mishmoshroom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: War, Alcohol, Death, Body horror, Blood, Gore, and Animal death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Transphobia and Vomit
lycheejelly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Animal death, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death of parent, Gore, War, Blood, Murder, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Vomit
snowwhitehatesapples's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Creepy home, creepy hares, creepy fungi and creepy atmosphere basically sums up what What Moves the Dead is.
As someone who has never read Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher , I didn’t know what to expect. So, I went into this novella, hoping for a lush, gothic atmosphere and for it to be hair-raisingly unsettling — and it delivered in spades, plus touches of sci-fi that’s even more unexpected but nonetheless welcomed.
Our protagonist here is Easton, a non-binary retired soldier who visits their dying childhood friends in a rural countryside where their estate is a dilapidated, severely decaying mansion. What’s more shocking is the state of their childhood friends who appear to be just shades of who they were during their healthiest and happiest. The events that follow are equally disturbing and intriguing. Though I felt more and more unnerved as I read, I couldn’t stop either. I felt the same as Easton as the mycologist poked at one of those ghastly fungi that released incredibly foul odours; as the doctor who opened up one of the hares and found something both explainable and inexplainable by science.
Even so, there were parts of the narrative that felt too long-winded. While I do understand that they were important for context and worldbuilding purposes, I wished it was spread out a little more so it felt less like an information dump. Still, What Moves the Dead remains a fascinating, disquieting read that I think many fans of gothic horror would enjoy.
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, and Death
Minor: Animal death, Gore, Murder, and War
alexandryareads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Sexism, and Death
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: War and Death of parent
kshertz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Minor: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Blood, Death, Violence, Body horror, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
lipstickitotheman's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Chronic illness, Body horror, Confinement, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent, Suicide, Ableism, Classism, Self harm, War, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Vomit
mo345's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Terminal illness, Gore, and Medical content
Moderate: Misogyny, War, and Grief
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Confinement
tifftastic87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really loved how the characters interact, especially Easton and Hob the horse. I like the simple use of pronouns woven into a made up foreign language and how the culture is heavily featured in Easton's character. I loved that there was an English woman who was a mycologist as one of the unlikely heroes.
This was a fun story and I found myself wishing for more.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Blood, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Death, Alcohol, Animal death, and Body horror
Moderate: Gore and War
Minor: Vomit
karatics's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Chronic illness, Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Confinement
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide
cady_sass's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Murder, Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Drowning, supernatural