Horror

What Moves the Dead

What Moves the Dead

  • Downloads：9417
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-12-31 06:51:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：T. Kingfisher
  • ISBN：1803360070
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

What Moves the Dead is Kingfisher's retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher。”

When Alex Easton， a retired soldier， receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying， they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania。

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife， surrounding a dark， pulsing lake。 Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night， and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves。

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor， Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all。

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Reviews

Shawna ~ The Wonderer Shawna Monroe ，

2。5 stars rounded up for the gothic atmosphere。 This book was just weird and absolutely strange。 It was also slow at times。

Abbie ，

my fear of mold has been validated

Kristianna ，

A really great reimagining of the classic Fall of the House of Usher。 The author did a great job expanding on Edgar Allen Poe’s story and creating something all it’s own。 Creepy， gothic， and imaginative！ So glad I picked it up！！

Simon ，

Gloriously gross， witty retelling of Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher"。 Gloriously gross， witty retelling of Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher"。 。。。more

Carey Shenal ，

Fun。 Loved the narrator！

Stacey Ann ，

Creepy！

J ，

The audiobook narration of this story is atrocious。 I have encountered the same narrator earlier this year with the book Cemetery Boys and I thought they were perfectly appropriate for that book （I didn't like the book itself， but I thought the narrator did a great job）。 For this one， they ruined it。 They read a creepy horror story in a cheerful and upbeat tone of voice the entire way。 The character accents were horrifically bad， and completely inconsistent。 It made it extremely hard to track wh The audiobook narration of this story is atrocious。 I have encountered the same narrator earlier this year with the book Cemetery Boys and I thought they were perfectly appropriate for that book （I didn't like the book itself， but I thought the narrator did a great job）。 For this one， they ruined it。 They read a creepy horror story in a cheerful and upbeat tone of voice the entire way。 The character accents were horrifically bad， and completely inconsistent。 It made it extremely hard to track who was who。 I never doesn't need to be perfect at doing lots of different voices， but at the very least they shouldn't be doing different voices with different accents each time a character speaks。 Listening to the book， I was reminded of my students doing public speaking after they're told not to be too monotonous and then they randomly make their voice go up and down constantly with no rhyme or reason just to try to avoid being monotonous。 It's nonsensical。 In a horror book， a monotone voice can actually be beneficial。 A flat delivery of dialogue actually would lend much more to the characterization and make the story even creepier。 Reading this book with my eyes was not an option for me so I was stuck with the audiobook and while the story seems like it might be really interesting， it was really ruined by the narrator。 I think whoever chose them based the choice solely on the fact that they were a non-binary audiobook narrator and the book features a non-binary protagonist。 LGBTQ+ actors don't need to be pigeonholed into only playing LGBTQ+ roles， and even if Avi Roque was the only non-binary option for the producers to choose， they should have gone to someone else for this book。 It just didn't work。 。。。more

Mara ，

Story wise this was entirely underwhelming。 I have nothing but great praise for how the awesome gender-fluid linguistic aspect and main character were handled， though。

ellis g ，

4。5/5I love a good short story！ I’m not usually into gothic horror， and I haven’t read The Fall of the House of Usher， but I enjoyed this book nonetheless。 It reminded me a bit of Mexican Gothic （and even referenced it in the author’s note） as well。 I flew through it and would definitely read it again。 I really liked the blending of gothic horror with a little bit of fantasy and sci-fi。 Really cool！

Ella N ，

3。5⭐️

Lana Osborn ，

A suggested reading order: The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings， The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Writings， Mexican Gothic， and finish the mad journey with What Moves the Dead。 I'm now convinced that these stories mustn't be read in anything but conjunction。I read The Fall of the House of Usher in preparation for this story and I'm so glad I did。 Kingfisher takes that original disturbing tale and adds morbid and deeply engrossing depth。 This marks the second Kingfisher novel I've read A suggested reading order: The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings， The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Writings， Mexican Gothic， and finish the mad journey with What Moves the Dead。 I'm now convinced that these stories mustn't be read in anything but conjunction。I read The Fall of the House of Usher in preparation for this story and I'm so glad I did。 Kingfisher takes that original disturbing tale and adds morbid and deeply engrossing depth。 This marks the second Kingfisher novel I've read and crowned her one of my favourite authors。 Highly recommend to horror readers and those with a disturbing interest in fungi。 。。。more

Balthazarinblue ，

Quick， compelling audiobook。 I thought it was going to be a 5 star read but the ending was a little lacklustre。 Poe might have been too vague but T。 Kingfisher went the other way and wrapped things up too neatly。 Goldilocks， who？

Ishi Time ，

Nettle and Bone was one of the best books I read this year so I was really excited to read this book as well。 Unfortunately， I did not enjoy it as much as I liked Nettle。 This book is a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher by Poe， which I haven't read， so my opinions are based on my knowledge of this book only。 I thought the plot was slow and the pacing could have been better。 Our main character is from a fictional country。 Which didn't make sense because the other characters are from Ame Nettle and Bone was one of the best books I read this year so I was really excited to read this book as well。 Unfortunately， I did not enjoy it as much as I liked Nettle。 This book is a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher by Poe， which I haven't read， so my opinions are based on my knowledge of this book only。 I thought the plot was slow and the pacing could have been better。 Our main character is from a fictional country。 Which didn't make sense because the other characters are from America and Britain so I didn't get the point of making up a fictional country。 I believe Galatia was a real place once upon a time， located somewhere near modern-day Turkey， but I don't think this was what the author was talking about。 The main character was nonbinary which I thought was cool， but this didn't play that important a role in the story at all， other than the page long explanation about pronouns at the start of the book。 I thought it could have been integrated into the story better。 I've only read a few of Poe's works， and by my understanding his works are part of the gothic and horror genre。 I don't think I would fit this book within that same genre。 I also could not connect to any of the characters at all。 They felt 2d to me。 。。。more

Alexis Banegas ，

Loved it！ Loved the science， the atmosphere， the humor！ It was such a savory， fun read。 10/10， chefs kiss。

LaRissa Bentz ，

Interesting premise for a book that’s for sure。 It wasn’t bad but it just didn’t really click with me。 I didn’t care for any of the characters and by the end I was glad to be done with it。 I’ll surely check out more from this author though。

Rae ，

There is a reason I only read fantasy。 Holy shit that was terrifying。 Good， in a way where I was horrified but also couldn’t stop reading because I HAD to know what was happening。 And nice and short， able to read it in a day。 Definitely recommend to any of my horror fans out there

Lindsay ，

I liked it but I felt like it was just an amalgamation of a bunch of other books。 Better than Poe’s Verizon anyway。

Ally Web ，

I loved this。

Gigi ，

Interesting。 I wish there was more to it than that for the climax and the build up but it is what it is guess。

Amber ，

AHHHHoly crap， I have yet to read a book that is this one's equal。 I have never had physical reactions to books。 While creeped out， so angry I want to throw the book， or wept at the heartbreak， I've never gotten goosebumps， shrieked out loud， or walked away。 Congrats on making me do all three。 I won't give a summary review， only tell you， beg you to read it and let this live with you forever。 Holy freakin' crap was it good。 AHHHHoly crap， I have yet to read a book that is this one's equal。 I have never had physical reactions to books。 While creeped out， so angry I want to throw the book， or wept at the heartbreak， I've never gotten goosebumps， shrieked out loud， or walked away。 Congrats on making me do all three。 I won't give a summary review， only tell you， beg you to read it and let this live with you forever。 Holy freakin' crap was it good。 。。。more

John Clark ，

BOOK REVIEWBook: What Moves the DeadType: StandaloneGenre: Horror， Literary Retelling， Scientific Retelling Themes: death， trauma， infestation， friendship， mycology， etc。 Date Released: July 12， 2022Author: T。 KingfisherMy Rating: 4。2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ What moves the dead？ This question， which is also the title of the book， drew my attention and it is why I decided to select the book to be read today。 This gripping reimagination of Edgar Allan Poe's classic， "The Fall of the House of Usher" is about the mys BOOK REVIEWBook: What Moves the DeadType: StandaloneGenre: Horror， Literary Retelling， Scientific Retelling Themes: death， trauma， infestation， friendship， mycology， etc。 Date Released: July 12， 2022Author: T。 KingfisherMy Rating: 4。2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ What moves the dead？ This question， which is also the title of the book， drew my attention and it is why I decided to select the book to be read today。 This gripping reimagination of Edgar Allan Poe's classic， "The Fall of the House of Usher" is about the mysterious malady that brings horror to the village specifically the House of Usher。 After the retired soldier， Alex received the letter which stated his childhood friend is dying in the aforementioned house situated in the remote countryside， he packed up his things to check for her。 However， with an American doctor in tow， Alex uncovered the mysterious and unexplainable infestation that's plaguing the place。 A fast-paced read like this made my skin crawl for about 1 and a half hour。 The author made it clear in the first chapter that this novel is not a rocket science which deals with mycology and underscores emperical knowledge in that branch of science。 She started the book by setting the mood of the readers through its eerie environment and serious tone of the storyteller。 What Moves the Dead is understandably a short novel and so I didn't expect any in-depth explanation how that weird phenomenon occured。 What's important is that after reading it， the mysterious question established in the title itself was answered。 Wanna know what moves the dead？ Read this。 。。。more

Cathy ，

Well that was creepy and unexpected。 I liked how the story was written like you knew what was happening and you had to catch up。 Smart， fun， creepy and to the point。

Juani ，

hoy no se duerme

Allison ，

The writing style just wasn’t for me

Sarah ，

A retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher in a way Poe could only have hoped for。 Creepy， Victorian with contemporary sensibilities， engrossing， full of eldritch horror。 A fast read （I couldn't put it down。） A retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher in a way Poe could only have hoped for。 Creepy， Victorian with contemporary sensibilities， engrossing， full of eldritch horror。 A fast read （I couldn't put it down。） 。。。more

Rebecca Brown ，

This was such a good book to fly through at the end of the year。 I couldn’t put it down！ The characters were interesting， the mystery of the house was intriguing， and the spooks were well placed and timed。 This book had some great creepy/unsettling moments， but I wasn’t particularly scared by anything。 Which was fine with me - I found the explanation of it all more interesting than just plain scary， which doesn’t happen to me very often！ I would happily recommend this book and also pick it up ag This was such a good book to fly through at the end of the year。 I couldn’t put it down！ The characters were interesting， the mystery of the house was intriguing， and the spooks were well placed and timed。 This book had some great creepy/unsettling moments， but I wasn’t particularly scared by anything。 Which was fine with me - I found the explanation of it all more interesting than just plain scary， which doesn’t happen to me very often！ I would happily recommend this book and also pick it up again myself in the future！ 。。。more

Melissa ，

wow。

yasmin ，

dnf。 i simply can’t even get through it to rate it。

Peter Tillman ，

Stalled in our library copy， somewhat to my surprise。 So far it's just not really to my taste。 She has caught some of the grimness of Poe， though it's been decades since I read Usher and I've never had the urge to reread that one。 Likely headed for a DNF？ It does have moments 。 。 。 Stalled in our library copy， somewhat to my surprise。 So far it's just not really to my taste。 She has caught some of the grimness of Poe， though it's been decades since I read Usher and I've never had the urge to reread that one。 Likely headed for a DNF？ It does have moments 。 。 。 。。。more

Aaron McQuiston ，

After I read this novella， I did a Google search of T。 Kingfisher and learned many things about her。 The first is that T。 Kingfisher is a pen name。 The second is that she has released over 40 books。 The third is that I should have been reading her works much earlier。 As it is， What Moves the Dead is the first of her books that I have read。A riff on the The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe， What Moves the Dead is the story of Alex Easton going to visit their childhood friend at the h After I read this novella， I did a Google search of T。 Kingfisher and learned many things about her。 The first is that T。 Kingfisher is a pen name。 The second is that she has released over 40 books。 The third is that I should have been reading her works much earlier。 As it is， What Moves the Dead is the first of her books that I have read。A riff on the The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe， What Moves the Dead is the story of Alex Easton going to visit their childhood friend at the house of Usher after they receive a letter requesting help。 Their friend， Madeline Usher， says that she is sick and dying and needs help， so Alex rushes there as soon as they can。 What Alex finds there is a perfect gothic story， brother and sister holed up in a damned house， along with a doctor they do not trust。 Everyone and everything falling apart。 The horror and mystery that Alex finds there makes What Moves the Dead a fast paced， thin novella that is really satisfying。Much of the success of this novella can be attributed to T。 Kingfisher’s writing。 In a short period of time， she develops the setting and the characters with such detail that it feels as if I read a 400 page novel。 The writing in this novella is masterful， and I found myself rereading sentences because of how gorgeous they are。 This is one of those novellas that I will probably reread simply because of the writing。 There is so much depth to some of the scenes and writing that I can really feel the dampness and sickness that is seeping from the walls and the pages。 I cannot recommend What Moves the Dead enough。 I know now that I have to read some of T。 Kingfisher’s other works。 I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=What Moves the Dead

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=What Moves the Dead&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,What Moves the Dead&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0