[Review] What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher

3 Things About This Book
| Retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher | Lush, Atmospheric, Gothic Horror | Unexpected Possession by Unexpected Lifeform |

What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher
Published: 2022 by Tor Nightfire
Genre(s): Gothic Horror, Retelling, Mystery, Novella
Pages: 165
Format: kindle
ASIN: B09T9DZLDP
Goodreads
Amazon
Kinokuniya

Creepy home, creepy hares, creepy fungi and creepy atmosphere basically sums up what What Moves the Dead is.

As someone who has never read Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, I didn’t know what to expect. So, I went into this novella, hoping for a lush, gothic atmosphere and for it to be hair-raisingly unsettling — and it delivered in spades, plus touches of sci-fi that’s even more unexpected but nonetheless welcomed.

Our protagonist here is Easton, a non-binary retired soldier who visits their dying childhood friends in a rural countryside where their estate is a dilapidated, severely decaying mansion. What’s more shocking is the state of their childhood friends who appear to be just shades of who they were during their healthiest and happiest. The events that follow are equally disturbing and intriguing. Though I felt more and more unnerved as I read, I couldn’t stop either. I felt the same as Easton as the mycologist poked at one of those ghastly fungi that released incredibly foul odours; as the doctor who opened up one of the hares and found something both explainable and inexplainable by science.

Even so, there were parts of the narrative that felt too long-winded. While I do understand that they were important for context and worldbuilding purposes, I wished it was spread out a little more so it felt less like an information dump. Still, What Moves the Dead remains a fascinating, disquieting read that I think many fans of gothic horror would enjoy.