When I picked this book up, I didn’t realise that T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead was a retelling of Poe’s short story The Fall Of The House of Usher. I just saw that wonderfully mushroomy cover and was sold.

This was a wonderful slow, meandering, gothic story in the spirit of the original. The author has a magical way with words which makes the bleak and unsettling atmosphere of the house so pervasive in the book. They describe the horrid little details so well to get us to Spook Factor: Neck Hairs several times. Glorious. The thick shroud of the House of Usher hung over me as I read.

The narration is, surprisingly but not oddly placed, hilarious. Kingfisher’s revamp of the originally nameless protagonist, now Easton, is brilliant. The details and the asides they add pour such flavour into the book. I could read about them doing literally anything and be entertained. The author absolutely nailed my sense of humour with this character, to the point where I know I’m going to have to pick up more of their books in the future. There’s a new book with this main character coming out in 2024, which will be getting preordered.

Despite the whole book taking place in the decrepit House of Usher, we were given such a rich feel for the fictional version of Europe in which it was set. The side characters, such as the mycologist, were fantastic and memorable. And again, it was creepy. I’m quite difficult to creep, so it was great fun to feel the goosebumps going for it.

A great, short read for people who enjoy beautiful gothic horror with a fair splash of humour added in.