What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, 1)

Name: What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, 1)
Rating: 7.22 (296 reviews)
ISBN: 9781250830814

An Instant USA Today & Indie Bestseller
A Barnes & Noble Book of the Year Finalist
A Goodreads Best Horror Choice Award Nominee

A gripping and atmospheric reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” from Hugo, Locus, & Nebula award-winning author T. Kingfisher

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.

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Published Dec 26, 2023

176 pages

Average rating: 7.22

296 RATINGS

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What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

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Readers say *What Moves the Dead* by T. Kingfisher offers well-written, atmospheric gothic horror with compelling, fully developed characters—especial...

Denise Lauron

May 19, 2024

8/10 stars

I picked this up for bookclub. This story started off slowly, but became an enjoyable book by the end. I rated it a little lower than I normally would because of the slow start.

Merged review:

I picked this up for bookclub. This story started off slowly, but became an enjoyable book by the end. I rated it a little lower than I normally would because of the slow start.

Morgie27

Apr 04, 2026

5/10 stars

This was a bit of a disturbing read, with a couple moments of humor thrown in. It was ok. Not sure if I will read book 2 or not.

LitterBug

Dec 12, 2025

6/10 stars

I think this was perfectly fine and had some creepy moments, but I struggled to understand what actually lies at its heart. What moves this story? Mushrooms, I guess.

Sonia

Dec 01, 2025

7/10 stars

There was very little benefit of including the elements from Poe’s original story. It would have been stronger as a stand alone story. The writing is good and the story is interesting, but I think we need to question whether an adaptation of a classic work is really needed. In this case, I don’t think the story added much to the original Fall of the House of Usher. It told its own story— which was fine. There were eerie elements and beautiful gothic imagery that made the read enthralling.

JWalter

Aug 16, 2025

8/10 stars

Really good adaptation of the Fall of the House of Usher. The sworn soldier is such a captivating character. Pulled me in from the very beginning