Reviews with content warning for Chronic illness - What Moves the Dead

This is an amazing short horror story that has enough humor to keep the story human without negating any of the horrors in it. All of the major characters are charming and there's nowhere that I really thought the characters were being stupid for the sake of the novel. There's a good bit of body horror but also some moral dilemmas about the alienness of something.

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lauramparis's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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sunsetcity's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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ninjamuse's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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catwhisperer's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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raen99's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

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cwu's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

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readundancies's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Having made the not so bold but rather necessary declaration that T. Kingfisher is one of my all time favourite authors earlier this year, it should come as no surprise that I found her most recent novella, What Moves the Dead, a reimagining of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, to be yet another fantastically creepy work.

I had no doubts that this would occur, of course. And yet, it’s a nice feeling to be vindicated in your beliefs, so here we are.

Alex Easton, a soldier and childhood friend to the Ushers, begins their tale upon their horse, Hob (great name, Kingfisher never fails to bestow any animals with a name they are worthy of), beside a rather fleshy looking mushroom. And thus, an eerie atmosphere and strangely unsettling setting begins to ensnare you into the story’s depths. Worldbuilding is something that is not skimped on in this story, and Kingfisher does a wonderful job of letting the Usher manor and it’s immediate vicinity, tarn included, to suck you in.

T. Kingfisher is a master at two things in my opinion, with the first being writing a lead character that you cannot help but root for. Easton is not in this case, a reluctant hero, which is a trope that I tend to favour and Kingfisher represents so well. Instead, Easton is a bit of pragmatist with no explicit passions of their own other than to revel in other’s when they speak of their passions. And so throughout all of the weird happenings at the Usher’s abode, Easton’s prerogative becomes to dissect what is going on and then establishing a means to end it. Easton’s personality is a bit crass but still pure hearted and loyal and reading from their perspective was never a hardship. In fact, all of the characters bring something to the table and I liked them all so much for it. Madeline instigates Easton’s journey, Eugenia Potter and her mycology fascination allows for investigation, Angus a connection to Easton’s family and an amusing sidekick, Denton as a set of medical eyes and second opinions and Roderick is the means to the end.

But also of interest is Kingfisher’s second mastery, which involves spinning tales with a focus on ecohorror, where the natural world, especially animals are twisted and inverted and flipped upside down and all around until they become these unnatural entities that are hauntingly creepy. This novella is no exception. The rabbits, the tarn and even the Usher manor itself with it’s mold and it’s eroding structure creates this atmosphere that is off-putting but simultaneously captivating. Corrupted nature of the animal variety is a staple of Kingfisher’s horror works and there is definitely body and animal horror throughout that made me stop for a second to really process how fucked up it would be to witness it in real life.

I will say that the ending felt kind of abrupt, but I have a feeling that might be a byproduct of the original tale being reimagined here, although I haven’t yet read it, so I might be completely off base on that one. I wanted a bit more of come down to really finish the story off and set me off on a soft float out into the sea that is my mind after a finished novel. This was more of a cannonball if anything.

But yeah, despite this not being my favourite T. Kingfisher tale, it’s still well worth a read, so if you’re in the mood for a quick horror variation/retelling, this one shouldn’t let you down.

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