What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

Submitted by LifeInThePages t3_10qac3c in books

This book deserves more love! I so rarely hear it talked about.

I was encouraged to read it by a coworker, and now we feel like a fan club of two! But this book blew me away. From the start--that cover art! Horrifyingly elegant.

I was impressed by the inventiveness of the plot, it's horror-fueled spin on The Fall of the House of Usher. The writing was fun, creative, and, at times, so twisted...I loved every second! The visuals it suggested were sheer nightmare-fuel.

I would LOVE to see a film adaptation one day! The gothic setting, the interesting characters, the moody feel! I picture it something like Crimson Peak in tone. (Could you imagine if Guillermo del Toro actually got his hands on it?! I would die.)

Where are my other WMTD fans?

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Comments

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mittenknittin t1_j6p602p wrote

I will have to look for that one. I have enjoyed a couple of her other books, The Hollow Places and The Twisted Ones. Both also horror, and the Twisted Ones especially; I'd never really run across as effective a jump scare in a book before.

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LifeInThePages OP t1_j6pi0do wrote

Ooh, jump scare in a book, you say? Adding both to my Goodreads TBR! Thanks!

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Ana-vera t1_j6p30r8 wrote

For me, it was an okay read. I felt like the horror element was too quickly dealt with. They had such a long windup, but the moment the MC discovers the >!fungi!<, they quickly deal with it and it's over before it even really sets in.

But then, I also haven't read the original The Fall of the House of Usher, so my experience was probably different.

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cookie_is_for_me t1_j6p7npm wrote

I haven't read this, but I did read Nettle & Bone by the same author and really liked it, so I've just added this to my library holds. Thanks.

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WintersChild79 t1_j6p76xm wrote

That was my Halloween read this year. I agree with you on the imagery, particularly the scene with the >!rabbit dissection!<. It was a fun expansion on Poe's short story. I did get a little annoyed at the author's habit of using modern sounding turns of phrase in the dialog, but mostly I enjoyed it.

The author has a couple of other horror books out that you might want to try if you haven't yet: The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places. You would probably like Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic too, if you haven't read that.

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LifeInThePages OP t1_j6piiyw wrote

Yesss, I heard the Mexican Gothic comparisons on Goodreads, but I haven't read it! I'll definitely add that, The Twisted Ones, and The Hollow Places to my TBR. Thanks!

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spolio t1_j6ozdyb wrote

I was just wondering what to read next... now I know, thanks

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LifeInThePages OP t1_j6p09f3 wrote

It's the best! I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think.

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