Leech

by Hiron Ennes

Hardcover, 323 pages

English language

Published Sept. 27, 2022 by Tor Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-81118-9
ASIN:: 125081118X
Goodreads:: 59807968

(25 reviews)

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.

6 editions

Replica reviewed Leech by Hiron Ennes

Review of 'Leech' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

The book started well, at least for the first 100 pages. I liked the main concept of the book; the story viewed from the point of view of a parasite that monopolizes health services all over the world.
The snippets of worldbuilding were intriguing enough to hold my attention but were confusing at times.

The bad: the plot is all over the place. It reaches a point where it looks like a completely different book than the one I was reading. All the unnecessary family and town drama just wasn't for me and I lost all my interest, hence the two stars rating. I'm disappointed because it looked very promising.

Kathrin Passig reviewed Leech by Hiron Ennes

Review of 'Leech' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Ich bin schon wieder ins Thema "Verpilzte Herrenhäuser" hineingestolpert. Hier passieren noch viel interessantere Dinge als in den anderen Pilzbüchern, unter anderem ist es eine Geschichte über einen Parasiten, die von einem anderen Parasiten erzählt wird, und das ist eigentlich nur der Anfang. Das letzte Drittel des Buchs besteht nur aus schwafeligem Text, der besser in einer Sammlung "Bonusmaterial" aufgehoben gewesen wäre, deshalb: zwei Sterne für die Gesamtform (es fehlt ein hartherzig kürzendes Lektorat), aber vier für Lesevergnügen im ersten Teil und fünf für die Idee.

Kleine Beschwerde: Wie fahrlässig in den meisten Romanen mit dem Thema Kälte umgegangen wird! Sie taucht nur auf, wenn sie gerade in den Plot passt, und den Rest der Zeit wird weder gefroren noch irgendwie auf die Temperaturen Rücksicht genommen. Mit Hunden übrigens genauso.

Erin reviewed Leech by Hiron Ennes

Review of 'Leech' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This reminded me a lot of my experience reading Viscera by Gabrielle Squalia. Not in narrative tone/style, but they are both so weird and imaginative. It’s very refreshing!

The story had a steampunk feel but dirtier and darker. Things would start to happen on the page (like replacing hoses inside of a person) that would startle me and change my sense of the setting/world without big explanations. It’s not a story with constant horror, but there are some very gory moments and some disturbing things going on.

Sometimes it gets very surreal and dreamlike, reflecting the state of mind of the narrator. So at times it was hard to follow, but I think in intentional ways. I think it would reward a reread.

The prose harkened back to an 1800s ish voice, and this was one of the few times when I appreciated the style of writing in a book. It’s dense and my brain definitely had a hard time slowing down in order to sink into it, but it added to a fantastic gothic atmosphere.

I love a psychological downward spiral in a book, and that’s how this reads. The fact that a parasitic entity is at the center made it all the better.

The ending confused me at first, but I reread it slower. Then I was like ooohh. That’s beautiful! I would love to read more from Ennes in the future.

Amber Herbert reviewed Leech by Hiron Ennes

Review of 'Leech' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

What an ambitious debut! A parasitic Institute, the gothic landscape of a dystopic future, humans with machines for body parts, and another parasite on the verge of destroying life as Verdira and Inultus know it.

I initially picked this up because I loved the comp. title, Wuthering Heights. Unfortunately, nothing about Leech, apart from living in isolation, found its way into this novel. Sure, there are gothic elements galore, and some parallels to Frankenstein, but if you're looking for a deeply flawed yet realistic romance, this isn't the book you're looking for.

I loved the prose. Ennes has a knack for imagery and setting. My main criticism is that there was too much going on. In isolation, many of the elements would have worked well, but lumping them together and stitching them into a whole at the tail end of the novel didn't really work. I also …