“What Moves the Dead” by T. Kingfisher — a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” — is a hauntingly beautiful and exceptionally eerie tale.
Fans of Poe will love the novel, published earlier this year, for its unique interpretation of one of Poe’s most popular works. The original narrative, which follows a friend’s plea for help, is a staple in gothic literature and set a standard for the genre.
Kingfisher’s reimagining of the short story follows a similar plot, utilizing Poe’s elements of sanity and loss while inserting her own adaptation that captivates readers to the very end.
“What Moves the Dead” begins much like the original, with the narrator arriving at the home of Roderick Usher, whose pleas for company exhibit gloom and despair. Usher’s strange behavior, from paranoid fits to sleepwalking, makes the reader wonder if it’s a question of his sanity or something more.
Adding her own macabre flair, Kingfisher paints an unnatural landscape, covered with freakish fungus resembling human organs and hares that move more like the dead. The unsettling scene leaves readers just as nervous about what is happening outside the manor as inside.
Kingfisher’s tale pushes readers to the edges of their seats, making them weary to read more. She manages to both grip and unnerve readers with a mix of morbid peculiarities and a gothic atmosphere, further captivating with beautiful prose and an entrancing plot.
The result is the perfect fall read to get you in the mood for the spooky season. Cozy up with this spooky tale … but beware of reading after dark.
Sydney Hill works at the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library. She’s a recent graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in history. She plans to pursue a master’s in library sciences with a specialization in archiving. Her personal bookshelf has a mix of genres, including fantasy, historical fiction, thrillers and horror.
