Stephenie Meyer's 'The Host' Brings Alien Body-Vampires to Earth

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

After defining 21st century vampire romance with her "Twilight" series of books and subsequent movies, author Stephenie Meyer decided to take a departure of sorts from blood-sucking peril to a supernatural vampire menace of a different kind in "The Host" -- parasitic aliens.

Synopsis

"The Host" begins with a familiar plot: predatory aliens from a distant planet come to colonize the Earth. They take over by being surgically inserted into the base of the brain and spinal column. These aliens may not suck human blood like vampires, but they live off humans just the same by taking full control of the host's body and memories. In effect, they suck on the life force of the host body. These peace-loving aliens think that humankind has been a wee bit too careless with our planet which justifies their takeover.

Most human consciousness simple fades away after the insertion, but there are a few rare cases, such as that of Melanie Stryder and her occupant, Wanderer, where the human host mentally fights the takeover. This is where "The Host" begins to develop its own unique story line.

When a host is resistant to its parasite, the solution is to remove the parasite and start over, either implanting a stronger personality in the host body or opting to discard the flawed human body. Wanderer believes removal is a mark of giving up, of not being strong enough, so she tries to hide the signs of her struggle while she fights to make Melanie disappear. However, Wanderer begins to feel Melanie's passion for her missing loved ones -- loved ones Melanie believes are still alive -- and "wild" humans that Wanderer is duty-bound to help the Seekers track down.

Review

"The Host" should find some fans in "Twilight" readers, because it is a love story filled with danger, emotional turmoil, and eternal love. However, "The Host" does not develop characters the way "Twilight" did, and none of the personalities except the conflicted Melanie/Wanderer are terribly memorable. There is no obsessed Edward, feisty Alice or angry Rosemary Cullen in this mix. There are angry people and a couple of suitors, but Jared, the man Melanie loves, is under-developed, and the angry people, while a tad danger, are just not that interesting. What Meyer does give readers with "The Host" is a more developed story than "Twilight" offered (before its sequels kept adding on to it) as well as a sci-fi twist which may draw new readers for Meyer.

A Fresh Look at Alien Takeovers

"The Host" is fresh look at alien takeovers which is even a bit novel in its sci-fi approach: a meek, self-effacing and eager to please alien with Bella Swan's personality inhabits a body and falls in love with the human boyfriend she is supposed to hand over to the Seekers. Sure there are unanswered questions about these contradictory "gentle" aliens, who bemoan the killing of sentient creatures while wiping out the human race and other planets with their hostile takeovers, but once you get past that, "The Host" is an entertaining book.

The Host - Familiar Themes

Stephenie Meyer revisits some of her favorite themes: self-sacrifice, eternal love, the power of emotions, free will, age differences and the soul in "The Host," and she makes an interesting read out of it. This is not a book teens (and grown women) will obsess over like "Twilight," but there are plans for a movie. This is one case where I predict the movie will improve upon the book by giving us characters we might actually care about. Read more at The Host by Stephanie Meyer Exchanges Vampires for Aliens - a Book Review.

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