A hivemind has replaced all physicians in the known world, fashioning itself into an organization known as the Institute and tending to humans across the land. Long considering itself at the top of the evolutionary hierarchy, in the dark, terrifying halls of a corrupt baron’s castle, the Institute meets its match in a parasite even it can’t heal.

Hiron Ennes’ Leech perfectly captures the mood of 19th-century gothic horror while adding sci-fi twists and disgusting delights all its own. Leech asks patience of its reader; layer by layer, Ennes constructs a horrifying tale, revealing details and surprises at precisely the right moments. Body horror plays a central role in ways both supernatural and mundane; questions of bodily autonomy and survival permeate the text.

Overall, this novel is weird and otherworldly and frigidly dark. The worldbuilding is no less disturbing and developed for all its subtlety, and the perspective of a parasitic hivemind was incredibly well portrayed. While a little slow at points, the payoff is definitely worth the journey. This is a worthy pickup for horror fans.

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.