Marianne (Australia) (2011/02/27): Stephenie Meyer’s (so far) stand-alone novel, The Host, departs from her popular Twilight series and explores the theme of bodily possession of humankind by alien souls. As we follow the soul of Wanderer, who is implanted into the body of her host, Melanie Stryder, we gradually learn the history of this alien species and how their possession works. The spanner in the works for Wanderer comes when she realises that Melanie’s soul has not given up the body, and that they inhabit the body together. Having at first dutifully reported this to her supervisor/advisor, a Seeker, she begins, eventually, to have sympathy with her host and manages to escape. The real fun begins when she manages to track down a colony of humans who have so far escaped possession, including Melanie’s younger brother Jamie and her (pre-possession) lover, Jared. This is a thick book to read, but Meyer keeps the reader’s interest easily. The situation where Wanderer’s (Wanda’s) soul and Melanie’s soul, both inhabiting the same body, have fallen in love with two different men, creates an especially delicious dilemma. This was a great read, and, with the Twilight series complete, let us hope Meyer turns her talent to more like this one. There are rumours of sequels in the pipeline called The Soul and The Seeker. Genna2012 (USA: CO) (2012/12/19): I loved this book! Was almost impossible to put down. xylona (USA: TX) (2013/03/22): I thought this was an incredible story. I am an enormous Sci Fi fan and always have been so. Fantasy was once a second and different genre. These days it is hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. The plot of a parasitical race holding the human race hostile is not a new one. But her approach was certainly so. For me, in science fiction at least, I have to have more to the story than the romance. And she it so well. I was so immersed in understanding Wanderer's own race and engaging cultural background that the romance, though important, became part of the story. It may have been a little slow in the beginning but she was still a relatively new writer so who cares? It was with dismay I viewed the first the "trailer" of the movie "The Host." It makes me wonder very much if they have not let the success of Twilight influence the rich story of an alien who came to dinner and stayed. It was a good book. Better the second time around, I thought. I would recommend that young adults read this book as well,before they read "the movie novelization.
