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264 of 276 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not just for people who loved Twilight..., 25 Feb 2009
OK, I admit it. I am a 33 year old who really should know better than to read books about teenagers falling for vampires. The fact that I read all four of the Twilight series back to back over 3 days is, I'm sure, nothing to be proud of. Quite simply I have been hooked on them, even though they are not the best written novels and at times I could quite happily have bitten Bella myself just to stop her indecisiveness.
I bought The Host afterwards but was delighted it was a completely different novel to the previous 4. Although I found it a little slow going for probably the first third of the book, I was then completely lost in it. A clever idea, protracted at times but still compelling. I must admit being slightly disappointed with the ending though and found myself disliking the main character just because of her final appearance.
So, if you loved Twilight - read it. If you feel too grown up for teenage vampires, read this first then secretly treat yourself to the Twilight quadrilogy (it will be our secret)...
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111 of 119 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stephenie who?, 13 Jun 2008
Unlike the other reviewers of this book, I'd never heard of the author until I read a review in SFX magazine which caused me to be interested enough to seek it out in the library where I work. Also unlike the other reviewers I'm a dyed-in-the-wool science fiction fan.
And I thought it was pretty good.
The plot is a variant on the old SF standby, the parasitical alien invader which is to be found in Jack Finney's original novel Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the countless (well, four) movies made from it. There's also Robert Heinlein's equally paranoid Puppet Masters (also filmed). But what Meyer does is to look at the world after the parasites have won and, and I don't think I'm being sexist here, this could only have been written by a woman. From a male point of view, the aliens have won, it's over, we're dead. Or in Heinlein's case, WE CAN'T LOSE! KILL! DESTROY! DEATH AND DESTRUCTION! (the last three words, memory tells me, is a precise quote from the end of his book).
Wanderer, our narrator and worm-like parasite, is reborn in a human body after years on a series of other worlds and in other forms. She expects the host's soul to be gone as they have always been in the past. Her host's mind, however, is still very active and, reaching an accomodation with it, they go in search of her younger brother and boyfriend. Quite early on they are captured by rogue humans.
And at this point I thought if the rest of the novel is about her experiences underground then I'm giving up. It was (in the main) and I didn't, though my synopsis ends here as I don't want to give too much away.
Meyer visits places most other SF writers don't go. She writes well and the character of Wanderer is absorbing. The parasites are not presented as monsters and, in many ways, they are better than humanity which is presented as far from angelic. Human in fact.
This is a warm and thoughtful novel. I'd like to see Meyer try adult SF again (she's better known for her teenage vampire romance series -which I've just started to read), though not, as I've heard she is doing, by writing a sequel to The Host. As far as I'm concerned she's said everything she needs to say on this topic and sequels are redundant.
Not that that will stop me reading it.
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78 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
W-o-w..., 27 May 2008
There really aren't enough good comments or adjectives in the dictionary to describe this book. I bought it on a whim, if I'm being honest, not really being a sci-fi fan, and found myself totally and completely loving it only a few pages in.
While the storyline might not be the most obscure, original thing in the world, (imagine Invasion of the Body Snatchers, except this time we lost), Meyer does succeed in giving it a new, surprisingly fresh, twist. The storyline is basically centred around a very experienced 'Soul' (Wanderer) who finds sympathy and friendship with her host (Melanie) who refuses to fade away. And also a strong love for someone she has never met. The two team up and track down the man and Melanie's kid brother, but not all goes to plan, as you could imagine...
Although, on that note, I'd like to say that the characters are the main driving force behind this novel. I always love Meyer's characters - I've read the Twilight series, of course - but these new set really impressed me. Wanderer, as I said before, is the main protagonist, who is likeable in herself just for being kind in nature, but Melanie is also likeable for her strength and stubborn attitude. They completely parallel and contrast each other, which I personally loved. And then there's the boys... Jared, who is the main guy character, in a sense (not for me though, thank you very much) and is who Meyer described as the 'tough' one. And then, of course, there is Ian. I love his character too much for words, and I think he's the real reason as to why I love the story so much...
Anyway, overall, it's obviously a 5/5 for me, and I'd recommend it to anyone - sci-fi fan or not.
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by Stephenie Meyer
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