Just finished T. Kingfisher's "What Moves the Dead"

Was kind of disappointed with this one, since the premise sounded so intriguing, a short horror based off of the Fall of the House of Usher. I guess it's only real sin is it took a long time to get going for a short novella. I think it was trying to build atmosphere and tension, but I found myself impatient for narrative movement.

The other part that didn't work for me was more subjective. I know this was a reinterpretation, and I may be overly attached to my own interpretation of the original Poe story. But it's a favorite of mine, one I teach in my literature and writing classes, and I always felt the true horror in it was the mundane, human weakness and unkindness-- a brother so miserable he knowingly sacrificed the only person suffering more than he was, the sick and helpless sister who depended on him, to relieve something of his own burden. This has Roderick attempting to destroy a dangerous monster rather than an innocent under his protection. Of course a retelling is going to go in its own direction, but this was so much a departure I thought it kind of defeated the point of iterating on the original. I prefer when new versions speak to the big themes that make the original special, although I acknowledge that others may interpret Usher differently.

Also I listened on audiobook and the narrator's style was not to my taste. That can sometimes influence my impression inordinately. I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more if I'd read it to myself.