Scan barcode
A review by leguinstan
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
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
3.0
Full disclosure: I am a huge fan of Edgar Allan Poe and I am sucker for retellings of classic stories. So it goes without saying that I was very excited to read What Moves the Dead which is a retelling of "The Fall of the House of Usher", one of Poe's most famous gothic short stories. In addition, I absolutely adored T. Kingfisher's short story collection Jackalope Wives and Other Stories (one of my top 5 reads of 2022) so I felt confident that Poe's story was in good hands.
And now that I've finished the novella I can say that it's perfectly... okay. While the imagery in the novel is creepy at times, it does not compare to the feeling of oppressive dread in the original short story. I re-read "The Fall of the House of Usher" a day prior to starting Kingfisher's retelling so the differences between the two stories were keenly felt. The house in What Moves the Dead merely feels like the dilapidated setting and nexus of unsettling occurrences whereas the house in Poe's story feels like a malevolent entity--its influence overpowering and nigh-inescapable.
To be clear: this difference is not a problem in and of itself. Unfortunately the retelling's plot, character, and world-building additions are simply not good enough to make that difference worthwhile. The tradeoff for the sake of a slightly more complex story feels like a net loss. With such a short page count, the time spent describing the customs and culture of the main character's fictional country of origin feels like highway robbery--leaving the characters and atmosphere in a more impoverished state of affairs. Although lacking in depth, the cast of characters are passably entertaining, likeable, and play off each other decently well. The biggest issue is that the mystery behind the rapidly deteriorating health of the Usher siblings is super predictable(the cover and the title of the book do NOT HELP AT ALL) and the subsequent loss of suspense was to the story's detriment. It's kind of difficult to feel the expected amount of fear during shocking revelations when you're waiting for the characters to catch up to where you're at. Luckily, once the main character finally figures it out and the story can dispense with the suspense, we're rewarded with some good body horror in the finale! But overall the reading experience was rather disappointing.
Now I would like to say that if my familiarity with "The Fall of the House of Usher" set me up for disappointment, then my familiarity with T. Kingfisher did so doubly because I know that she can do so much better than this. She has written scarier, more menacing stories. And she has written characters that are exponentially more endearing and compelling. But most importantly: she is an author that is full of surprises--catching me off guard in the most delightful, laugh-inducing, and emotionally moving ways.
Like I said: she can do better than this. And if you're considering making this novella your introduction to T. Kingfisher then you can certainly do better dear reader! If you're specifically looking for her more creepy tales, I recommend two of her short stories: "Razorback" and "Let Pass the Horses Black". Both are published in Jackalope Wives and Other Stories and the former is available for free on Apex Magazine's website (listed under her real name: Ursula Vernon).
And now that I've finished the novella I can say that it's perfectly... okay. While the imagery in the novel is creepy at times, it does not compare to the feeling of oppressive dread in the original short story. I re-read "The Fall of the House of Usher" a day prior to starting Kingfisher's retelling so the differences between the two stories were keenly felt. The house in What Moves the Dead merely feels like the dilapidated setting and nexus of unsettling occurrences whereas the house in Poe's story feels like a malevolent entity--its influence overpowering and nigh-inescapable.
To be clear: this difference is not a problem in and of itself. Unfortunately the retelling's plot, character, and world-building additions are simply not good enough to make that difference worthwhile. The tradeoff for the sake of a slightly more complex story feels like a net loss. With such a short page count, the time spent describing the customs and culture of the main character's fictional country of origin feels like highway robbery--leaving the characters and atmosphere in a more impoverished state of affairs. Although lacking in depth, the cast of characters are passably entertaining, likeable, and play off each other decently well. The biggest issue is that the mystery behind the rapidly deteriorating health of the Usher siblings is super predictable
Now I would like to say that if my familiarity with "The Fall of the House of Usher" set me up for disappointment, then my familiarity with T. Kingfisher did so doubly because I know that she can do so much better than this. She has written scarier, more menacing stories. And she has written characters that are exponentially more endearing and compelling. But most importantly: she is an author that is full of surprises--catching me off guard in the most delightful, laugh-inducing, and emotionally moving ways.
Like I said: she can do better than this. And if you're considering making this novella your introduction to T. Kingfisher then you can certainly do better dear reader! If you're specifically looking for her more creepy tales, I recommend two of her short stories: "Razorback" and "Let Pass the Horses Black". Both are published in Jackalope Wives and Other Stories and the former is available for free on Apex Magazine's website (listed under her real name: Ursula Vernon).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Terminal illness, Blood, and Gore
Minor: War