What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
"The dead don't walk. Except, sometimes, when they do."
Year Read: 2022, 2026
Rating: 5/5
About: When sworn soldier Alex Easton receives word that kan childhood friend, Madeline Usher, is dying, ka rushes to Ruravia and the crumbling Usher manor to attend her and her brother, Roderick, who is unraveling under the strain of his sister's illness. There, Easton finds a stout-hearted British mycologist, a bewildered American doctor, possessed wildlife, and a tarn that pulses with an eerie glow. The secret to Maddy's illness is deeply rooted in the Usher home, but it may be too late to save any of them. [Note: Easton uses the pronouns ka/kan, reserved specifically for soldiers in kan culture, so my review will likewise reflect those.] I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Macmillan-Tor/Forge. Trigger warnings: character death, animal death, body horror, some gore, broken bones, severe illness.
Thoughts: I commented in my review of The Hollow Places that the narrators of that novel and The Twisted Ones sounded almost interchangeable, so it's nice to see Kingfisher mixing it up in What Moves the Dead. Easton's voice caught me immediately, and I found myself underlining so many of kan lines. Ka is observant and funny, confident in kan skills but self-deprecating in other ways. It was fascinating to read about Easton's experiences as a soldier and the little bits of Gallacian culture, which enriches the story without overwhelming the current plot. I didn't have strong feelings about anyone else besides the redoubtable Miss Potter, queen of mycology, whom I loved, but as it's a rather short book, there isn't really time to develop anyone else.
If I had a complaint about this novella, it's exactly that: it's too short. While everything is well-fleshed out in under two hundred pages, all plot threads neatly wrapped up, I wanted more time to sink into these characters and this world and Easton's charming narrative voice. That being said, it is adapted from a short story, so it's a wonder Kingfisher managed to do even this much with it. It's an imaginative take on the original story, with some delightfully creepy moments with Madeline and the hares, and a fascinatingly original explanation for what may have happened at Usher. It's less gory than the previous novels and, like the original, gets its horror mainly from its well-crafted atmosphere. Although it's more streamlined and far less flowery, fans of Mexican Gothic should find a lot to appreciate about it. I really loved this, and I can't wait to have a copy on my shelf.
Update: I still fucking love this.
