Being (apparently) one of the few people who has not read Twilight and the subsequent sequels, I didn't know much about Stephanie Meyer. I therefore had no idea that her first book of adult fiction was released in May. However, when I was visiting my cousin in California we all found ourselves reading one evening and I just could not get myself interested in my umpteenth reading of The Prisoner of Azkaban. So as I was staring off into space wondering what to do, my cousin Lisa suggested that I start reading The Host. The new novel by Stephanie Meyer.
So I started the book, not knowing anything about Meyer, least of all that she was a Mormon and not really knowing what to expect. The jacket description about a new species coming to earth and taking over human bodies was somewhat odd, but I was intrigued nonetheless. As I delved into the story, I found myself pulled into the life of Melanie and Wanderer. Melanie is running from the body snatchers of souls that have systematically taken over the bodies of human beings. Souls are essentially a parasite that cannot exist with a "host" of some sort. They have taken over other planets and creatures in other parts of the universe and earth was next. Melanie is one of the few "humans" left who have not yet been captured. We open the story with her capture and the insertion of the soul Wanderer into her body. To the surprise of Wanderer, when she wakes up from her hibernated state newly implanted in Melanie's body, Melanie is still there.
There, in the sense that Melanie still has control over parts of her mind. She doesn't allow Wanderer to see all of her memories and she talks to Wanderer. For the soul Wanderer not only is this disconcerting, she knows that it is not supposed to happen. As she begins to try and force Melanie out, Melanie begins to show Wanderer piece by piece parts of her past, until Wanderer is just as consumed by the welfare of Melanie's human friends as Melanie is.
As a first time reader of Stephanie Meyer, I was left with desire to read more. The Host was one of the most entertaining reads I have had in a long time, Meyer's style of writing was new, and her ideas for the story were different than anything that I have EVER read. Her exploration of ethics and individuality in the book was intriguing and thought provoking. Put it on hold at the library, it's worth the wait to read it.
So I started the book, not knowing anything about Meyer, least of all that she was a Mormon and not really knowing what to expect. The jacket description about a new species coming to earth and taking over human bodies was somewhat odd, but I was intrigued nonetheless. As I delved into the story, I found myself pulled into the life of Melanie and Wanderer. Melanie is running from the body snatchers of souls that have systematically taken over the bodies of human beings. Souls are essentially a parasite that cannot exist with a "host" of some sort. They have taken over other planets and creatures in other parts of the universe and earth was next. Melanie is one of the few "humans" left who have not yet been captured. We open the story with her capture and the insertion of the soul Wanderer into her body. To the surprise of Wanderer, when she wakes up from her hibernated state newly implanted in Melanie's body, Melanie is still there.
There, in the sense that Melanie still has control over parts of her mind. She doesn't allow Wanderer to see all of her memories and she talks to Wanderer. For the soul Wanderer not only is this disconcerting, she knows that it is not supposed to happen. As she begins to try and force Melanie out, Melanie begins to show Wanderer piece by piece parts of her past, until Wanderer is just as consumed by the welfare of Melanie's human friends as Melanie is.
As a first time reader of Stephanie Meyer, I was left with desire to read more. The Host was one of the most entertaining reads I have had in a long time, Meyer's style of writing was new, and her ideas for the story were different than anything that I have EVER read. Her exploration of ethics and individuality in the book was intriguing and thought provoking. Put it on hold at the library, it's worth the wait to read it.
2 comments:
Thanks for your post Shannon! I really enjoyed it. And...you're not the only one who hasn't read the Twilight series. It took me about ten years to finally make an honest attempt at Harry Potter. Maybe I'll start reading them around 2015.
You make a good case for The Host (which I suppose is the ultimate purpose of this experimental blog). I'll put it on my list!
So, I finally read the host, and there were definitely things I liked about it, but don't you think it would've been better if the last chapter hadn't been there? What's Meyer's fascination with happy endings? I think the book would've been WAY better if it had ended sooner.
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