I’m almost done! It’s been a hectic first week of November already.
Thanks to Tor Books for the gifted copy
THE WORKS OF VERMIN – Hiron Ennes (Released October 14th, 2025)
Book Description:
He was sent to kill a pest. Instead, he found a monster.
Enter the decadent, deadly city of Tiliard, a metropolis carved into the stump of an ancient tree. In its canopy, the pampered elite warp minds with toxic perfume; in its roots, gangs of exterminators hunt a colossal worm with an appetite for beauty.
In this complex, chaotic city, Guy Moulène has a simple goal: keep his sister out of debt. For her sake, he’ll take on any job, no matter how vile.
As an exterminator, Guy hunts the uncanny creatures that crawl up from the river. These vermin are all strange, and often dangerous. His latest quarry is different: a centipede the size of a dragon with a deadly venom and a ravenous taste for artwork. As it digests Tiliard from the sewers to the opera houses, its toxin reshapes the future of the city. No sane person would hunt it, if they had the choice.
Guy doesn’t have a choice.
My Thoughts: 4/5 stars
A beautiful and eloquently written SFF novel about toxic bugs and Guy, the exterminator, sent to remove them. What I remember the most Ennes’s other novel, Leech, was how visceral it was and that is no different with The Works of Vermin.
The bugs. Still makes my skin crawl thinking about them. They aren’t just your average bugs either. These are massive, toxic, and aren’t easy to get rid of. Guy is the one to call for the big pests and he has one hell of a debt to clear to keep his sister safe. We also get Aster’s POV – the perfumer. From both perspectives we get an immersive experience as we move through Tiliard.
This is more than just a horror/SFF novel with giant bugs. We get to learn about the history and politics of Tiliard and Guy and Aster are so wonderfully complex and memorable. I can see the flowery language not landing for some readers but it’s what makes the book so memorable. You can almost smell the perfumes, feel the dread, see the grotesque bugs, and hear the grim city come to life.
Jessicamap Reviews 