Reviews with content warning for Murder - What Moves the Dead

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

What Moves the Dead, by T. Kingfisher

53 reviews

lasafica_reads's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I was looking forward to this re-telling of Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher," but ultimately found it to be just fine. I think because it is such a short book, the characterization especially suffers. I didn't find it to be especially tense or scary or sad. The hares were a bit creepy, though. I enjoyed there being an answer to the questions in the original short story. (What is happening to Madeline, what is she dying of, what is Roderick's role in all this?) There were a few amusing parts, nearly all from Angus, the servant. The most interesting part in the whole book to me was what T. Kingfisher does with pronouns, as our narrator's fictional country of origin has something like 8 or 9 pronouns, and it was cool to see TK use those pronouns, which did come into play in the story to a minor extent. The main character also has tinnitus due to exposure to loud weapons during wars as a soldier. The main reasons I will remember this book are the pronoun usage and

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the fact that I keep coming across books with semi-sentient fungi as antagonists

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eliasaurus's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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lbelow's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Before reading this book, I sat down and read the story that inspired it. Retellings are a conversation with the source material; the best ones add to the themes the author originally spoke to.

This one is fabulous. It roots itself to the original in the way it begins and builds on the atmosphere Poe developed. Where the characters depart, they do so in ways that feel natural to the story. The added characters and complexity and, best yet, answers, feels not like it's trying to upscale the original, but to continue the conversation that The Fall of the House of Usher began. I especially enjoyed the trans protagonist and the intricacies of pronouns that circled back in the end to tie into the plot.

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savvylit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

What Moves the Dead is a delightful gothic read with excellent pacing and plenty of creepiness. This novella is also populated by a cast of characters both loveable and memorable. My favorite was narrator Alex, a very smart nonbinary soldier and a loyal friend. The way the story is written made me feel as though I was sitting in a smoky pub, listening to Alex confess this dark tale over shared drinks. Kingfisher is a truly incredible world-builder and I can't wait to read more of her work.

What Moves the Dead is, in fact, a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Fall of the House of Usher. And it truly excels as a retelling. I do not think that you have to be familiar with the original work in order to enjoy this book. That being said, I would recommend reading Poe's story first (available for free online) to truly appreciate the ways that Kingfisher has expanded upon the original.

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