The Host: A Novel

I enjoyed this book. The main character was a little difficult to relate to, seeing as she's an alien and all. I did enjoy it--it was a quick read. But I gotta say I love the Twilight books wayyyy more.

The Host is a wonderfully imaginative and emotional tale with vivid characters and lots of suspense. Unfortunately, it takes nearly 300 pages to get rolling. I nearly gave up on it several times, but the unique characters and bit of plot that did unfold in the first third of the book made me curious enough to keep reading. Ultimately, patience paid off. When our heroine, the alien, body-snatching Wanderer, joins a small surviving human resistance band, the story kicks into gear at last and becomes very hard to put down.

The conflicts and emotions that drive this story are exciting and touching. The Wanderer (shortened to "Wanda") has been implanted in the human brain of Melanie, a resistance fighter, and the two now struggle with one another to control Melanie's body and thoughts. Once Wanda finds her way to Melanie's former group of survivors, everyone is thrown into a dangerous storm of emotions and events.

The Host is, for the most part, very dramatic, suspenseful, and touching, even wrenching. However, there are also some very funny moments. A televised alien NBA game, ridiculously genteel and cringingly boring, makes us laugh while underscoring the pallidness of the bland new society.

Stephanie Meyer creates vivid characters. Even villains are drawn with clarity and compassion. We really come to care about these people and the seemingly impossible contradictions of love, hate, loyalty and betrayal they must deal with.

As in many science-fiction/fantasy stories, there are some goofy plot points. For example, the aliens are tiny, fragile beings who must be surgically implanted into other creatures' brains. They can't survive very long when exposed, and they are incapable of performing surgery in their natural state. So who implanted the first one? Also, having a disagreeable, crabby host body doesn't seem all that likely to turn a peaceable, trusting alien soul into an obsessed Inspector Javert type, relentlessly pursuing Wanda. Fortunately, the suspenseful, ingenious plot, wonderful characters, and emotional power of this novel allow the reader to forgive bumps along the way. Tighter editing over the first third of the book sure would have helped, though.

To me, the most compelling theme in this novel was that humanity's messy contradictions are what make life vivid and worth living: without suffering, joy is muted, and without the contrast of hate, anger, and prejudice, the power of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and nobility is cheapened .

As a fan of The Twilight saga, I figured that I would give The Host, Stephenie Meyers first delve into "adult" fiction, a try. However, I was wary when I read the synopsis...I was unsure if I could be sympathetic and relate to the narrater, who is in fact a silver centipede like parasite imprisoning the mind of a human named Melanie and taking over her body. When the cryotanks appeared in the first few pages I almost put the book down. I have never considered myself a sci fi buff. But I missed Meyers voice after devouring Twilight and forged forward...and only a few chapters in, I was glad I did. The Host demonstrates how Meyers is growing as an author. A great story teller from the start with an ability to make the reader fall in love with her characters, the emotion and tension she creates leaps off her pages and sucks me in...her stories are addicting- like literary crack. The difference between The Host and Twilight is that The Host is so complex! It is an adventure in humanity that explores the range of the human character across its volital spectrum. In fact, I did become simpathetic to the "worm" Wanderer, I came to love her! Yet, I felt a deep sorrow for Melanie, still existing and feeling while trapped in her own body with Wanderer in control- trying to break free. These aliens known as "Souls" do not view themselves as evil body snatchers but as good kind beings saving this beautiful planet from a violent evil species. They can not survive in any other way. What Wanderer learns from Melanie and the small clan of surviving humans in the southwestern desert is that there is more to humans then the headline of the evening news. With Melanie and through Melanie, she experiences for the first time longing, loneliness, and love and sets out to find Melanie's little brother Jamie and her partner Jared. At their first encounter, the silver sheen in Wanderer/Melanie's eyes that comes with harboring a "soul" sparks hate, distrust, and violence in the humans, and Wanderer believes her notions were correct- humans are evil. But as the days pass living in the humans hideaway cave relationships evolve. Wanderer experiences the death of a friend, the love of a child, lust, trust, sacrifice, and ultimately romantic love. It wouldn't be a Stephenie Meyers work without a good love story and the love "quad"angle between Melanie and Jared -Wanderer and Ian is sure to frustrate the reader and tug at the heart strings. When Wanderer finally finds a happy life where she is wanted and loved for the first time in 9 planets and thousands of years she is faced with the ultimate dilemma- to continue living in Melanie's body ( is there really enough room for both of them?) or take on the ultimate self sacrifice and set Melanie free- it becomes apparant how altruistic Wanderer truely is. I laughed and cried a long with these rich characters, and was sad to leave them once the book was over. I heard rumors of an upcoming sequel and will be sure to read it as soon as it hits the shelves.

When I first started to read 'The Host,' I thought it was slow to get into the story but I loved and still do love the characters. Stephenie shows so much knowledge in this and how her ideas lead to what I've thought of happening if the world was invaded by some type of "alien" race. But the souls aren't so bad but they are because of what they've done with getting rid of the humans but you have to understand the whole book to have an opinion. By the time you're in the middle of it you don't want to stop reading because it is so fascinating. It's a must buy. I love it and tell people to buy it all the time. :)

I hope to be an author myself one day so had to get on and say "thank you" to Stephanie Meyer for writing such an exceptional story. After 710 reviews, what is one more...but to someone who puts their life and blood into the novel...I know it could mean the world. :-)

I read twillight series and it was just okay for me. not great. I do not get the hype and phenomenon it has become but I am 28 and maybe it is appealing to the younger adults.
So I was reluctant to read The Host but a friend told me it was different and more "adult" and the main character wasn't as whiny as I found Bella to be. So I read it.
And COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. Even working full time, peak Christmas season, just moved into my new house and unpacking boxes with a 14 month old running everywhere, I stayed up until 3 am trying to finish it. Then finally finished on my lunch break the next day with 4 hours of sleep the night before. It was WONDERFUL. Breath-taking, beautiful, well written, unique, enchanting love story. This is one book that will stay on my shelf forever so that I can reread it whenever I want.

Best book I have read in I don't know how long. Thank you for writing something that I can put down with tears still in my eyes and know that I am a better person for having read it.