Title: What Moves the Dead
Author: T. Kingfisher
Genre: Gothic, light sci-fi, horror
An interesting and engaging update to Edgar Allen Poe's Fall of the House of Usher. While the overall plot doesn't stray too far from the original the fresh, or more accurately mouldy, additions to the story only add to the atmosphere. The protagonist Alex Easton is highly likeable thanks to a good sense of humor and common sense to spare. Kingfisher (pen name for accomplished writer Ursula Vernon) paints a vivid and uncomfortable picture of the Usher house and it's inhabitants. Something is affecting everything from the walls, to the pond, to the local hare population (oh boy, those hares). The physically unwell Madeline and her equally as mentally unwell brother Roderick are clearly doomed from the start. While the culprit is really no secret, there is one final revolting twist that will leave you squirming in your seat. Following along with the mini language lesson in the beginning only serves to make the reveal even worse.It's an easy read in the sense that it's under 200 pages, but the overall grimy vibes may have you pausing to wash your hands or do a little deep cleaning...
- Kate
Check out What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher @ the library!
