(Subdue) What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

[Chili]

(Subdue) #74 Rolled 7 landed on #75
What Moves the Dead
T. Kingfisher
4 Stars

This is a retelling of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Can I just say that the cover is grotesque. The story also made my skin crawl. I don't think I will ever turn my back on a mushroom again. Alex Easton receives a letter from their childhood friend Madeline asking them to visit because she is ill. Her brother Roderick thinks she's dying. When Easton arrives they find the house is in a deplorable condition. Upon seeing Roderick they barely recognize him, so pale and skeletal. Madeline looked even worse. Easton is introduced to James Denton, a friend of Roderick's. Denton is a doctor of sorts, one year of school and then sent off to the battlefields of the Civil War. He believes Madeline is dying too, but has no idea of what is the cause. Madeline sleepwalks and is shedding fine white hair. The hares around the estate do not act normal and the fish from the lake are filled with a slimy white substance. It is with the help of amateur mycologist Eugenia Potter that they discover a fungus infecting the hares and fish. They believe the lake is the source. I'm going to have to reread Poe's version because all I remember is the house is destroyed in the end. I did enjoy this version although I'm totally freaked out about fungus and mold now.

[Sue]

I loved this book - pure horror. I actually got goose bumps a few times.