A review by samwescott
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Ooh, I loved this. I feel like I've read a lot of fungal horror over the last year or so, but this was my favorite iteration of that style. It was delightful creepy and the general sense of infection and contamination was a perfect way to heighten and sustain the fear of the whole story. 

Personally, I really love retellings of classics and this worked so well as an updated Poe and I really enjoyed all the added cultural layers from the narrating character, especially the new understanding of gender from their country and how pronouns were used. This story managed to make neo-pronouns feel completely natural and also used them to express some complicated emotions during the big reveal. 

I'm low-key terrified of hares now. 

Loved the shade at the American character and I'm obsessed with Angus and Ms Potter. Madeline and Roderick had that super classic gothic vibe that I love. The lake was terrifying and the house was terrifying. And Hobbes! Kingfisher really writes the best animal sidekicks. 

Really fun adaptation. Good horror and the Poe vibes came through, even with such a subject transformation. Highly recommend!

Edit: Holds up to a re-read less than a year later! Excited to read the sequel now 


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