Leech, by Hiron Ennes. Tom Doherty Associates, 2022

I am almost at a lost to review this book. There is a lot going on, a lot to unpack. Talking about a lot of it would put too many spoilers out there. Basically, it’s a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, steampunk, horror story There is a lot of different kinds of horror. Most of it is body horror. There are multiple kinds of body horror-sentient parasites, sexual violence, slavery, edible rocks, mind control, creepy twins with odd powers.

The first three quarters or so is really absorbing. We’re thrown into a strange world, where the narrator turns out to be not just one person in the body. The world is far in our future, a future where there was nuclear holocaust, asteroids falling from the sky, and mutations. The world is in autumn, verging on winter, which means the ancient chateau where the narrator will live is isolated for months, without the trains running to bring supplies or to allow people to leave. Nearly everyone in the chateau is pretty bad- the Baron is pure evil, his son and heir seems to try and be noble but is really a complete bastard, the daughter-in-law exists to pump out mutated and still born babies. And something has come out of the mines, and is making its way to the chateau… and may even be there already.

Sadly, the book kind of falls apart near the end. Then there is the problem I had with the by the book having only one person who is really likable- and it isn’t our narrator. Of course, she’s a victim of her own upbringing and the abuse she suffered- as are they all (and us, really). The one likable person is presented as a sort of noble savage- non-verbal and preferring the company of dogs to humans.

 Even though it’s a very grim world, I loved the world building. There are so many different forces at play. And the prose is lovely- it  put me in mind of older horror, like Frankenstein or Fall of the House of Usher. Four stars.