Hiron Ennes is an American writer, musician, and pathologist. Retrieved 09-20-2026.
Background and education Ennes studied physics for their undergraduate degree. Between college and medical school, they lived in the basement of a Virginia Woolf professor who encouraged them to take a creative writing course. In a 2024 interview with Vox Vomitus podcast, Ennes confirmed that they had completed their medical degree and work as a pathologist. Retrieved 09-20-2026.
Career Ennes began their first novel, Leech, in a novel-writing course after graduation. It was published in 2022 by Tor Books as part of a two-book deal. The novel won the 2023 British Fantasy Award for Best Newcomer.
Their second novel, The Works of Vermin, was published by Tor in 2025.
Ennes's areas of medical interest include infectious disease, pathology, and anti-capitalist healthcare reform. Ennes works as a pathologist and plans to move into forensic pathology.
Writing style and influences Leech has been described as "a combination of Gothic horror and science fiction" and by Ennes themselves as "post-post-apocalyptic soft-sci-fi gothic body horror". Ennes's literary influences include Diana Wynne Jones and Dune from childhood; the horror settings of Gormenghast, Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Phantom of the Opera; novelists Samuel R. Delany, China Miéville, Sofia Samatar, and José Donoso; and the French-language writers Blaise Cendrars, Comte de Lautréamont, and Henri Barbusse.
Personal life Ennes plays the harp and is very fond of dogs. They consider themself to be "queer in every sense of the word" and use they/them pronouns.
Awards Work Year & Award Category Result Ref. Leech 2023 British Fantasy Award Newcomer 2023 Endeavour Award Distinguished Novel or Collection "Our Best Selves" 2025 World Fantasy Award Short Fiction The Works of Vermin 2026 Aldiss Award — Retrieved 10-01-2026. 2026 Sunburst Award — 2026 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize — Retrieved 2026-06-30.
Works Novels Leech (Tor, 2022) The Works of Vermin (Tor, 2025)
Short stories "Our Best Selves", Weird Horror, 2024 "The Breath of Kannask", Northern Nights, 2024 "Lyra, from Many Angles", Escape Pod, 2025
References 2023 British Fantasy Awards, by Mike Glyer, at File770; published 16 September 2023; retrieved 9 February 2026 Endeavour Award Finalists for 2022 Books, by Mike Glyer, at File770; published 3 November 2023; retrieved 9 February 2026