Synopses & Reviews
The author of the
Twilight series of #1 bestsellers delivers her brilliant first novel for adults: a gripping story of love and betrayal in a future with the fate of humanity at stake.
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.
Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.
Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, The Host is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.
Review
"[The Host] lives up to the hype, blending science fiction and romance in a way that has never worked so well....[A] page-turner....As with her vampire novels, Meyer will make new fans of readers 'who don't read books with aliens.' Highly recommended." Library Journal (Starred Review)
Review
"Meyer's ingenious adult-market debut....[P]ropulsive reading, laden with unforgettable, unsettling scenes....[T]his entertaining, somewhat soft-focus sf saga will only serve to broaden the penumbra of Meyer's fame." Booklist
Review
"A clever premise and competent writing keep this from turning into a pastiche, though after a couple of hundred pages, readers may wish that just one artery would get punctured." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The Host is The X-Files meets Days of Our Lives. Despite some sticky-sweet dialogue, Meyer's story and characters will stoke fans of both sci fi and romance." USA Today
Review
"As in her Twilight series, Meyer is more interested in relationships than in flashy genre conventions....The Host starts rolling again in its last hundred pages and Meyer's affirmative life lesson is disarming. If only the rest of the book had as much soul. (Grade: B)" Entertainment Weekly
Review
"As a work of science fiction, The Host is a disappointment....This science fiction survivalist romance novel may not be rich enough to satisfy hardcore readers of any of these genres, but its mix of adventure and new love on a new Earth is just right to get lost in this summer." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Review
"Host has a few good ideas to play with, but Meyer never gives much weight to the horror of the invasion or the philosophical problems of Wanderer's situation....Host is finally undone by its author's inability to write a single believable human character. (Grade: C)" The Onion A.V. Club
Review
"[A] smooth, highly readable piece of pop-fiction storytelling....[L]arge numbers of grown-ups may well join in with their teenage daughters in becoming immersed in this intelligent summertime page-turner." The Portland Oregonian
About the Author
Stephenie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English literature. After the publication of her debut novel Twilight, booksellers chose her as one of the "most promising new authors of 2005" (Publishers Weekly). She lives with her husband and three young sons in Arizona.