What Moves the Dead

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, 165 pages.

When Alex Easton receives a letter from childhood friend Madeline Usher that she is likely dying and their presence would be a comfort, they are prepared for all sorts of sadness. They are not prepared for the creeping sense of dread the emanates from the Usher house, or for the fact that Madeline's twin brother (who served under Alex in a past war) seems to be dying in nearly the same strange and horrible way that she is. Nor did they anticipate the more horrible and strange things that were yet to come. 

This was a truly unsettling book and, much like the central fungus, that atmosphere grew slowly and greatly as this short little book went on. While not my favorite Kingfisher (which is a very high bar to clear), I still found this novella masterfully executed, and I think I will be thinking about the climax of the story for a while yet. Even though I knew where this story and guessed most of the twists, it didn't feel like that impacted my enjoyment at all; which is to me a sign of a very well-written book. I also found the pronoun situation in our protagonists native language to be a fascinating little world building detail, although the strange conjugation choices were sometimes a little distracting. I will likely pick up the sequel (not a House of Usher retelling) before spooky season is out, and I would definitely recommend this book to others.