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Leech

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Leech

Written by: Hiron Ennes
Narrated by: Abigail Thorn
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About this listen

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.

©2022 Hiron Ennes (P)2022 Macmillan Audio
Fiction Gothic Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Scary
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What the critics say

2022, Audible.com Best of the Year, Long-listed

2022, BookPage Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

“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

“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

“A strange and fascinating far-future world is gradually revealed in this accomplished combination of gothic horror and sci-fi.” —The Guardian

What listeners say about Leech

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best audio performances I've ever heard

The story itself is absolutely excellent, but what really steals the show is Abigail Thorn's narration. I've heard hundreds of audiobooks and this might be my most favorite performance I've ever heard.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely amazing

What a hauntingly beautiful story about cycles of abuse, generational trauma and gender. Ennes whisks us off into their strange world with no time for us to catch our breath. Thorn’s narration is the best I’ve heard in a very very long time, perfectly capturing two internal personalities at war. I would give it 6 out of five stars if I could.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Suspenseful, menacing, slow burn gothic horror

Leech is a finely crafted gem of a suspenseful, menacing, slow burn gothic horror/scifi/fantasy novel, starring all of your favourite gothic tropes: Creepy manor house full of horrible aristocrats! Inclement weather! Mysterious sickness! Spooky twins! Ghosts! A tangled web of dark secrets!

But now also starring: Hive minds, body horror, worker uprisings, settle-colonialism and genocide, queer and trans characters.

Leech is honestly brilliant. I kept expecting it to end suddenly with everyone dying tragically and horrifically, but then I'd check and realize I still had a massive amount of book left to read and no idea where Ennes was going to go next.

Audiobook features the voice of the inimitable Abigail Thorn, which is an absolute treat.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Well, that's a lot of unconsensual penetration at every level

Performance was very soft-spoken and thick foreign accent in spots and hard to listen to at my normal 1.5X let alone 2x speed.
Prose was lovely and top of the line literature. Some of the imagery was brilliant!
I didn't mind the narrative hopping at all.
Science fiction World building was very understated yet very smart. But I don't really buy some of the supernatural things in this particular world.
But I guess overall this really isn't my genre. I don't like this many reprehensible characters in a story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

It's sooo weird.

Everything about it is grim and melancholy, but the characters are cartoonish and fun, even though their actions aren't. The book is hard to follow, and things aren't explained. After 3 hours, I realized the book was set in the post apocalypse and not the 1800s. The narrator is good but not in the way a narrator is usually good. They take liberty with how lines are spoken and the volume can get too loud or too quiet sometimes. The book feels like 3 different stories about the same place and characters all happening at the same time, but it kind of works.
Overall, it is a strange and fascinating read.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Absolutely love this book!

This story takes you on quite the bizarre adventure with some amazing twists, didn't really expect the story to go on for as along as it did! I loved every minute of it.

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