Review: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Gothic Horror | Retelling | Creepy Vibes Included

This is my What Moves the Dead Review

A gothic tale that balances eerie atmosphere with creeping dread.

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If Poe holds a place in your heart, and The Fall of the House of Usher is one of your favorites (or even if you’ve never read it), What Moves the Dead has the potential to slip into your gothic favorites list.

When Alex Easton, a nonbinary soldier and childhood friend of Madeline Usher, receives a letter stating that she is gravely ill, there’s no hesitation; they set out immediately, hoping to arrive before it’s too late.

What greets them is not just a sick friend, but a house that feels sick itself. Crumbling walls, a tarn that looks like it’s been holding secrets too long, and a gothic estate that somehow still stands against its better judgment.

As Alex approaches the property, they meet Miss Potter, a mycologist who provides unexpected insight into the strange decay that seems to cling to everything. Once inside, Alex discovers that the house isn’t merely in disrepair, it’s wrong. Spongy walls, mold blooming across every surface, and an oppressive sense of rot.

Madeline and her brother Roderick both appear to be wasting away before Alex’s eyes. Roderick’s friend Denton, a doctor and fellow veteran, joins the household in a desperate attempt to help. Yet even with this odd ensemble, the house feels as though it’s breathing around them, whispering something they can’t quite understand.

Characters & Dynamics

• Alex Easton (MC): Dry-witted, grounded, and observant — their narration provides much-needed clarity in the midst of gothic chaos.
• Miss Potter: A fungal expert who somehow manages to keep a straight face as things spiral.
• Roderick & Madeline Usher: Sickly, secretive, unsettling in that way only gothic siblings can be.
• Denton: Rational yet unnerved, balancing the unease with his outsider’s perspective.

I’ll admit, when writing this What Moves the Dead review, I found the book was just okay for me. The atmosphere? Absolutely nailed, from the creeping mold to the decaying Usher estate. Alex’s wit added sparkle, and Miss Potter’s presence grounded the weirdness. Even Denton’s reactions felt authentic.

But here’s the thing: I usually prefer my gothic horror with teeth, think blood, gore, and gruesome detail. As I said in my What Moves the Dead review, it is eerie instead of brutal, more slow rot than sharp violence. And while that works beautifully for some readers, it left me wishing for a darker edge.

Still, if you love Poe, or enjoy gothic horror that leans unsettling over splatter, What Moves the Dead is worth a read. It’s a quick, haunting tale with fungal dread in all the right places, just not gruesome enough for this particular reader’s appetite.

Verdict: Creepy house, fungal terror, and a witty narrator. If you crave eerie atmosphere more than gore, this will crawl onto your shelf.

You can find What Moves the Dead – Here – on Books-A-Million or Here on Amazon

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