will recognize her here again. No doubt she learned so much about slime mold while researching this book!

I recommend this book for sure! This isn't a full five stars because I found it to be a bit slow paced for my taste. I wasn't thoroughly riveted and feel that the creepy mysteriousness could have been played up more. That said, I still enjoyed this a lot.

Sexual violence? No. Other content warnings? Some animal gore, suicide.

Couldn’t sleep because I’m congested and sniffly, so I finished reading What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher and now I can’t sleep because I’m congested, sniffly, and afraid of evil sentient fungus monsters slowly consuming me while I sleep and then puppeting my dead body for months on end.

I should maybe not read horror stories at 2am.

But if you’re looking for a book that will give you the creepy crawlies, then this weird retelling of Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher is a fascinating one. The aesthetics are off the charts when it comes to decay and gloom and the philosophical asides are as poignant as they come.

It took me a few days to finish reading it, since I felt compelled to take a break and reread Fall of the House of Usher first, but really the novella stands alone without it. Much like The Hollow Places revitalized and expanded upon Blackwood’s The Willows, this novella takes the House of Usher and staggers off into the distance with a new and frightening gait.