Try free for 30 days

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Leech cover art

Leech

By: Hiron Ennes
Narrated by: Abigail Thorn
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $19.75

Buy Now for $19.75

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

In the baron’s icebound castle, a parasite is spreading . . . From Hiron Ennes, Leech is an atmospheric Gothic triumph, perfect for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

In an isolated chateau, as far north as north goes, the baron’s doctor has died. The Interprovincial Medical Institute sends out a replacement. But when the new physician investigates the cause of death, which appears to be suicide, there’s a mystery to solve. It seems the good doctor was hosting a parasite. Yet this should have been impossible, as the physician was already possessed – by the Institute.

The Institute is here to help humanity, to cure and to cut, to cradle and protect the species from the horrors their ancestors unleashed. For hundreds of years, it has taken root in young minds and shaped them into doctors, replacing every human practitioner of medicine. But now there’s competition. For in the baron’s icebound castle, already a pit of secrets and lies, the parasite is spreading . . .

These two enemies will make war within the battlefield of the body. Whichever wins, will humanity lose again?

Featured in The Times Best Sci-Fi Books 2022

©2022 Hiron Ennes (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic Reviews

So much more than the horror story it may sound like. Ennes has created a world that's fully realized and disturbingly believable, a place both futuristic in its environmental disasters but Victorian in its manners and ways. This is The Thing meets The Alienist, and to call it merely horror is a disservice, as it's beautifully written and so strangely humane one feels empathy for a virus struggling, like all the humans about it, to survive. So unique and utterly assured, I will follow this writer anywhere going forward (Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl)
A wonderful new entry to Gothic science fiction, impeccably clever and atmospheric. Think Wuthering Heights . . . with worms! (Tamsyn Muir, author of Gideon the Ninth)
Leech isnt like anything Ive read before. Superb writing, interesting and fresh ideas, skilful execution. Highly recommended. I’ll be reading anything Hiron Ennes writes from now on (Tade Thompson, author of Rosewater)

More from the same

What listeners say about Leech

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This debut establishes Hiron Ennes as an Author to watch

Leech absolutely floated my boat. My medical brain rejoiced at the prose- it spoke my Language.
It’s the type of story that grabs you in stages. The beginning reveals something crucial. The middle brings chaos- the reader feels the tension notching. The end I admit- was not expecting the twist. Fabulous debut by the author enhanced beautifully by the performance of Abigail Thorn.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.