The author of the Twilight series of # 1 bestsellers delivers her brilliant first novel for adults: a gripping story of love and betrayal in a future with the fate of humanity at stake. Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love. Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.
Amazon Best of the Month, May 2008: Stephenie Meyer, creator of the phenomenal teen-vamp Twilight series, takes paranormal romance into alien territory in her first adult novel. Those wary of sci-fi or teen angst will be pleasantly surprised by this mature and imaginative thriller, propelled by equal parts action and emotion. A species of altruistic parasites has peacefully assumed control of the minds and bodies of most humans, but feisty Melanie Stryder won't surrender her mind to the alien soul called Wanderer. Overwhelmed by Melanie's memories of fellow resistor Jared, Wanderer yields to her body's longing and sets off into the desert to find him. Likely the first love triangle involving just two bodies, it's unabashedly romantic, and the characters (human and alien) genuinely endearing. Readers intrigued by this familiar-yet-alien world will gleefully note that the story's end leaves the door open for a sequel--or another series. --Mari Malcolm
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
AMAZING AND STILL A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY FROM TWILIGHT:
After reading Twilight I knew that I wanted to read everything by Meyer, but I had no idea how wonderful and yet still different she could be. When I find an author I enjoy, I like to read all of their books, and generally speaking it's the same story with different characters and background. But The Host was such a completely different story from the Twilight books. Meyer still continues with her amazing style, however, the story itself could have come from a completely different author. Her writing for... more info
Wished it was better:
Stephenie Meyer could have done more with this story. I found that nearly the entire first half of the book was a bit boring even when they got to Jeb's camp. It was only a while later that the story actually got really intriguing. Meyer was able to give a fleshed out, interesting idea of the souls, though. The conflict and relationship between Wanda and Melanie was also good. However, much of the fun in the book was the romance. I can't say I didn't enjoy it, but I'd expected to get more out of the... more info
I Loved This Book!!:
This book was truly one of the best books of this year! This author is now on my list of favorites. The souls in this book make you actually see things from their point of view which is unbelievable in a book about body snatchers!
Pretty good.:
I really liked this book. As a lover of the Twilight books, I immediately wanted to read this one. Though the stories are very different, I think that this book has better conflicts. You have to at least somewhat like science fiction to like this book, but beyond that there is so much more going on. You have the conflict of love and jealousy, and the science fiction twist to make that even more complicated. There are unique relationships from the start. This book will pull you right in! I'd recommend this... more info
