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The Host: A Novel | 
| Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: CDN$ 28.99
Buy New: CDN$ 14.50
You Save: CDN$ 14.49 (50%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 28
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 624
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.5 x 2.1
ISBN: 0316068047
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780316068048
ASIN: 0316068047
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.ca
Amazon Best of the Month, May 2008: Stephenie Meyer, creator of the phenomenal teen-vamp Twilight series, takes paranormal romance into alien territory in her first adult novel. Those wary of sci-fi or teen angst will be pleasantly surprised by this mature and imaginative thriller, propelled by equal parts action and emotion. A species of altruistic parasites has peacefully assumed control of the minds and bodies of most humans, but feisty Melanie Stryder won't surrender her mind to the alien soul called Wanderer. Overwhelmed by Melanie's memories of fellow resistor Jared, Wanderer yields to her body's longing and sets off into the desert to find him. Likely the first love triangle involving just two bodies, it's unabashedly romantic, and the characters (human and alien) genuinely endearing. Readers intrigued by this familiar-but-alien world will gleefully note that the story's end leaves the door open for a sequel--or another series. --Mari Malcolm
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
Great escape for a summer read July 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I keep reading reviews that claim Meyer's has exposed a whole new writing style through her novel "the Host", however I felt that it was more of what made her books popular to begin with. The storyline is engaging and unique and definately a lovely summer read. The only issue I have however, is that to me, her main character was so similar to the character Bella in her Twilight series. After reading the Twilight series, I was hoping that Meyers could provide a character not so dependent on her male counterparts. The love triangle reminds me of the love triangle in Twilight and the brave but weak heroine who ultimately is at the mercy of her male counterparts to protect -and at times control- her leaves more to be desired. If the story had diverted slightly more from this archetype, this book would have easily been 5 stars for me.
 The Host July 16, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I know there is abundance of Stephenie Meyer fans out there and for good reason. She does write enjoyable books to read. Two stars means I thought the book was okay. It was an effortless read and it did keep my interest except for a few parts that dragged on.
I have read her vampire books and I found the female characters in the vampire books and in "The Host" pretty much fashioned from the same mold. Their only reason for existence is for the men they are in love with.
"The Host" is about an alien species that are parasites, that is they can only survive by living within a host. The parasites or "souls" as they are called in the book conquer earth and are living in the humans. The parasites are supposed to take over the humans with no resistance from the humans, but some humans are feistier and their soul exists with the parasite's soul within the human body.
The main character is a soul named Wanderer and she is in the human body of Melanie. Melanie is one of the resistant human souls, so she and the Wanderer have interesting conversations within Melanie's human head. I found this to be the most intriguing part of the book. Following the struggle of Melanie and the Wanderer was captivating.
The parasites are small ribbon like, silver creatures that attach to the back of the neck and into the nervous system inside the humans; the procedure of implantation is generally performed by healers.
Melanie was part of a resistance group, but she gets caught and Wanderer is implanted into Melanie. Over time Melanie's memories of her lover Jared and her brother Jamie are so overwhelming that Wanderer falls in love with them and seeks them out. Wanderer goes native and joins the human resistance group.
The story confronts the idea of what it means to respect life and who has the right to life and what price is acceptable to keep the right of life.
I will definitely read other Stephenie Meyer books as they are published, but only on a summer day at a beach; they are great reads for those easy going relaxing days.
 Meh. July 4, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book was a good idea, and a good premise, but I don't think that Meyer really took it to its full potential.
I wish there would have been more background on the whole take over aspect of things, and maybe more details about the souls. Not really a winner in my books, but it was entertaining enough to get through.
 Boring June 12, 2008
6 out of 12 found this review helpful
At the risk of getting flamed, I found this book to be very boring. Nothing happens! It was six hundred pages of nothing. The characters are all flat and two dimensional, none were sympathetic to me. Don't get me started on the protagonist, so self sacrificing and wanting to make the evil humans comfortable. The ending, to forced to make everyone happy. Give me a break.
This is the second book of Ms Meyer's that I've read and this is the second disappointment. I don't think I'll be reading any more of her books.
 The phenomenon isn't luck, Stephenie Meyer is an amazing storyteller. June 11, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought The Host, like many others, because I absolutely love the Twilight series. Obviously The Host is not as good as Twilight, but it was nevertheless a fantastic book! It started off a little boring, not bad, just a bit slow. But you have to stick with it. About a quarter of the way in the story absolutely takes off. When you read it, you'll realize when this happens. From that point on, it was thrilling! The romance was wonderful and unexpected, and I thoroughly enjoyed the last half and the ending. It was an exciting, feel-good book.
Not only that, there was a deeper quality to this book, even more so than Twilight. I found myself thinking about ideas brought up long after I'd finished the book. It's not so challenging as to make it a struggle to read, just enough to kind of mess with your head sometimes and leave you pondering. The fact that the aliens aren't plain and simple "bad guys" gives the book a more ambiguous morality that does make you think a little. But no more than a person would like for a nice escapist fiction, in my opinion. It has deep ideas, but it was also an enjoyable romantic story with excellent writing and language.
I recommend it to anyone! Everyone! I think women especially will respond to the romance in the story, and it's suitable for teens or adults. There's not a lot of action, it's definitely more about people and ideas and romance, so maybe it's not so much a book for guys. It depends what you like, I suppose. The content is such that it can be enjoyed by different people looking for different things out of a story. Even if you didn't like Twilight (shock, horror!) you could still enjoy this book. It has many of the same themes but a different approach. I was very sorry when this book ended and I hope we can have some sequels if Stephenie is willing. Whoever you are reading this, I think you will enjoy it as well.
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