"The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown, ISBN 9780316068048, $25.99)
Stephenie Meyer has gained a cult following with her young adult
vampire-and-angst "Twilight" series. Reading "The Host," her first adult
novel, it's easy to see why: The characters and plot are so relentlessly
engaging I kept having arguments with them—-out loud—-and felt compelled to
give anyone within earshot a play-by-play of the unfolding events.
"The Host" is set on an Earth where human beings have been supplanted by an
alien race known as "souls"—shimmering silver ciliated creatures who dwell
as parasites in our bodies, twisting around nerve endings until they have
complete control. They don't view this as a cruel act; in fact, they abhor
violence so much they consider their invasion a favor to this formerly
aggression-torn world. The souls, in human bodies, carry out normal lives,
preserving all the positives without any dark side.
At least, that's how it's supposed to work. But when Wanderer—-a soul who's
lived eight lifetimes, each on a different planet—-wakes up in the body of
renegade Melanie Stryder, she is shocked to discover Melanie is still in
there with her, an angry, violated, imprisoned vice in her head that she
can't silence. Wanderer becomes more and more caught up in Melanie's
memories, especially those about her lover, Jared, and little brother,
Jamie. Eventually, the two consciousnesses in one mind set out into the
Arizona desert, not to hunt the other humans down, but to join them. Taken
in by Melanie's crazy Uncle Jeb (whose paranoia has saved dozens of lives),
she and Wanderer struggle to be accepted by the humans who see only an
invader—including Jared—while Wanderer finds depth and range to human
emotion she's never imagined.
"The Host" brings up complex questions about what makes us human-—body or
soul? Our past or our present? Love or hate? It's also, as I said before, a
ripping good sci-fi yarn, fast-moving and fascinating. Meyer's storytelling
has whetted my appetite for more: luckily, there are three Twilight books
out and one forthcoming. I plan to enjoy them all.
Review by Anna
Perleberg, May 15, 2008
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