'The follow-up to T. Kingfisher’s bestselling gothic novella, What Moves the Dead. Retired soldier Alex Easton returns in a horrifying new adventure.
'After their terrifying ordeal at the Usher manor, Alex Easton feels as if they just survived another war. All they crave is rest, routine, and sunshine, but instead, as a favour to Angus and Miss Potter, they find themself heading to their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold, damp forests of their home country, Gallacia.
'In theory, one can find relaxation in even the coldest and dampest of Gallacian autumns, but when Easton arrives, they find the caretaker dead, the lodge in disarray, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence. The villagers whisper that a breath-stealing monster from folklore has taken up residence in Easton’s home. Easton knows better than to put too much stock in local superstitions, but they can tell that something is not quite right in their home... or in their dreams.'
T. Kingfisher is one of those authors who when I see their name on a book I pick it up without even reading what the book is about. I've found their writing to be incredibly intricate and unsettling, and they've created some of my favourite horror novels of the last few years. When I began reading What Feasts At Night I was a bit surprised, as it was a sequel to their previous book, What Moves the Dead. Having not really been used to Kingfisher making follow-ups, and with that book having felt like a definitive ending I was surprised to see a sequel to it; but it was absolutely a pleasant surprise.
Alex Easton, the lead character from the previous volume, returns for another creepy tale, as they return to their homeland following the disturbing events at the House of Usher. Having decided that some down time is much needed, they, along with a group of side characters that we met previously, head to a remote hunting lodge in the woods for some rest and relaxation. However, when the group arrive the lodge is found in a state of disarray, and the caretaker dead.
Much like the first book, the setting of What Feasts at Night is a big part of the story, and almost a character unto itself. Kingfisher crafts some truly creepy and vividly imagined places for Alex and the other characters, including Miss Potter, Angus, and Hob, find themselves in. Even when nothing much is really happening the settings worm their way under your skin and put you ill at ease, and Kingfisher is perhaps at her best when taking an ordinary location and making it into something horrific.
Kingfisher takes some elements from folklore for the book, and manages to create a truly unsettling adversary for Alex to deal with in the form of the moroi, a ghostly, frightening woman who can come in the night and sucks your breath away from you when you're sleeping. The fact that Alex is so against believing this at the start of the book, considering what they went through in the first one, is a bit surprising, but I guess an infectious fungus is a bit of a jump away from a ghostly woman from legend, but eventually the group have to face the lurking horrors and bring it to a stop.
But, the book isn't just horror all the time, and there's some genuine moments of humour and joy to be found scattered throughout, especially when it comes to Alex interacting with the other characters. Alex and Angus make for a great double act, and Miss Potter injects some sublime moments that make it clear why these characters were chosen to make a return alongside Alex.
Whilst What Feasts at Night is only a short book it's a very good one. Kingfisher knows how best to use the relatively short page count and really packs things with character moments, story, and sublime atmosphere. The biggest problem with the book being so short is that it's over a lot quicker than you'd want, and if you're like me you'll probably end up reading the entire thing in a single sitting. However, with both of the entries in the series so far being shorter books it hopefully means that we won't have to wait long for the next one.
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