Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Kindle
$11.99

Available instantly

Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial

Hardcover
$15.39

Paperback
$18.99

$15.39 with 45 percent savings

List Price: $27.99

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Sunday, May 12 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or fastest delivery Saturday, May 11. Order within 13 hrs 46 mins

Select delivery location

In Stock

$$15.39 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

$13.85

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

Used Good Used Good See less

FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Select delivery location

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$15.39 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Sold by Peter's Book Bazaar and Fulfilled by Amazon.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (61) from $5.54 + $4.23 shipping

Follow the author

Hiron Ennes

Follow

Leech Hardcover – September 27, 2022

by Hiron Ennes (Author)

3.9 733 ratings

Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$15.39","priceAmount":15.39,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"39","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"WwFVpsY3RJzkpa54R%2FNRTZgc8rdmOt7j2c4TUt%2FCGId9zK%2BSOqVhrjVOpGf4OMB9H6vc%2B5GWA0V%2B08vNMj5pAHFSaOw2n4XFTLQk%2FRwcQLmaX7ywFXjbrl7MSKPN1Qxy61HrYzZFzx9SaHhWizyriA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$13.85","priceAmount":13.85,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"13","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"85","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"WwFVpsY3RJzkpa54R%2FNRTZgc8rdmOt7j0xvORmY4T08y2mET3hEVttFulxFoAdH6ry%2BPoAJzX6%2FGUGNhRhHVKvozX9jCTNBTN0VP%2FxdP8A%2BeQRdVJpTKPopMhVTNDk2f8sYP99FiUdhB5x6EljrbN9ISpzvbG1EC0yis%2BhQE65OCjzM9mF0taXmyNRc07Iuf","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

“[Leech] is The Thing meets The Alienist . . . beautifully written and so strangely humane . . . I will follow this writer anywhere going forward.” ―Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl

A surreal and horrifying debut, Hiron Ennes's Leech defies our understanding of identity, heredity, and bodily autonomy.

The RUSA Best Horror Novel of 2023!

Finalist for the British Fantasy Newcomer Award!

An October "Great Reads" Indie Next Pick!

A Wall Street Journal Best Book!

“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.

Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Tordotcom
Publication date

September 27, 2022
Dimensions

5.8 x 1.45 x 8.6 inches
ISBN-10

125081118X
ISBN-13

978-1250811189
See all details

Frequently bought together

$15.39

Get it as soon as Sunday, May 12

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

$11.55

Get it as soon as Sunday, May 12

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

$12.84

Get it as soon as Sunday, May 12

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Choose items to buy together.

S.A. Barnes
3,751
Hardcover
70 offers from $4.99
T. Kingfisher
4,705
Hardcover
73 offers from $6.49
Nick Cutter
11,437
Paperback
78 offers from $4.39
Scott Smith
3,839
Paperback
48 offers from $4.23
B.R. Yeager
1,338
Paperback
16 offers from $10.24
T.J. Payne
8,796
Paperback
18 offers from $11.55

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

The RUSA Best Horror Novel of 2023!
Finalist for the Endeavour Award!

“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 is perfect for readers who wished that Wuthering Heights had been just a little more like Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation.” ―BookPage, starred review

“Pure Gothic horror . . . [Leech] is a masterpiece of complex morality and uncertain identity, lurking within an intriguing puzzle” ―The Wall Street Journal

“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

About the Author

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.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tordotcom (September 27, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 125081118X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250811189
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.8 x 1.45 x 8.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #72,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #449 in Gothic Fiction
- #1,462 in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction (Books)
- #3,610 in Horror Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
3.9 733 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Hiron Ennes

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5

733 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Yonatan Huber

Amazing book with a really bad ending.

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024

Verified Purchase

This book is superb. The prose, the pacing, the world building, the characters.
The horror is slow and undertoned, the way I like it. The plot is gripping, and I read through it ablaze.

The ending. Wow. What a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. Blend, nonsensical, no plot lines resolved, no catharsis.
It didn't ruin it for me, but I would gorge any sequel Hiron Ennes publishes.

Helpful

Mavis Allana McKinnon

Advanced read but good book

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2024

Verified Purchase

It’s a great book! It was pretty hard to me to get into and a very advanced read but it was otherwise a great one!

Helpful

Derek

Defied expectations, and not in a good way

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2023

Verified Purchase

I got this book expecting a "Gothic science fiction" novel about a hivemind doctor that goes to war with a rival parasite. If you read the front and back cover, I think you'll come to the same conclusion. And in fact, the first third of the book delivers on this premise. But then something shifts.

You may consider this a minor spoiler, but I wish I had known it before reading the book: The host body that the story follows starts to become detached from the Institute about 1/3 of the way in, and from there on you are increasingly following an uninteresting, frightened, narrow-minded individual.

Ultimately, this isn't the story of a hivemind doctor protagonist who is trying to raise humanity out of the mud. It's a period-piece drama about a castle full of bad people being bad to each other.

The back cover of the book says: "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." That's the character I wanted to follow, and it's what I got for 30% of the book.

Perhaps there is something very clever going on with the narrative, and I'm supposed to distrust the new "protagonist" we're given. Perhaps they are very, very wrong and we're supposed to come to that judgment independently, but I don't think so. And regardless, it doesn't make for an enjoyable story.

The writing is very competent. This person knows how to write prose and tell a story, it just wasn't a story I wanted to read.

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

Christine Huff

Never read Anything like this before!

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2023

Verified Purchase

I love to find a book that tells a story I’ve not heard before. “Leech” is just such a book with an amazing story. I traveled down passages I’ve never even considered. It is a difficult read in the beginning, but the story gradually reveals itself to the reader and finishing it is well worth the effort.

The author regularly challenged my vocabulary and I had it use the kindle dictionary. But it wasn’t done in an obnoxious way. The words chosen fit with the dystopian ageless feel the book created. At once, I felt as if I were in Victorian England and in the our earth’s bleak future. This feeling started on the first page and permeated throughout the book.

What also impressed me is the description of sexual violence. The writing was elegant, not graphic, which actually made the horror of it all the more terrifying.

I found it to be an amazing novel, and was stunned to discover this is the authors first book. I look forward to reading everything this author writes.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Farmer Gray

Beautiful prose

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2023

Verified Purchase

This author creates as elegant, dark, and dream-like world that draws you in. The quality of the writing is excellent, even bewitching. Sadly it loses steam about two thirds of the way through. The ending feels as though the author tired of the story and sought to end it too rapidly. Despite this, I really enjoyed this wonderful experience of really good written words.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Alan Smithee

Good start, fizzles out about a third of the way through

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2023

Verified Purchase

The story started out compelling enough. The plot was unique, which is rare these day, and the gothic setting drew me in. But the wheels started to come off about a third of the way through as the plot slowed down and completely fell apart by the end.

(SPOILER ALERT)

First, the book had a number of LGBTQ elements which, frankly, felt unnecessary and distracting. For instance, one of the men in the story is described as a wet nurse. Why is he capable of this? Who knows, because it’s never explained or even broached again and it has no bearing whatsoever on the plot. It felt like that element had been grafted on to satisfy a certain audience.

The first third of the book was fairly masterfully written; the author is a good storyteller with a poetic command of the English language and the ability to render a colorful scene for the reader. However, the author’s inexperience shows through in the final third when exposition is suddenly required to explain some of the characters’ backstories and motivations. That’s just lazy writing. It was clear that the author realized that the story needed to be buttoned up and had to resort to clear cutting a straight path to the conclusion.

Additionally, the exposition suddenly takes the form of second person narration (“you grab the gun, you run down the hall”, etc.) which was just plain odd.

But the most annoying element of the book was the lack of a decent explanation for what the parasite that propels the plot forward was doing with its hosts. Whereas the Institute’s parasites cause people to become part of a hive mind, people infected with the competing organism appear to continue to behave the same as always, other than seeking out fire in a bid to spread the organism’s spores. Is it controlling them? Changing them? Or is the fire thing all there is to it? That’s never explored, which was a bit of whiff in my opinion.

Furthermore, why isn’t the narrator reinfected after the parasite is removed? We’re told that the spores are ubiquitous and airborne. Why is the narrator spared? That seemed like an obvious plot hole.

All in all, I feel like the story had promise but the author just didn’t quite know where to take it beyond the first act.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Seraph

Entertaining and imaginative novel.

Reviewed in Germany on March 8, 2024

Verified Purchase

I bought this novel to read it during a business trip while on a train. Surpassed my - admittedly low - expectations. I mean, the book was labelled "unputdownable" (!) by marketing. But it actually proved to be to me. I continued with it way after I was back home from my two day trip. I think it captures what you could call a Lovecraftian atmosphere, not because it has some of the Great Old Ones in it, but in the way the whole world appears hostile to its inhabitants with horrors beyond the imagination of its human inhabitants. I never witnessed a similarly unique main character - the world building and the power of imagination that went into building this world and the characters is fantastic. I could almost feel the icy cold winter. I also liked the writing style - definitely better than Lovecraft, which does not mean much because he was a pretty bad writer in my opinion - despite having great world building capabilities. Only thing I disliked was the massive use of flashbacks to draw on the background of the main characters. I would probably have voted 5 stars without that.

Amazon Customer

excellent book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 22, 2024

Verified Purchase

Bought as a present - the recipient loved it

carl

Leech

Reviewed in Australia on July 8, 2023

Verified Purchase

Worthy of several sequels. Loved this book. ❤️

Sharron Joy Reads

Gothic horror with a sci-fi twist

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2023

Verified Purchase

In an isolated town, the Baron’s Doctor is found dead. The Medical Institute , that is the only supplier of medical personnel, sends a new doctor, he finds the old one was infected with a parasite. That is impossible as all Doctors are already possessed.

This is difficult to explain, the main character is a body possessed by an intelligent symbiotic life form that is in countless other bodies and whose mind sees through the eyes of all of them, like a hive mind. Then along comes competition, an invasive parasite that lives inside humans. Unlike the Institute who has for hundreds of years replaced all doctors and chooses the brightest minds, the new threat is not so choosy.

This is gothic horror with an almost sci-fi twist, the language is archaic and very much of the gothic period and this can take some getting used to but the writing is beautiful and evocative. There is tension throughout the story but it is weirdly compelling. The creeping invasive parasites, the cold, harsh, unforgiving land, the heartless hardened people, the atmosphere feels heavy and malignant. A fascinating read.

One person found this helpful

kelliea

Whose thoughts are you thinking?

Reviewed in Australia on March 13, 2023

Verified Purchase

A disturbing examination of what makes a person, memories, experiences or the physicality of a body- all these things or the stories of existence living outside of and all around life forms.

See more reviews

Return this item for free

Return this item for free

Image Unavailable

Follow the author