EXCLUSIVE COVER REVEAL AND INTERVIEW: LEECH BY HIRON ENNES

10/3/2022

We are honoured to bring you the exclusive cover reveal and an exclusive interview with Hiron Ennes for their new novel Leech, coming your way in September from Tor UK.

Scroll down for a look at the gorgeous cover and a fascinating interview with Hiron.

'A wonderful new entry to Gothic science fiction, impeccably clever and atmospheric’
- Tamsyn Muir

'Leech isn’t like anything I’ve 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

'What a unique book! Surprising turns and staggering ideas – all woven together by beautiful writing. This is one to remember' - Tim Lebbon

'I didn’t know a book could perfectly convey the concept of a distributed intelligence, alive and aware of each of its proxies, but Leech is proof anything is possible in good hands'
- Cassandra Khaw

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 man was already possessed. For hundreds of years, the 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. Now it seems they have 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, humanity will lose again.

An atmospheric Gothic triumph, for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

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.

An atmospheric Gothic triumph, for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

A Ginger Nuts of Horror Exclusive, we talk to Hiron Ennes about their incredible debut, Leech (Tor UK, 29 September, 2022)

Tell us a bit about your new novel.

When people ask me to describe my novel, I often default to ‘soft-sci-fi gothic body horror.’ That tends to produce more questions than it answers, but honestly, I have difficulty describing this book. It’s got all the fun stuff, I say. Parasites. Apocalypses. Hiveminds. Spooky castles. Dogs. The existential horror of living inside a vulnerable, mutable human body.

What made you choose this particular genre/style?

I don’t think it was a conscious choice. All I knew was that I wanted something terrible to happen deep in the mountains, whether it was science fiction, gothic drama, horror, manners fantasy—the actual genre was secondary. In the end it turned out to be a bit of all the above.

Is there a particular character you’re excited for people to meet?

There is a certain dynamic duo who livens up the place quite a bit—or makes it a little more ghostly…

Who are your biggest inspirations author-wise?

Hard to say. I’ve seen my writing compared to Jeff VanderMeer’s or Ann Leckie’s, but I confess I didn’t read either of those authors until after I’d written much of Leech. I’d say my novel takes more inspiration from Peake or Shelley. Authors I usually cite as inspiration are ones who have redefined the limits of fiction for me. When I was a teenager, China Miéville’s Perdido Street Station showed me how a fantasy world could be lush and realistic not in spite of, but because of its surrealism. Around the same time, I read Glen Cook’s Chronicles of the Black Company, which is such a charming marriage of dissimilar genres (high fantasy and gritty war memoir). My literary tastes in my early-to-mid-twenties were influenced by Kathy Acker, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and W.G. Sebald, all masters of straddling the uncanny union of fiction and reality. At the moment, I’m obsessed with John Crowley and Sofia Samatar.

What is your daily writing routine like?

Right now I’m working on both a second novel and my masters of clinical research, so I spend half the day immersed in human serum and the other half immersed in Earl Grey. I wake up at about 6:45, bus to my favourite tea shop, write for about 4-5 hours, depending on how much pipetting and/or data analysis needs to get done that day, come home from the lab in the evening, run a bath, then write more. Don’t do this. It’s some unhealthy, obsessive bullshit and I’m not sure if it’s actually conducive to productivity. But writing for me is an impulse, like breathing—I might not enjoy it all the time, but if I stopped I would die.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Always. I have playlists dedicated to a novel’s changing moods, settings, and scenes. I pretty much only listen to classical music (classical in the broadest sense—so baroque, impressionist, romantic, ‘contemporary classical,’ etc). The soundtrack for Leech consisted primarily of Arvo Pärt, Hildur Guðnadóttir and Ezio Bosso, with a sprinkling of Dvořák.

How do you deal with writers' block/the urge to procrastinate/bad writing habits?

I’m not sure I do. I don’t really get writers’ block. What I do get are crises in which I abruptly and sincerely call into question every creative decision I’ve ever made and then, naturally, my legitimacy as a conscious being. The last time I had one of these breakdowns I dove into my tarot deck and drew all swords, deleted half my book, and ran for too many miles after having not exercised in months. Not recommended.

Which book(s) published in the last/next year are you most excited about?

I was pretty stoked to see that Tochi Onyebuchi’s Goliath was released—anything even distantly compared to Dhalgren has a spot automatically reserved on my shelf. I’m also beyond excited for Alex Pheby’s Mordew sequel, which is very Peakean and kind of like Oliver Twist for leftist goths. Mordew is one of those rare worlds that’s utterly miserable and stomach-churning but still has such redeeming charm.

What's the best piece of writing advice you've been given?

Simply put: ‘Keep going.’ Words I need when I have the aforementioned crises--keep going. Your first draft will be garbage, and probably the second and third, but there will be nothing to salvage if there’s nothing at all. Burn on, you glorious trashfire.

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.

Leech Hardcover – 29 Sept. 2022
by Hiron Ennes

‘Highly recommended. I’ll be reading anything Hiron Ennes writes from now on’ – Tade Thompson, author of Rosewater

‘A wonderful new entry to Gothic science fiction, impeccably clever and atmospheric. Think Wuthering Heights . . . with worms!’ – Tamsyn Muir, author of Gideon the Ninth

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 man was already possessed. For hundreds of years, the 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. Now it seems they have 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, humanity will lose again.

Leech by Hiron Ennes is an atmospheric Gothic triumph, perfect for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.