A beautiful retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher. Lovely characters, eerie atmosphere and excellent writing. Fans of Poe and gothic horror will love this. I haven't read T. Kingfisher before but I definitely want to now. And this cover is just stunning.

You’ve heard of Bunnicula, now get ready for Vampire Bunnies!

First and foremost, I should say I’ve never read The Fall of the House of Usher so I have nothing to compare this novella to. However, having no knowledge of the work What Moves the Dead is based on doesn’t affect your experience at all. What starts as a creepy little story turns into a grotesque tale of an evil fungus. It was dark with an edge of humor and it was incredible. I’d particularly recommend this one to fans of Mexican Gothic.

“What moves the dead” by T. Kingfisher is a short novel retelling “The Fall of the House of Usher.”
The main character, Alex, is summoned to the Usher’s ancestral home by Madeline Usher who fears she is dying.
The novella is dark and gothic and I found it funny and thrilling. It was such a creative take on the Poe short story.

I think a lot of reviewers who don't know it's a retelling will enjoy this book! As someone who has read the The Fall of the House of Usher, I feel like this retelling wraps things up far too much. I did read the author's notes, and they do state that they felt the original didn't give enough answers, and they wanted to answer them. I feel that part of what makes the original iconic is the eeriness produced by a lack of answers. Nevertheless, like I said, I feel that a lot of people who read this will enjoy it if they aren't comparing it to the original.

what moves the dead was such a good retelling and i would have rated it 5 stars had it not been for how slow the beginning was. it’s creepy without having that many “in-your-face” horror moments. the author does such a good job at creating an eerie, something-is-wrong atmosphere and i was on the edge of my seat for the last 40% of the novel. if you like mexican gothic, you’ll probably like this one as well.

the writing was fung-nomenal. i will show myself out now.

this is a novella and i am amazed how well thought-out the plot and the characters were. the main character, alex, especially, had such a strong personality – they’re witty and sarcastic and i really liked them.

the beginning was tedious and i almost considered dnf-ing because it felt like nothing was happening. i wish this build-up part was considerably shorter – it didn’t really have a point or maybe i just missed stuff.
the way everything is described was truly amazing – it’s unsettling without being too gore-y. around the 40% point of the book you’re starting to realize something is off, but there’s no jumpscare to actually justify that feeling. i also loved the scenes with the hares – they were very off-putting. i just love how the book approached the horror tropes it features.

what moves the dead is one of those novels you read in one-sitting. everything about it was really good and it’s such a clever retelling. also i have to say the title was a very smart choice, it was really fun to figure out the meaning of it. and the cover is simply gorgeous!!

As a huge horror fan and a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, I really enjoyed this retelling. Honestly at first I had an idea of what was going on but I was so incorrect by the time I finished the book! I really enjoyed the story and the plot devices put into play that kept the story feeling creepy.

I have a friend who's been urging me to read T. Kingfisher for years, and now that I've read this, I'm very sorry I waited so long. Not for the faint of heart or stomach, this is a truly terrifying novella inspired by Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher -- but with all of the extra details and new characters I didn't know I wanted. I loved it and will be recommending it widely.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

"Mold crept up the pale boards, tiny spots of black that joined together like constellations." -From What Moves the Dead

5 stars

Hares, fungus, and decaying houses oh my! Kingfisher really took some of the standard horror characters Poe used in "The Fall of the House of Usher" and elevates and adds to them, creating a dynamic cast. The prose changes somewhat from Kingfisher's other works, to a more antiquated one that fits perfectly in the 1890's timeframe the book is placed in. I loved the nonbinary protagonist (though even a close friend uses 'sir' to address them), and the seven different pronouns their language had in general. It tied in well having the fungus using the child pronoun. I love how you get more explanation and closure in this retelling. This version makes me like the original more. Creepy horrific perfection.

Thank you endlessly to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What Moves the Dead is written in the first person narrative from the perspective of Alex Easton and set in the late 1800s.. Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying. Rushing to the Usher’s ancestral home in the remote countryside, Easton is shocked to find fungal growth, possessed wildlife, and a pulsing lake. Easton is even more shocked when he finds both Usher siblings looking like the living dead and many strange occurrences in the manor. With the help of an American doctor and a British mycologist, Easton is determined to unravel the secrets of the manor before it consumes them all.

Thoughts: As an Edgar Allen Poe fan, I was a little wary about this retelling of his short story “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Kingfisher seriously nailed it. He took the bones of the story and added so much meat to it! In Poe’s classic, the story is chilling but rather straightforward with not much explanation on who the characters truly are and what exactly is happening. But that is no issue at all in Kingfisher’s retelling. One of the most satisfying novellas I’ve read in a while. Chilling, atmospheric, and with just enough humanity in all of the characters to make you care about what happens to them (usually a huge miss in novellas, I find). Not one full moment and it was very well-paced rather having than a super slow build. I also really loved Potter’s character and her abundance of scientific insight on fungi. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a horror novella, enjoy horror retellings, or love a good haunted house story.

I’ve yet to read Mexican Gothic but it seems that the consensus is that if you enjoyed that one, you’ll enjoy this. Definitely adding Mexican Gothic to my TBR now!

4.5 Stars!

WHAT MOVES THE DEAD, by T. Kingfisher tackles Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher", and goes into the storyline, furthering it, and fleshing it out in a way that felt both natural, and yet keeping with her own unique style.

The dreary setting is set, and Alex Easton--a woman who served in the army with Roderick Usher--comes to visit after receiving a letter from her friend, Maddie Usher. There is also an American doctor present there, although his character was unable to really do anything at this stage to help the obviously dying Madeline.

Despite being a take on a classic, Kingfisher makes this tale completely unique. Her trademark "dark humor" is present, although in smaller doses than in previous stories, due to the Victorian period, I assume. However, it does shine out, reminding you that this book--no matter how many times you've read the tale by Poe--is her own.

". . . (Look, if you don't make a fool of yourself over animals, at least in private, you aren't to be trusted. . . .")

". . . Sometimes it's hard to know if someone is insulting or just an American."

The atmosphere here is crucial to the story, and Kingfisher takes it to where your own imagination might have furthered the events leading to "The Fall of the House of Usher". The tale is complete, while still leaving room to have your own questions swirling about.

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

The only thing I really didn't care for was that the author went into various pronouns used in a village--seven of them--over, and over again. I could see if it were pertinent to the storyline, but it seemed to be something brought up often, that didn't do anything to forward the tale.

Other than that, I felt that this was a fantastic take on a well-known classic, with the author's personal style.

Recommended.

Novella retelling of Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher", this story is creepy, lyrical and humorous at the same time. The main character is Easton, a non-binary soldier who has received a letter from an old friend Madeline Usher, inviting them for a visit. Easton arrives on their horse Hob and finds the Usher home is a bad state. Not only is their large, castle like home in shambles, but the very town they live in seems to filled with dank water, terrible looking mushrooms and hares which seem like other-worldly creatures. Easton meets the great character Miss Potter, fictional aunt to Beatrix, and she tells hime the history of the poisonous mushrooms that she enjoys sketching and studying.

Madeline and her brother Roderick are in a terrible state. They have both gone bone thin with hair that is turned white and a deathly pallor to their skin. They are in the company of an American doctor named Denton who is unable to determine what is causing their decline. Easton becomes very concerned about their friends and also a bit scared when Madeline is found roaming around the castle at night as if in a trance. As Easton, Denton, Miss Potter and Roderick try to figure out what is causing such a terrible illness, a sense of something coming for the group is felt in every description of the dank lake which glows at night, the creepy animals that don't die when they are shot, and in Roderick and Madeline themselves who grow more skeleton like by the day. Easton's attempts t0 solve the mystery and help their friends is interesting and smart. I liked the warm relationship between the characters and felt the creepy cold as it crept through the Usher estate. Would love to see Easton and Miss Potter in another novella or novel. Thank You to NetGalley and the publisher for a free book in exchange for an honest review.

It has been a very long time since I’ve read Fall of the House of Usher by Poe, but I must say, this book wonderfully captures that uneasy “something is amiss” atmosphere you find in classic horror tales. Right from the start, the protagonist is charming, the narrative compelling and curious. The writing itself is brilliant, expertly capturing the plot and pulling you, the reader, along for a frightening ride.

The mushrooms, the tarn, the house itself, the Usher siblings - this is a perfectly crafted retelling of a very frightening story. Really, the MUSHROOMS. I also found the narrator very refreshing and highly entertaining, easily keeping me engaged the entire way. I also truly appreciated the way the author kept true to the original story while also changing just enough to keep this tale unique and special.

Books like this are rare to come across, and I am so glad I gave it a chance. Keep an open mind and you will enjoy this book, too.

Thanks to @netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this bold new novel from T. Kingfisher.

An imaginative retelling of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, What Moves the Dead tells of Alex Easton, a former soldier, visiting old friends Madeleine and Roderick Usher in their decaying manor house in the fictional Ruravia (which I believe is very near Genovia). Receiving word that Madeleine is dying, Easton arrives at the estate only to quickly discover that something dark lurks in the house of Usher.

I know you should never judge a book by its cover, but look at that striking cover! And any book that features the word “viscera,” in the first sentence you know is going to take you on a wild ride. This book initially gave me Mexican Gothic vibes what with the mushrooms and fungi all around, which made great sense when the author raved about it in the author’s note.

There was a lovely non-binary main character and beautiful usage of myriad pronouns when talking about different characters. There were deeply unsettling tableaus of death and decay that gave me chills. And there was even a very amusing blink-and-you’ll-miss-it mention of the mycologist Mrs. Potter’s niece, Beatrix.

Ultimately, this book was an enjoyably horrific ride. I am not usually drawn to the horror genre, but this novel had the most uncanny mix of horror, suspense, and absurdist humor that I flew through it. I found myself laughing out loud at the narrator’s dry wit one moment and being shocked by the gruesome happenings in the house of Usher the next. Honestly, this book is quite original and unlike anything else I’ve ever read—which is quite a feat when it is literally an adaptation of an extant work.

I read The Fall of The House of Usher in school and vaguely remember the main point of the story so I was very excited to see that T. Kingfisher was releasing a retelling of sorts.

This story follows very similar beats to the original while remaining unique in its own way. In the original story, you have a brother and sister living in a decrepit house which the reader explores through the eyes of a visiting guest.

What Moves the Dead expands upon the original by adding more side characters and creating more reasons why the eerie house exists as it does. The author does a wonderful job of subverting the readers expectations in this novella.

If you enjoyed Mexican Gothic or any other gothic literature, you would enjoy this. I feel like this novella really encapsulates the same level of slightly grotesque imagery that gothic literature is known for invoking and I can see fans of the genre really enjoying this.

As a huge fan of Edgar Allan Poe, I was thrilled to be able to read this retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher. T. Kingfisher does an incredible job immediately immersing the reader in the gothic backwater world in which we encounter Madeline and Roderick Usher, brother and sister who refuse to leave their ancestral home despite rot and decay all around them.

Where Poe told us the what in his short story, Kingfisher fills us in on the why and does it in an utterly believable and beautifully horrific manner. I was unable to put this one down, despite knowing the inevitable ending because the gaps that Poe had left us with, were finally being filled in.

The character of Easton and the addition of a culture with multiple pronouns adds an element of modernity and inclusion to this classic tale.

For fans of Mexican Gothic and Edgar Allan Poe, this is definitely a retelling that you do not want to miss.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tor Nightfire, and T. Kingfisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Crumbling estates, creepy wildlife, and insidious fungi — T. Kingfisher expands on Poe’s classic tale. The first half of the book was slow going, but it picked it halfway through and I didn’t want to put it down! I found Kingfisher’s descriptions of the hares living around the House of Usher deeply unsettling. There were bits that were quite reminiscent of Silvia Moreno Garcia’s Mexican Gothic, which the author acknowledges. Overall, it’s a quick, unsettling read that fans of the Gothic and Horror genres will enjoy.

Everything T. Kingfisher touches turns to immaculate horror story gold, and this book is no exception. It hits that sweet spot between just a genuinely fun retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher (as well as a fantastic addition to the gothic horror genre), and something so so much more. Kingfisher has a talent for really setting the scene and atmospheric dread that really gets you into the book. Despite the fact that it was so short, I absolutely LOVED the characters and was impressed by how well-fleshed out they were. Kingfisher falls back on familiar gothic horror character tropes (the American, the Nervous Gentleman, the Sickly, Waifish Lady, and the Soldier) but gives them such a great history and spin that it takes everything I already love about the genre and makes it even BETTER. I'm trying not to give away any spoilers, but I will say that this book will keep you up at night and you won't look at *redacted* the same way ever again.

For those who liked Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic (which Kingfisher pays homage to in the Author's Note), you are going to LOVE this book.

Did I download this book and proceed to read the whole thing in one sitting? Perhaps. It’s been a long, long time since I read Fall of the House of Usher, so I went into this story blind. I absolutely loved it! Kingfisher created such a vivid and atmospheric setting that I truly felt unsettled while reading this book. She gave such life to the crumbling Usher manor and the eerie countryside that I truly felt like I was there along with Easton. And the horror! There were some truly horrific scenes, especially when it comes to body horror. I would have noped right out of there well before the crypt scenes.

I loved all of Kingfisher’s characters, especially Easton. Always here for the inclusion of nonbinary main characters! Even in the face of the dangerous unknown they still managed to keep things humorous and moving. We saw brief glimpses into Easton’s backstory, but they never took away from the storyline or slowed the pace. Mrs. Potter was also a particular delight and so easy to imagine. All of the characters felt truly fleshed out and interesting. My heart hurt for the Ushers.

This was my first T. Kingfisher and it definitely won’t be my last. I cannot wait to check out her backlog books, but I will also be revisiting Poe in the meantime.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this ARC!

the fall of the house of usher is my favourite Poe story, so when Nightfire reached out to me to offer an advanced review copy of this retelling, I was elated. I had high expectations going in, and “What Moves The Dead” did not disappoint. I read it in one sitting.

The pacing was perfect. There is a lot of descriptive writing and attention to detail, which is imperative for any Poe retelling. For example, Kingfisher emphasizes the importance of the setting by describing it in depth. The prose doesn’t take away from the story’s progression; instead, it coexists with the plot and contributes to the creepiness.

As for the story itself, it was more unsettling than outright scary, and the ending was predictable, but I loved the explanation for Madeline’s death. The characters were more fleshed out than their original counterparts, and the nonbinary representation was refreshing.

Thanks to T. Kingfisher, I’m now terrified of hares. What Moves the Dead is such a wonderful little surprise. It’s a novella that mixes dread and humour perfectly, and managed to make me care about the characters and scare the pants off me in under 200 pages.

What Moves the Dead is an expansion of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, adding in body horror, the history of a fake country, and a witty nonbinary hero.

Alex Easton is a retired soldier who receives a letter from their old friend Madeline Usher, who is dying from a mysterious ailment. Alex (and their wonderful horse, Hob) travels to the home of Madeline and her brother Roderick to try to help.

There, Alex meets a British woman studying fungi, a very American doctor, and several hares that seem to watch Alex. And there’s something wrong with the way they move.

(I finished this one after midnight and then unfortunately my dog wanted out in the backyard to chase rabbits. No thank you.)

Kingfisher captures so much of what I loved in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic and Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation, but with a completely different tone (much funnier), a late-19th century gothic setting, and a warm cast of characters. I loved this weird little novella.

Thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the review copy of What Moves the Dead.