Horror Annotation -- Leech
TW: Body horror, medical gore
“A few steps beyond that, I find the remains of a foot. Bloodied stumps of toes curl in the heat, singed threads of wool socks still clinging to blackened skin. That familiar smell of burning flesh meets my nose, and a maelstrom of panic seethes in my head” (Ennes, 2022, p. 169).
Author: Hiron Ennes
Title: Leech
Genre: Horror, Gothic Fiction
Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Number of Pages: 332 pages
Geographical Setting: Verdira, a mining village on post-apocalyptic Earth
Time Period: Post-apocalyptic future reminiscent of Victorian France
Series: N/A
Plot Summary: Doctors in the world of Leech are all part of a shared consciousness, a sentient parasite, that has taken over Earth’s post-apocalyptic medical world. The parasite controls every doctor on Earth, with their shared knowledge allowing for the swift and efficient care of humans. But it has fresh competition: Pseudomycota is a sticky black fungus that is taking over the mines of Verdira. The fungus begins to lay claim to victims, and the doctors don’t know what to do – and then they lose all contact with each other. As one unnamed doctor struggles to cope with being alone in their mind, they must also figure out who (or rather what) this new parasite is, and what it wants with humanity.
Appeals terms and elements of Horror:
Creepy tone: A creepy fungus is taking over humans' bodies, and no one knows why. The prose is sinister, leaving you uneasy yet wanting to know, why? How?
Richly detailed horror imagery: The novel is full of disgusting body horror imagery: “Slightly to the left of his sternum, awkward as a third nipple, sits a nub of rounded silver. I twist it between gloved fingers, cracking the dried discharge and flaked skin… the tube slips out, covered in flesh and clotted blood” (Ennes, 2022, p. 53).
Complex yet sympathetic character: The narrator (doctor) is nonbinary and unnamed. The doctor is a parasite but fights to protect its human patients and take down the new villain trying to kill humanity.
Similar Authors and Works:
The three nonfiction works I chose all explore the world of mushrooms. Because the main villain in this horror novel is Pseudomycota, a nasty fungus, I wanted to feature nonfiction works that explore fungi and mushrooms.
The three fiction books I chose are all horror (of course). The Death of Jane Lawrence is a readalike because it also deals with the medical world. What Moves the Dead is a Poe retelling that involves body horror and mushrooms, similar to how Leech deals with a fungus! Lastly, Garden of Earthly Bodies features a protagonist that begins growing hair all over her, again identical to the fungus that takes over in Leech. All three fiction recommendations deal with medical scenarios and intense body horror throughout.
3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors:
Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms by Eugenia Bone
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
Fungipedia: A Brief Compendium of Mushroom Lore by Lawrence Millman
3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Garden of Earthly Bodies by Sally Oliver
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
References
Ennes, H. (2022). Leech. Tom Doherty Associates Publishing.
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteI’ve really been enjoying HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us recently, so a fungal-related horror seems super appropriate right now. Also, this sounds sick and awesome. I love the idea of the protagonist being trapped in isolation inside their own mind in a world where shared consciousness is a reality, what a horrifying concept. Is this one you’d recommend putting on the ole’ reading list?
A thousand times yes! Especially if you have been watching The Last of Us. I'm sure you read the quotes in my annotation so you know what you're getting into -- it's so gross.
DeleteWell, I trust your judgement implicitly. Honestly, you had me at “dried discharge and flaked skin,” haha. Funny enough, I’ve had my eye on What Moves the Dead for a minute. Again, I just absolutely love the whole fungal theme, gonna get on this. Thanks!
DeleteHi Megan!
ReplyDeleteI don't read a lot of horror because I'm not super captivated by the typical ghosts and zombies that permeate the genre, but this sounds so interesting! The fact that there's a benign parasite as well as the horrific fungus is super unique. Like Jacob, I think I'll have to add this to my ever-growing TBR list.
Is the book mostly a solitary one, following that sole doctor alone or are there many other characters?
The perspective is strictly the doctor's, but there are a few secondary characters we see interact with the doctor! One secondary character you see the doctor with a lot is the mute houseboy, Emile. He is a funny character despite not ever having a single line of dialogue!
DeleteJaclyn, I love that last sentence. I think you're right; the lack of detail/mystery surrounding the narrator really is the medium through which the reader receives the "horror" of this novel!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so unsettling and creepy. This is not a title I was familiar with at all. Great job including quotes to illustrate your points and your summary and appeals are great. Full points!
ReplyDelete