Leech is a unique blend of body horror, bodily autonomy, and sci-fi elements. It takes place in a crumbling chateau where a doctor arrives to take the place of the one who recently perished to care for a grouchy old Baron and his family. But there’s so much more going on than that . . . Hold on because it gets weird and a little complicated here.

The doctor is part of something called “The Institute” and the doctor has been working for this family for a while - only they don’t know it. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it all because that’s where the sci-fi bit comes in and it did my head in a bit so I probably can’t explain it anyway. The new doctor discovers a terrifying parasite inside the old doc and that’s when everything starts to go to hell.

This book is very gross so if you’re into that, you’ll love the body horror. It’ll give you a good case of the ick’s and the creepy crawlies. The body horror and the fate of the dog keeper were what kept me reading through until the end. Whenever dogs enter the story, you’ve got me – unless you kill them all, and then I’m out. What didn’t work so well for me were the many side trips and interludes telling tales of the past and whatnot. It slowed down the pace quite a bit for me. And to be honest, parts of this story were very confusing for me in the beginning (and now that I’m finished there are some things I’m still a bit bewildered about). I eventually caught on to most of it but it took too long for my liking and used up my last good brain cell.

So yeah. It’s not a quick read. The writing was dense and super wordy like an old-time horror novel and it required a quiet room and my complete attention and at times I had to force myself to keep going. But I don’t regret it. I’d tell you if I did. Some truly terrible things happen and it does not shy away from the horror show of being a woman or a person with no power. It’s a pretty bleak read so prepare yourself for that if you need to.

Left inside the Little Free Library.

If you've found it Welcome to Bookcrossing! I hope you enjoy it and thanks for making a journal entry. When you are finished reading it please click "new journal entry" again and add any comments you'd like to share. If you decide to keep it that's fine by me, if you decide pass it along, please click "release book" so we can both follow its journey. You can leave it wherever you choose. I have decent luck leaving my books on top of drive-by mail boxes (with the flat tops), on benches, in lobbies and at gas pumps but I also pass many on to fellow readers. If you'd like to join bookcrossing I'd be thrilled if you'd use my BC name, BarkLessWagMore, as the referring member.

I was pleased to find this uncorrected-proof softcover in the LFL today - I've been intrigued by this one since I first saw its iconic cover-art!

Later: I can't add a lot to BarkLessWagMore's in-depth comments, but I definitely enjoyed the book and its unusual world-building. Post-apocalyptic-future meets steampunk-esque Old World classism, with creepy Gothic notes and some mad-science elements - and, somehow, a main character who becomes more and more sympathetic despite being introduced as what is effectively a human representative of a hive-mind collective that apparently runs most/all of the medicine/science/data-gathering in this new culture. As we (and the main character) gradually assemble enough information to realize the truth behind that hive-mind-collective and how they draft new... talent? Acolytes? Raw material?... the story shifts focus, but it kept me riveted throughout.

There's definitely a strong feel of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books here, with the bizarre and over-the-top-dysfunctional family, strange ailments, odd rituals and myths - and what must be an explicit shout-out in the form of the clan of artisans who craft lovely objects, sounding very much like the Carvers of Peake's world.

I definitely found the dog-handler/houseboy Émile, who doesn't speak but manages to communicate pretty effectively - and whose personal history is almost as harrowing as that of our narrator/protagonist - a fascinating and sympathetic character, and a key element of the plot as a whole.

And the many (many!) little elements in the story that indicated how language and culture might change over centuries, how high-tech might become myth, clues as to what was really behind the things the characters saw as gods or monsters... Quite the enthralling read.

Oh, and - I don't want to invoke spoilers, but given the escalating horror of the situation, things worked out rather better than I'd dared hope they would {wry grin}.

I left this book in the Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in MA here.]

** Released for the 2023 Allergic to A challenge. **

** Released for the 2023 Science Fiction challenge. **

** Released for the 2023 Keep Them Moving challenge. **