Tagline: Science fiction for people who don't like science fiction.
When I explain what this book is about, it's going to sound bizarre, but try to keep an open mind. Earth has been taken by an unseen alien race. The "souls" as they call themselves, capture human hosts and live inside them, controlling the human body, which forgets it ever had another owner. The occupation is nearly complete.
When Melanie Stryder, one of the few remaining human humans, is captured, she is given to a very experienced soul named Wanderer, in the hopes that Wanderer will be able to extract the location of the human resistance from Melanie's memories. But Melanie refuses to fade away, living on as a prisoner in the body and mind now under the control of Wanderer.
As Wanderer searches Melanie's mind for the information she is tasked to recover, she finds the memory of Jared, the man Melanie loves. Overwhelmed by her new body's intense emotions and reactions, Wanderer begins to have feelings for Jared and Melanie's other friends. When the souls threaten the human resistance, Wanderer and Melanie set out on a mission to protect them.
My review: The Host is the first adult novel from YA phenom Stephenie Meyer. And it's fantastic. Told from the perspective of Wanderer, the story relies a lot on the inner dialogue between Wanderer and Melanie to keep the plot moving along. Meyer has done an excellent job of creating a character who is foreign enough to seem like an alien, yet human enough to be relatable. The supporting cast is Oscar-worthy as well, from crazy Uncle Jeb, to grief-stricken Jared to the sweetly loveable Ian. As Wanderer meets these people and begins to get to know them, you are witness to her confusion between what she's been taught about humans and what these ones are really like.
I think the tagline works. While sci-fi fans will enjoy this book, it also appeals to a broader audince. It's a romance, it's an adventure, it's a story about survival. There's a lot going on here! In much the same way that Twilight is not really a "vampire book," The Host is not purely sci-fi.
That said, this story does draw on a lot of classic sci-fi themes, most noticeably the question of what it really means to be human. Wanderer is obviously an alien and by the very manner of her living an enemy of the humans, but as time goes on, she also becomes friends with Melanie and the others. The souls are actually a much more peaceful race than humans... to the point that they view humans as barbaric animals, hardly worthy to be called an intelligent species. Could the souls actually be more human than humans?
The richness of the alien race Meyers has created is worthy of note. If you enjoy a good flight of imagination, this is a good one for you. The writing of this book is fabulous, though the inward nature of a lot of the plot (the interaction between Melanie and Wanderer is a big part of the story) could make it a little slow paced for dialogue-haters. I guess it's personal, but I loved this book. My husband, who couldn't understand why they spent so many pages talking about feelings and thoughts, enjoyed it but was less gushy than I. I guess you'll have to judge for yourself.
My final word: I'm going to rate this one a 5 out of 5. Very entertaining, maybe just a little on the long side for some, but I loved every minute.
The Host page on Stephenie Meyer's website, where you can read an excerpt from the book.
