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by Hiron Ennes
Hiron Ennes pulls you into the suffocating, decaying city of Tiliard, a metropolis carved into a giant tree stump where the privileged poison minds and the desperate hunt monstrous vermin. Our guide is Guy Moulène, an exterminator whose latest quarry is a colossal, artwork-devouring centipede whose venom slowly reshapes the very fabric of the city. Guy’s goal is simple – keep his sister out of debt – but the path he walks is anything but. This book is a gritty, atmospheric descent into a world where survival means confronting not just external biological horrors, but profound moral ambiguity. It’s for readers who crave intense, unsettling dread and stories that don't shy away from the grotesque corners of humanity and its environment.
If you found yourself utterly consumed by the unique biological horror and the oppressive, decaying atmosphere of The Works of Vermin, we’ve got more for you. We picked these books because they share that unsettling blend of physical decay and psychological dread. You’ll find similar parasitic infections in What Moves the Dead, invasive transformations in Annihilation, and claustrophobic survival in The Luminous Dead. These titles explore worlds where the environment itself is a character, often hostile and transforming, mirroring the moral ambiguity and gritty fight for survival at the heart of Ennes’s work.
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by Hiron Ennes
As the author's debut novel, this shares the same unique medical-gothic setting and explores the concept of a singular consciousness inhabiting multiple bodies in a decaying world. It perfectly mirrors the unsettling biological horror and atmospheric dread found in The Works of Vermin.
This retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher focuses heavily on fungal horror and parasitic infection. Fans of Ennes will appreciate the clinical yet terrifying approach to biological decay and the heavy, claustrophobic atmosphere.
This novel captures the same sense of biological 'otherness' and the psychological erosion of the self when faced with an invasive, transformative environment. Its focus on scientific observation clashing with surreal horror will resonate deeply.
A masterclass in claustrophobic tension, this book mirrors the physiological toll and psychological manipulation present in Ennes' work. It features a high-stakes survival narrative where the protagonist's body is constantly under threat from both the environment and technology.

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This novella explores themes of biological mutation and the shifting nature of humanity through a lyrical, unsettling lens. It shares the same fascination with the grotesque and the ways in which the physical form can be hijacked by nature.
While more traditional in its gothic structure, it features a similarly oppressive atmosphere where the setting itself is biologically invasive. The focus on family secrets and a predatory environment aligns well with the themes of Vermin.
A visceral exploration of a biological plague that transforms the human body into something unrecognizable. It matches the more graphic and intense elements of Ennes' prose while providing a sharp social commentary through its horror.
This dark, gritty novella features a protagonist who is fundamentally 'other' and a world that feels damp, decaying, and dangerous. It captures the same nihilistic beauty and gothic sensibility found in Ennes' writing.
by Tamsyn Muir
Though more action-oriented, it shares the necromantic gothic aesthetic and the complex, dark world-building of Ennes. The focus on bone-magic and the decay of an empire provides a similarly visceral and intellectual reading experience.
by Kathe Koja
A seminal work of body horror that deals with a corrupting, mysterious force that slowly consumes the protagonist's reality. Its gritty, uncompromising look at physical and mental disintegration will appeal to those who enjoyed the darker edges of Vermin.

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