The Host: A Novel by Stephenie Meyer
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Book Reviews of The Host: A Novel
Book Review: Never wanted it to end
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: The only science fiction story I have ever loved...
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a huge fan of the Twilight series, I believe that they are the best books ever written (except "classics," though these are classics in a way). I was extremely worried about this book - scared that she wouldn't be able to live up to what she has already written. I was also excited to meet a new cast of characters - and excitement won out.
I suppose the only one who can top the Twilight series is the author who wrote them. (I do think this book is just as good, if not better [smiley face, Twilight fans don't be mad).
Wanderer is the kindest, sweetest person that I think I have ever run across in literature - more self sacraficing than many could be; emotionally and mentally strong. So unwilling to hurt others that she is constantly the one who is hurt. She would rather take the blows for others - an inhuman strength that may come from not actually being human.
While she was the character that I loved the most, there are other characters to admire here. Mel is physically strong, she's tough emotionally and physically able to protect herself. (Well, not physically exactly, since Wanderer has control of her body). she is the one that if a reader objectively thinks about it, they know they would act like. or would hope that they would act like, in the same situation.
The description and character developement is stunning in SM's new work. This work is a stunning book. It is easy to imagine that it is not really science fiction, that this is really happening. While readers may have wanted to step into the world of Twilight and meet the Cullens, me included, a reader would not want to step into the world of The Host. However, I would still LOVE to meet the characters that have grown so close to me in such a short amount of time, closer still every time I think about the story. Wanderer, Melanie, Ian, Jared, Jamie - and avoid some decidedly nasty characters.
this book is actually a little bit deeper than Twilight, on an intellectual level. While some may get mad (but please don't!) Bella only has to deal with problems that concern herself and her family. Wanderer is forced to deal with things that not only concern those whom she loves, but those who she fears and maybe even hates. She has to decide to do the good thing for everyone, not just those that are near and dear to her. and what that thing is.
Please read this book. Yes, I am speaking to you. It will entertain you, it will tell a BRILLIANT story, and it will make you think. Not in an annoying, in your face type of way, but subtly, and in a way that will make each and everyone of us better. and taht is what this story is about - it is about humanity from the point of view of someone who isn't, and it is about what being human means, and it isn't always defined by what species a character is.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - (warning: you might want your own copy,you'll want to read it again).
Book Review: Another home run by a very talented writer
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a big fan of the Twilight series. Even though they're billed as books geared towards 'younger readers' I found them very well written and creative with wonderful characterization and imagination. So when I saw that The Host was going to be her first book geared towards and older sect of readers I was very intrigued.
I never read any blurbs or even so much as one synopsis of the book. I just picked it up when I could get my hands on it and plunged right into it. Never did I expect that it was going to be a work of science fiction.
After the first few pages I wasn't sure what I thought of the book. The beginning was a little disjointed but once I got a little deeper into the book it made sense as to why the first pages of the book are like that.
The Souls as they call themselves are creatures from another planet who travel from planet to planet and use whatever primary lifeform residing on that planet as, well, their host organism. Think Invasion of the Body Snatchers. They assume their identities one by one until they control the whole planet. Easy to hate? You bet! Such won't always be the case though as you read through the book through the Soul's perspective; everything's told in the first person making the reader more attached (pardon the pun) to the Soul.
This isn't the story about an ordinary soul. It's about a soul who's host won't go quietly into the night so the end result is Invasion of the Body Snatchers with multiple personality disorder! I know that seems to make light of what really is a serious book (and it does look a little silly now that I read it back ) but it's quite accurate. The Host (melanie) will not 'die' as is the case generally when a soul takes over the host organism.
Melanie's will and persona are so strong inside her hijacked body that the soul finds herself doing things that she would never have dreamed of in all of her long life's travels. There comes a point where the line between hating the souls and sympathizing with them, or at least Wanderer (the main character's given Soul name) becomes VERY blurred. Not only does the reader feel this way but so do Melanie and Wanderer in regards to each other's species over the course of the book.
The end result is a captivating story written by a wildly talented and imaginative author. This proves that there's more to Meyer than just werewolves and vampires and angst ridden teenagers caught in the middle. Not that those are BAD things. As I said, the Twilight series is fantastic. But the fact that she can go from writing that saga to something so completely different and still do it well makes me look forward to anything else she puts out in the future.
GREAT read. While it may lean towards science fiction, in essence the Host is about the human condition and is just a great tale about life and being human. I can't recommend this one highly enough!
Book Review: I hate sci-fi but I LOVE the Host! Give it a chance....
Summary: 5 Stars
Imagine Earth has been taken over little by little by alien beings that implant themselves into our human bodies and take over our lives as if they are us. They do it slowly so nobody will notice, then by the time we do notice they are already everywhere and drawing attention to yourself as a human will only make them take you down as well. They are peaceful beings that are trying to salvage the planet that they find so beautiful. They mean no harm to humans, only to fix what we have taken for granted and destroyed. These aliens are tiny silvery beings that implant themselves into the spine of human bodies and after they are inside it leaves a silver ring that shines in the eyes of anyone that has been changed. This is how the remaining humans can tell who is human or not.
Melanie Stryder has been captured during the rebellion and has been implanted with the soul named Wanderer. Upon waking up Wanderer can hear Melanie talking to her, but Mel is not supposed to be there still. This is where the struggle begins. Melanie is protecting the ones she loves and that is very hard when the enemy is literally inside your head, she must protect her every thought. We follow Melanie and Wanderer as they set out to follow clues in Mel's mind that will lead them to her brother and Jared, the man she loves. Wanderer has grown sympathetic to the humans and their plight, but the Seeker that is assigned to Wanderer to find information on the remaining humans will not let up and is determined to figure out what is being hidden in Melanie's mind.
I will start by saying that the first part of the book is hard to follow the first time you read it. It is science fiction and is giving you a background to work with and you understand it SO much more if you read the book a second time which I highly recommend (loved it even more the second time!). Once you get through understanding the invasion and takeover part and you get into the story and struggle between Wanderer and Melanie it rolls much more smoothly.
The complicated love triangles that are tearing at the characters really drew me in and definitely made me pick sides. The people, relationships and surroundings were all so believably written that you forget this is an alien story. There is so much that goes on in this novel that is quite long but after getting through those first few chapters I was completely sucked in. I never found myself wanting to quit or willing myself to continue on just to find out the end. I enjoyed this book so much and really hope that Stephenie continues on and makes companion books.
I really liked the Twilight saga, but this is so far beyond that. This book is so well written and truly showcases Stephenie Meyer's writing much more so than Twilight did. This story is so different from anything I have read before and I highly recommend it to all of my "reader" friends.
Book Review: One of the best books I read this year
Summary: 5 Stars
In many ways, I consider this novel to be a major progression in storytelling for the author. While I don't mind her "Twilight" series, its one of those books where you can kind of tell that the main audience that is going to be reading it is a bit younger than the ones eager to read this novel. Her first adult novel and a whole new story and characters await as we follow the lives of 2 characters and what it really means to be human.
The human race has been invaded by alien beings called "souls", spectral essences that take over the human body and basically erase the person's existence. With access to all their emotions and memories, souls don't die so much as move from planet to planet and gain new healthy bodies. When she arrives on Earth, one soul, known as Wanderer, takes hold of the body of Melanie Stryder. Only Melanie's not backing down so easily and eventually, Melanie is trapped within Wanderer's mind, the literal "voice in the head". With Melanie's memories of her love Jared and brother Jamie, Wanderer seeks out Melanie's desires and in turn starts to desire them as well.
While the heart of "The Host" is essentially a love triangle story, there's a lot more underneath the surface that let's it stay in your mind a lot longer than just being simply about a cool cast of characters. The idea of alien takeover will obviously bring about resistance and people wanting to fight back and yet we find the Souls are actually way more peaceful and even more courteous than most humans are. The love triangle is also better handled and doesn't seem so..."CW/WB-ish". The characters are also quite endearing and even though some of them don't get as much prominence as some of the others, they add a bit more depth and character to everything.
Undoubtedly the best character in the whole thing is Wanderer herself who has more conflicting emotions and feelings and in some cases, way more humanity. Melanie, one of the few characters I can recall that's just simply a disembodied voice, is also well handled. As far as the book itself, the pacing of it doesn't really have a climax to it in an action sense where there's lots of activity and moving around and some parts of the book don't so much drag the book down but keep it level. We spend a lot of time within a certain place for practically the whole book and there's only so far you can go before it starts to become same-y but it still maintains your interest anyway.
I'm a little skeptical about the book having more sequels planned for the future since The Host feels like a step forward for Meyer and has potential for a diverse writing career where every book contains another new story to get sucked in by but as it stands now, it's all revisiting. Not that I mind since I'm a bit more interested in the world found in the Host than in Twilight but would be great if she branched out and tackled new stories.