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The Host

Meyer, Stephenie, 1973- Book - 2008 None on shelf No requests on this item Community Rating: 3.8 out of 5

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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. But Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. 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.--From publisher description.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

An Excellent First Adult Book by YA Author Meyer submitted by Jen F-A on June 15, 2008, 10:42pm Aliens have taken over the Earth! But it's not like those 50s movies with the huge robots and people running in terror. No, this time, the aliens are joining us in our bodies. This story intriguingly looks at what it means to be human, and makes the reader think, in a good way, about what's worth fighting for.

Couldn't put it down! submitted by jerin on August 24, 2008, 10:27am This book is an easy read, but keeps you so "in" the story that I was thinking about it even when not reading. Had to finish it!

:) submitted by Lindsie on June 30, 2011, 3:17pm i think its a really good book. i was very confused in the beginning but once you keep reading it all makes sense.

XDDDD submitted by janaejwhite on July 1, 2011, 6:42pm I LOVED this book. I totally could not put it down. THIS IS A MUST READ!!!

LOVE IT submitted by fluting4ever on August 2, 2011, 11:17pm I read this book and loved it! Had a Stephenie Meyers obesession so I read this book, it was different but amazing!

Don't worry, the aliens don't sparkle. Well...not much. submitted by eknapp on November 9, 2011, 3:52pm This Puppet Masters-style alien invasion story was much better than I expected. Meyer's aliens lack the plausibility of harder scifi writers like Sherri Tepper's "Companions" and Larry Niven's anything, and she's a bit heavy-handed with the gooey lovey-dovey stuff, but she's more restrained than I expected from the author of Twilight. And her plotting and story construction are excellent. Maybe she got a better editor.

It served as an excellent exercise in what one can learn from examining both sides of a disagreement. A surprise thumbs-up.

Just OK submitted by Jen Chapin-Smith on August 29, 2012, 12:30pm Although I don't like Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series, "Host" is not too bad. It tells the story of an alien who has taken over a human host when her species invade the Earth.

Only a few humans have managed to avoid being taken over by hosts and they have congregated into a small society living in caves and looking for ways to free their planet.
Our main character feels conflicted. She doesn't think there is any other way for her species to live and they really believe they are helping those they infect, even when those other species commit mass suicide rather than be enslaved. One could see this as a metaphor on modern empire-building.

The novel is a love story with a twist, but the early shades of violence in it give me pause, just as the controlling way Edward treats Bella in the "Twilight" books sets a bad example for young readers.

Better than I expected! submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on August 13, 2013, 9:34pm This really worked for me, which, given the length and that it is largely based on the conflict between an alien (Wanderer) and the host body/person (Melanie) she has taken over, surprised me a little bit. I did think that the single-viewpoint would wear thin, but Meyers does a fine job keeping up the many possible layers of tension between the host internally, Wanderer and Melanie, the two and their two love interests, the boy they both care about, the community that hates and then accepts them, and then the larger alien vs human conflict.

There were moments when the book felt like it was 'trying' to be more SF or 'trying' to be more romance, but in the end, I think the author just had a story to tell, and if you accept it for the cross-genre story that it is, it will hold your attention and be very hard to put down.

Good submitted by kelleyc on June 28, 2017, 7:06am Sooo much better than her other books. It was a really creative and unique plot that keeps you gripped.

Bad submitted by zmclaugh on July 25, 2018, 5:06pm Go read Animorphs instead. No, seriously. This is a poor play on the themes that Visser explores in a much deeper way. And Animorphs is just a kids' series.

Loved it submitted by autumnmist on August 15, 2019, 3:37am I loved this book so much. It was hands down her best. I loved it so much. The dvd wasn't even close to as good as this.

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PUBLISHED
New York : Little, Brown and Co., 2008.
Year Published: 2008
Description: 619 p.
Language: English
Format: Book

READING LEVEL
Lexile: 640

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
9780316068048
0316068047
0316218502
0316218510

SUBJECTS
Spirit possession -- Fiction.
Science fiction.