Mood reader, not feeling it currently

Mood reader and just didn't feel in the right headspace

Mood reader, will try again another time 

Failed buddy read

I'm a mood reader and my mood drifted.

5/5

One of my current new interests is mushrooms and when I read the blurb I knew I had to read this book. Based on a Poe classic, What Moves the Dead follows Alex, a retired soldier who goes to help their friends who are suffering from mysterious maladies in a gaunt and gothic landscape. As events begin to unfold, Alex discovers the horrible truth about what is happening to their companions.

- This book is wonderfully creepy and atmospheric. From the first page, where mushrooms are compared to sliced muscle, to the last lines, there is a pervasive dread and sense of wrongness that adds so much. Kingfisher has done an amazing job creating such a strong sense of the setting and story in such a short book.

- Although this book is under 200 pages long, the world building is too notch. The reader is introduced to the history of the fictional country of Gallacia and it's language (complete with neopronouns for different ages and vocations), mycology and the physiology of fungi around this world, the history of fictional wars and their effects, a short insert of the virtues and pitfalls of sheep breeding and so much more. The world is so nuanced and feels so well rounded and real in a way that many longer books fail to achieve.

- As a connoisseur of queer literature, especially those exploring gender outside the binary, this book delighted me. I loved the concepts of the neopronouns used and, despite it taking me a bit to get used to them, enjoyed their use and execution. I also like how the characters view and accept these as part of life and society, even if some consider it a little eccentric.

Creepy, gothic and just perfect for a haunting and thought-provoking read. I would recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy dread, creepy but theoretically plausible body horror and compelling yet mildly terrifying stories.

An immersive and thought-provoking sci-fi novella. A crew of four go out on an exploratory space mission to other worlds and To Be Taught If Fortunate details what happens on that journey.

- I'm new to Chamber's work and I love her world-building. This book is less that 200 pages long yet through every part I felt the environments about me as I read. This also extends to the interpersonal relationships and character dynamics. Each character was their own person and reacted differently to events.

- Always happy for some LGBTQ+ content and I personally particularly enjoy seeing polyamorous and multisexual relationships. There is nothing graphic about the above relationships in this book and it is all so gently and naturally written.

- The descriptions of the xenofauna were amazing. I love the snippets of science that accompanied these discoveries and as someone who has an amateur interest in prehistoric and speculative life,  this book has given me some extra food for thought.

- My only real downside to this book was the ending. The ending made sense and I like Chamber's idea for this book but it did feel a little rushed. I think an extra chapter or so could have fleshed the ending out into something more substantial.

An emotional and enjoyable novella that makes the reader think and in vibe reminded me of The Martian a little. I would recommend this to anyone who like sci-fi with a quandary, natural LGBTQ+ relationships, realistic extraterrestrial life and hypothetical space travel.