What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
Another T. Kingfisher book! I am new to her work, but so far I’ve loved everything I’ve read. What Moves the Dead takes Edgar Allen Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher and really fleshes it out. We shall not look too deeply into what that flesh is, but it’s there and I’m fascinated. For anyone wanting some queer rep in their books, our protagonist is a Sworn Soldier, which means that while they were born a girl, their decision to become a soldier has rendered them genderless, a practice which is unique to their small European country. This allows them to move through a lovely gothic narrative, where traditionally so much action and attitude is gendered, in unpredictable ways. Kingfisher doesn’t only turn gender on its head, she also plays with popular storytelling conventions from Poe’s era. A reader may not notice it if they aren’t familiar with supernatural tales from the 19th century, but as a nerd who IS at least a little familiar with supernatural tales from the 19th century, I see what she did thar and I liked it. A sequel is coming out next year and I’m thrilled.
drowsyreaper. 