Science Fiction (suggestion), 619 pages
Being a female between the ages of 14 and 40, I was definitely familiar with Stephenie Meyer before I picked up this book. Several of my friends had read The Host and told me it was pretty good, so, when I saw a co-worker (and friend) carrying it one day, I piped up and asked to borrow it.
The Host is the story of a parasitic alien race, calling themselves 'souls' that have conquered the Earth. Each 'soul' is implanted into an unwilling human 'host' body, and the 'soul's' consciousness soon replaces that of the host. The souls have had remarkable success with this program, inserting themselves into different, seemingly welcoming species throughout the galaxy.
Because the souls have no real 'bodies', as long as they can be implanted into a host, they can live indefinitely. During their lifetimes living in different hosts, the souls have developed significant advances in medicine and technology. They live in a peaceful, Utopian society where they shun violence and there is no poverty. Everyone contributes to the whole and takes what they need, and they pleasantly give to better each other and society. When the souls become aware of the violence of humanity, they decide that they have found a new destination.
The souls are completely unprepared for what they find on Earth - humanity resists the control of these 'benevolent' souls, and there are some humans who would rather die than become and 'it', a parasite. The Host is the story of one such soul, Wanderer, who is implanted into an unwilling host, Melanie. Melanie never stops fighting Wanderer, never stops trying to be an individual and in control of herself. Wanderer, in spite of feeling like a failure and traitor to her species starts to befriend Melanie. What ensues is a touching and complex story of love, life and self-discovery.
Full disclosure: I read all four Twilight books. Several times. And I listened to the audio book. I went to see Twilight on opening night with my bestie (along with all the high school girls and gay men), and I cannot WAIT for New Moon to come out. In spite of this, you will get no argument from me if you assert that these books are remarkably poorly written for best sellers. The plot is predictable, Bella is most definitely a 'Mary Sue', and some of the behavior in those books borders on creepy (Edward watching her sleep for months, anyone?). I can't explain to you why I love these books so much, but I do. Imagine my surprise upon reading The Host when I discovered that Stephenie Meyer can actually write. I don't suppose that this novel is going to join the denizens of great classics, but it was still quite good.
The dynamic between Melanie and Wanderer was great and the tension this created through the story was interesting to say the least. The loneliness they each feel at the thought of being separated was compelling. Even though Melanie was constantly fighting Wanderer, they did come to care about each other. The love triangle (kind of) that Meyer creates is equally as intriguing, and the juxtaposition of the gentle Wanderer and the monomaniacal Seeker was well executed.
If you were a fan of Twilight, you will probably like this book too because they have similar themes; a fight for true love, a tense and odd love triangle, the supernatural. Although the writing, tension and character development in The Host far outclassed Meyer's earlier work, the ending for this one was fairly predictable but still enjoyable. I would have to give this a 3 out of 5 - I certainly enjoyed reading it and would be likely to read it again.
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