Leech Audiobook By Hiron Ennes cover art

Leech

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Leech

By: Hiron Ennes
Narrated by: Abigail Thorn
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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 Horror LGBTQIA+ Creators Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Scary

Critic reviews

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

Featured Article: Best of the Year—The 12 Best Sci-Fi Listens of 2022


This year’s sci-fi didn’t shy away from heavy, timely topics like climate change, pandemics, and social justice, but even as the subject matter hit close to home, the listening reached to new heights. Several stunning multicast productions make up this list—as well as narrators we can’t hear enough of. In a world that seems increasingly science fictional by the year, the bar is only set higher for creators in this genre—and this year’s list inches it up a little more.

Featured Article Best of the Year The 12 Best Sci-Fi Listens of 2022
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Story keeps you engaged in figuring out this dark but engaging world. The twist and turns of events were as welcoming as the horrors that propelled them.

Entertaining and dark

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This books shocked me in so many ways and I’m happy I picked it up on a whim . Giving us a gothic horror from the perspective of the monster and getting us to empathize with horror was really well done and recommend for any gothic horror fan .

A point of view shift I enjoyed

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This one will require a second listen. It’s really a cool story and atmosphere! I think a second listen will solidify some of the details. Narrator did a great job!

I’m excited to listen to it again

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The book is thick with descriptions, some are wasted in mundane and simple actions that distract and hide the main story… a bit confusing at times but nevertheless enjoyable

Descriptive and thick

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Ok but nothing special, has a really solid beginning, ok middle, and go-hum end that allows for an undeserved sequel. The idea of following a hive mind type entity from its perspective was really cool and original. But as the story progresses we leave that kind set ting and go back to people resisting the hive mind, a thoroughly explored trope.

The exploration of what composes an entity (how much are we the sum of parts?) is interesting and good, but it really falls apart half way through.

If you have exhausted your back log in your wish list this is worth a try, if not I’d go to a wish list book.

Meh

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I’m honestly surprised by all the negative reviews. It’s a strong story with a sinister gothic feel, excellent narration, and I especially enjoyed my second listen and how all the pieces fit together.

Good, then even better the 2nd time

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An amazingly unique story. Fresh concepts and ideas, exposed in a beautiful writing style. Thorn is the perfect voice to bring it all out, with accent and tone that fit the scene perfectly. The author creates a mysterious world, and grants just enough information about it to keep you wanting more. Beyond excited for whatever Ennes creates next.

Incredibly Original

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After I finished the book I listened to it again. Great read. I really enjoyed the book.!

Excellent narration

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Poor narration
Difficult to follow story
Unable to tell who was speaking
Unsatisfying listen
A struggle to finish

Hard to finish

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Disjointed as a fever dream, Leech is one of the most imaginative books I have ever read. I was really enjoying it up until the 60% mark and then I started to get bored. The author builds a fantasy world and drops us into it without much explanation about what is going on. The plot is both confusing and intriguing. The narrator’s pronunciation was often difficult to understand and I had to listen to some passages three times to make sense of her accent. I recommend Leech to anyone looking to shake up their brain a little by reading something weird.

Fever dream

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