“This court, over which I am sovereign and Queen, finds you charged, Sir Gabriel the Knight, of the most heinous crimes against this land and her people. How do you plead?” The voice of the Queen, resolute and sharp, rippled across the room with an unnatural power.

Several years ago, Jordan Peterson appeared on the rather popular Lex Fridman Podcast. In no time at all, a discussion arose between the two men regarding their favorite author—the great Russian writer, Fyodor Dostoevsky. Their conversation was narrowing in on this point: which of Dostoevsky’s novels can rightfully claim the title as the greatest book ever written, Crime and Punishment or The Brothers Karamazov?

Part Christmas story, part ghost story, part lament against Lady Ireland, The Dead has become a mighty footing in the cathedral that is...