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Sign up todayLeech
Narrator
Abigail Thorn
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Length
13 hours 7 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“This is a story that twists as much as it writhes. Elements of gothic horror mix with post apocalyptic science fiction in this tale of a parasite -- venerable, civilized, a doctor, possibly all doctors -- faces off against another parasite in a frozen manor cut off from the world at large. I kept finding excuses to keep listening. I just had to know what happened next!”
— Lisa • The Booksmith
Bookseller recommendation
“This book slowly builds your sense of vertigo by combining body horror and gothic family drama. To find oneself empathizing with a parasite only heightens the sense of dis-ease. I’m still reeling.”
— Keith Glaeske • East City Bookshop
Bookseller recommendation
“The narrator of this scalpel sharp, intoxicatingly gross debut is a parasite about to meet its match in the battle for control over humankind. Fans of gothic lit, haunted mansions in disrepair, and bio/medical horror, eat your optic nerve - I mean, your heart - out! I don’t consider myself a fan of the above, but the incredibly unique narrator, the atmospheric world-building, and the both chillingly creepy and chillingly cold setting really hooked me. ”
— Megan • Underground Books
Bookseller recommendation
“This was weird, creepy, and amazing. I didn’t know what to expect and at first wasn’t sure what was happening, or where or when it was happening, but I just went with it and am so glad I did. This is like nothing I’ve read before. But I would argue that it is a crazy mix-up of movies The Thing, Dune, The Shining, and Aliens with gothic novels like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. All good things!”
— Kristine • Buttonwood Books and Toys
Bookseller recommendation
“Absolute praise for the narrator Abigail Thorn! She brought this book to life with her varying range and talent thrown into the narration. I tried to find every excuse to listen to the audiobook. This book was dark, twisty, with just the smallest smidge of body horror. There was so much care in each word placed on the page; many of which will stick with you. Like come on, a parasite taking over humans, a doctor desperately trying to find answers, and a gothic setting.”
— Armilene • Rediscovered Books
Bookseller recommendation
“When you understand what the author is doing, this book is mind-blowing!”
— Garrett • Pinder's Pages
A surreal and horrifying debut, Hiron Ennes's Leech defies our understanding of identity, heredity, and bodily autonomy.
“A wonderful new entry to Gothic science fiction, impeccably clever and atmospheric. Think Wuthering Heights... with worms!”—Tamsyn Muir
MEET THE CURE FOR THE HUMAN DISEASE
In an isolated chateau, as far north as north goes, the baron’s doctor has died. The doctor’s replacement has a mystery to solve: discovering how the Institute lost track of one of its many bodies.
For hundreds of years the Interprovincial Medical Institute has grown by taking root in young minds and shaping them into doctors, replacing every human practitioner of medicine. The Institute is here to help humanity, to cure and to cut, to cradle and protect the species from the apocalyptic horrors their ancestors unleashed.
In the frozen north, the Institute's body will discover a competitor for its rung at the top of the evolutionary ladder. A parasite is spreading through the baron's castle, already a dark pit of secrets, lies, violence, and fear. The two will make war on the battlefield of the body. Whichever wins, humanity will lose again.
A Macmillan Audio production from Tor.com.
HIRON ENNES is a writer, musician, and student of medicine based in the Pacific Northwest. Their areas of interest include infectious disease, pathology, and anticapitalist healthcare reform. When they're not hunched over a microscope or word document they can be found playing in the snow or playing the harp (though usually not at the same time). They're queer in every sense of the word, and they really want to pet your dog.
Leech is their first novel.
Abigail Thorn is a British YouTuber and actress best known for producing the YouTube channel Philosophy Tube. Philosophy Tube began in 2013, when Thorn sought to provide free lessons in philosophy in the wake of the 2012 increase in British tuition fees. In 2018, her videos became more theatrical, beginning to incorporate dramatic studio sets, lighting, costuming and makeup. The channel has been positively received by critics, and has over one million subscribers.
In 2019, Thorn hosted a livestream on Twitch in which she read plays from the Complete Works of Shakespeare for the mental health charity Samaritans. The stream lasted five days, featured a number of guests, and raised over £100,000 for Samaritans. Thorn publicly came out as a transgender woman in January 2021, with the video Coming Out As Trans – A Little Public Statement and the more theatrical Identity: A Trans Coming Out Story
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Reviews
“A wonderful new entry to Gothic science fiction, impeccably clever and atmospheric. Think Wuthering Heights... with worms!” —Tamsyn Muir
“So unique and utterly assured, I will follow this writer anywhere going forward.” —Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl
“Emotionally complex, wildly inventive, and full of squirming terror... This is a must-read for readers looking for something new from the horror genre.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“[A] fascinating jigsaw puzzle... [that] only gets more intriguing as the novel goes on... Fans of gothic horror will devour it.” —Booklist, starred review
“The fascinating world and original narrator that Ennes creates in their debut produce a sublime gothic sci-fi tale that grows into a story greater than the sum of its parts.” —Library Journal, starred review
“Leech uses language with startling acrobatism, creating a world steeped with more secrets than the human body can contain.” —Cassandra Khaw
“Worldbuilding both subtle and surprising. Killer prose. Grotesque biology like I’ve never seen. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if David Cronenberg and Edgar Allen Poe bumped into each other at the same parasitological conference, here's your answer.” —Peter Watts
“Startlingly original, yet eerily familiar, with Leech, Ennes spins classic Gothic horror and fascinating science fiction into a creation that is disturbing, horrifying, and impossible to turn away from.” —Brom
“This book managed to surprise me, and that's not easy for this jaded reader. I read everything, therefore I thought I had seen everything. Leech isn't like anything I've read before.” —Tade Thompson, author of Rosewater
“A tense, disturbing work of Gothic horror that embraces difficult themes of power, abuse, agency, and raw survival in an unforgettably apocalyptic setting. Gory, shocking, raw — and utterly humane.” —Kameron Hurley
“A strange and fascinating far-future world is gradually revealed in this accomplished combination of gothic horror and sci-fi.” —The Guardian
“Leech is wonderful, with a truly unique protagonist, a gooey, squicky post-apocalyptic setting, and a dose of Gormenghast gothic. Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and The Traitor Baru Cormorant.” —Django Wexler
“A razor-sharp balance between the Gothic and the weird, Leech is a startling surprise. A unique narrator, a complex and twisted world, toe-curling horror — I wanted to keep reading.” —World Fantasy Award-winning author G. V. Anderson
“What a unique book! Surreal body horror, surprising turns, and staggering ideas — all woven together by beautiful writing. This debut novel is one to remember.” —Tim Lebbon
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