What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher is a gothic horror inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.
About "What Moves The Dead"
Author: T. Kingfisher
Series: Sworn Soldier #1
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Gothic
Other works from the Author: Nettle & Bone, The Hollow Places, The Twisted Ones,A House with Good Bones, Thornhedge
Page Number: 176 pages
Audible Listening Time: 5 hours 11 mins
Goodreads Rating: 3.91/5
My Rating: 4/5
So, I watched the new show, The Fall of the House of Usher, on Netflix last month. It was brilliant. I was really intrigued by the plot of the show, so I was looking for books that have similar vibes to it.
That’s how I found out about this book. What Moves The Dead draws inspiration from the original material by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”. The retellings and inspired concepts seem to give their twists and reasoning about what brought about the doom of the Usher Family.
What Moves The Dead takes on a twisted body horror concept to explain the fall of the Usher family. It introduces mycology and mysterious events regarding the mushrooms growing around the house as the main reason for what is happening.
I loved how well-written the plot is. It’s engaging and instantly grips the reader with amazing suspense. I loved uncovering the secrets of the house as the story progressed.
The characters are not that memorable. Although the characters of this book and the vibe remind me so much of Mexican Gothic, it has managed to leave a good impression on me. I loved both Mexican Gothic and What Moves The Dead. But if I have to choose, Mexican Gothic is superior with its amazing writing and character depth.
I cared more about the characters in Mexican Gothic than this book. But this book is also well written with good suspense and atmospheric vibes.
“The dead don’t walk. Except, sometimes, when they do.”
“If we don’t pretend we’re laughing, we might have to admit just how broken we are.”
“Headache is always preferable to heartache, and if you’re focusing on not throwing up, you aren’t thinking about how the friends of your youth are dying around you.”
“As writers say to each other, “Yes, it’s been done, but you haven’t done it yet.”
Amazon Blurb of "What Moves The Dead"
From the award-winning author of The Twisted Ones comes a gripping and atmospheric 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 Ruravia.
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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