“Impeccably clever and atmospheric.”
― Tamsyn Muir
“Startlingly Original.”
― Brom
“Razor-sharp… Toe-curling.”
― G. V. Anderson
A surreal and horrifying debut, Hiron Ennes’s Leech defies our understanding of identity, heredity, and bodily autonomy.
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.
Preview the first two chapters here

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Awards
British Fantasy Awards 2023: The Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer
Reviews
Starred review on Publisher’s Weekly
Starred review on Library Journal
Interviews
Interview with Curtis Brown Creative with my agent, Alexander Cochran, on why histopathology is terrifying.
Interview with Ginger Nuts of Horror, in which one may find recommended reading and/or listening.
Interview with Locus, in which I reveal my weirdest literary influences.
Interview with the American Booksellers Association, in which I confess that I was into Satan when I was in Christian school.
Interview with BookPage, in which I simp for trains.
Interview with Brookline Booksmith (video), in which I confess to having only one kidney.
Interview with Rick Kleffel, in which we gush about Mervyn Peake.
Interview with Kameron Hurley, in which we gush about Mervyn Peake (and Arvo Pärt).
List Features
October Indie Next List Pick, American Bookseller’s Association
Editor’s Picks: Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, Amazon
Three horror novels as smart as they are terrifying, BookPage
‘Gone Girl’ author Gillian Flynn’s book picks (video), Today
The best recent science fiction and fantasy – reviews roundup, The Guardian
Best Books 2022, Publisher’s Weekly
Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2022, BookPage
10 of the best sci-fi horror books, Book Riot
The 12 Best Sci-Fi Listens of 2022, audible
12 best sci-fi books of 2022, The Times
The Best Books of 2022: Science Fiction and Fantasy, The Wall Street Journal
Essay Features
Your Body is a Haunted House: Hiron Ennes on the Discomfiting Tradition of Medical Horror on Nightfire
The Inspiration for Leech on Horror DNA
Articles
Science Fiction and Fantasy: ‘Leech’ by Hiron Ennes by Liz Braswell of The Wall Street Journal
PRAISE FOR LEECH:
“A wonderful new entry to Gothic Science fiction, impeccably clever and atmospheric. Think Wuthering Heights… with worms!” ― Tamsyn Muir
“Leech uses language with startling acrobatism, creating a 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 the difficult themes of power, abuse, agency and raw survival in an unforgettably apocalyptic setting. Gory, shocking, raw ― and utterly humane.” ― Kameron Hurley
“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.” ― World Fantasy Award-winning author G. V. Anderson
“Surreal body horror, surprising turns, and staggering ideas ― all woven together by beautiful writing. This debut novel is one to remember.” ―Tim Lebbon