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What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, #1)

T. Kingfisher

Start date: February 1, 2024

Finish date: February 29, 2024

Discussion: Book of the Month

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What Members Thought

May 27, 2025 Jenn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, 4-star-reads, adult-fiction, read-in-2025, horror, retellings

I did not know that this was a retelling of the The Fall of the House of Usher by Poe when I picked this up. I just knew it came highly recommended and that I had enjoyed what I previously read from Kingfisher.

I read this in one sitting. I could not put it down. The gothic vibe was perfection. And even though I was reading it on a sunny day in 100+ degree weather, I still felt the chilling sensation you get when being thoroughly creeped out. I was right there with Alex as they tried to solve th ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2025 Priya rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2025

I haven't read The fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe so I read this as a completely new story. I do mean to read the original soon.

This was a very funny horror story and by that I don't mean that it was not creepy. It was, but the well placed touches of humour and the jabs against Americans (all in good fun!) really cut the tension.

Alex Easton is a sworn soldier from a land with very unique ideas of gender and pronouns. The setting is 1890 and Alex has arrived at the house of childh ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 24, 2022 Elle rated it really liked it

4.5 stars. I read both this and it's inspiration (The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe) this year. I read this first, though I think my rating would've been the same either way. This is a short read with some seriously creepy vibes and the atmosphere is really what sells the story. I do wish that there would have been more exploration of the plot and that Kingfisher had taken things much further than the original novel, but this reimagining was still quite vibrant. There is definite ...more

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Feb 15, 2024 Emejota rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook, read-in-2024

4⭐️

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Sep 06, 2025 Tbirdplanstoread rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, own-paper-back, rec-d-in-2023, 2025-09-sep

Definitely a very creepy retelling of Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher." Will definitely keep on with the series. I enjoy Easton and Denton as characters and look forward to their further adventures. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 27, 2022 Melanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-binary-rep, arcs-2022

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for an e-arc and alc of this one!

When Alex gets a message from kan childhood friend Madeline Usher that she is dying, kan heads to the decaying Usher estate to do what kan can. But there is a lot more going on at the estate than Alex realizes, and with the help of Denton--Roderick Usher's American Doctor friend--and a local mycologist, Alex is able to solve the secrets of Usher--but not without casualties.

This is a fantasy "Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Alla ...more

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Apr 02, 2024 Maddie rated it liked it

I received this from @newsouthbooksau for being part of the NZ AU Bookstagram Tour for T. Kingfisher's new book What Feasts At Night, which I will be reading next. I've had Kingfisher on my radar for a couple of years and this is my second novel by her. She writes in such a variety of genres I'm never quite sure what I'm going to get
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This fit into the horror genre rather well, I was pretty disturbed when it came to the fungus growing from Madeline's skin and the way it animated the corpses and l ...more

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Jan 05, 2024 Shelley rated it it was amazing

Okay, I love Poe and I was very excited to read this book which is a retelling of The Fall of The House of Usher. This did not disappoint!!! A good gothic story is something that seems to have disappeared over the years, but this had everything I wanted! The dark and forboding setting as well as the house that is falling into disrepair because the inhabitants just don't take care of it. You just feel like there is something, just behind you that is waiting in the shadows. Even when you finish, i ...more

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