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What Moves the Dead

Sworn Soldier: Book #1

by T. Kingfisher

Narrator Avi Roque

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Length 5 hours 25 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“Anyone looking for a little murder with your mycology or a little genderqueer with your gothic fiction? This fungi-infested retelling of Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher is so satisfyingly creepy, deliciously gross, and made fantastically new and even stranger. The horror elements will get under your skin, but lovable non-binary sworn-soldier Alex Easton will too. A must read for fans of Mexican Gothic and of Poe’s classic horror stories! ”
— Megan • Underground Books

Bookseller recommendation

“As we move into the slightly cooler months of autumn, I always crave a good scary story. What Moves the Dead is a retelling of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. This creepy, slightly sci-fi tale will have you hiding under the covers and become wary of mushrooms. Just under 200 pages, it’s the perfect horror story to read in one sitting.”
— Julie • All Good Books

Bookseller recommendation

“A wonderfully creepy, atmospheric horror that seeps into your bones for the short 5 hours. Filled with gruesome and unsettling fungal descriptions, Kingfisher masterfully creates a setting that you can't take your mental eye off of, yet makes you desperately want to take a shower. Also a surprisingly refreshing take on gender (the main character's profession dictates their pronouns) with an ace-coded protagonist, the queer undercurrent is reinforced by Avi Roque's narration. Our physical copies have been selling out constantly, and I can't wait for the sequel: What Feasts At Night! ”
— Lauren • Chapterhouse Books

Bookseller recommendation

“This was one of the best retellings of The Fall of The House of Usher I’ve ever read. Between the representation and the absolutely witty humor and excellently horrifying descriptions. This was an absolute joy to read. Also, half way through the book I learn that Avi Roque narrates the audiobook and I will listen to anything he narrates, because he’s: Just. That. Good. He added the right vibe and feel that this book begs to have. Now, no one talk to me about mushrooms for the next week or so, I’m temporarily horrified by them.”
— Armilene • Rediscovered Books

Summary
About the author

"The audiobook narrated by Avi Roque is delightful." - Buzzfeed

"Narrator Avi Roque delivers a perfectly paced performance in this concise audiobook...holding listeners hostage until the house reveals its terrifying secrets." -AudioFile Magazine

From T. Kingfisher, the award-winning author of The Twisted Ones, comes What Moves the Dead, a gripping and atmospheric retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher."

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.

Fiction Mystery & Thriller Fantasy Horror

T. KINGFISHER (she/her) writes fantasy, horror, and occasional oddities, including Nettle & Bone, What Moves the Dead, Thornhedge, A House with Good Bones, and A Sorceress Comes to Call. Under a pen name, she also writes bestselling children's books. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, dogs, and chickens who may or may not be possessed.