The time and attention paid to building the miasma that surrounded the house of Usher was delectable, even when it felt a little heavy handed. Kingfisher’s focus on the nature of the Usher property was refreshing. So before I get into why I didn’t like it, let’s stroll through what I did enjoy. There was a lot I did not like paired with some particular aspects I did enjoy. It would be incredibly easy-irresponsible, even- to go on an unhinged rant for this novella. Easton is both curious and frightened by the task at hand, but being the good soldier they resolve to save Madeleine however they can. Luckily, Easton is not alone with the Ushers as they are supported by their batman (no, not that Batman) Angus, and a mysterious fungi-loving woman who stalks the Usher’s property in search of its uniquely haunting mushrooms. The hares on the property are crawling and staring, and there is a rumor that the tarn (pond) glows with an ominous green pulse at night. However, upon arriving, Easton notices there is something terribly wrong at the house. Once learning that Madeleine was ill, Easton ventured to the house of Usher to spend some time with Madeleine and Easton’s old war buddy, Roderick Usher. Lieutenant Easton has just received a letter from their old friends’ sister, Madeleine. Unfortunately, What Moves The Dead spends too much time explaining the horror, without adding too much to the core ideas of the short story. Kingfisher was going to take a crack at it, with a heavy emphasis on fungi, I went a little mad with anticipation. Last October I even watched the Vincent Price movie, and enjoyed its weird form of madness. There is just something unnerving about Poe’s story that I’m always keen to experience retellings of it however I can. Not only did I read it several times, but I never wrote the assigned paper, a fact that literally haunts my dreams.

The Fall of the House of Usher has occupied some space in my brain since the halcyon days of high school English class.

What moves the dead t kingfisher