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| The Host: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $25.99
Buy New: $13.42
You Save: $12.57 (48%)
New (71) Used (37) Collectible (10) from $11.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  688 reviews
Sales Rank: 49
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 624
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 5.6 x 2.1
ISBN: 0316068047
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780316068048
ASIN: 0316068047
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 the hostess with the mostest. November 7, 2008
this is one of the best books that i have ever read. it mixes so many emotions and types of books together that it is almost unpredictable. i love her mix of romance, love, science, and fiction. it is action packed and leaves you begging for more.
 the host by stephanie meyer November 6, 2008
Definitely an interesting read- very different from her "twilight" series- slow paced but picks up and gets more interesting as you go along - good character development- would recommend if you like scifi!
Nearly flawless November 6, 2008
This was my first experience with Stephenie Meyer, and it made me want to try her other books. The Host was nearly flawless. I enjoyed all of the characters, found the world she created to be entirely possible, and absolutely loved the authentic way she found to close the story. I'm not a big sci-fi fan, and so I was a bit apprehensive, but the focus is not on the sci-fi part - it is a story about how people in difficult situations learn to get along, and about possibilities for change. It is also about how even those who mean well might do harm, and how they might try to rectify that. I heartily recommend it.
Melanie has managed to evade capture for some time in this post-invasion story. Capture will mean that the alien forms, who are parasitic, will implant another being in her body. For almost everyone else, this implantation means the death of the self - that is, Melanie will cease to be, but her body will go on in perfect health, with someone else piloting it.
Wanderer is a Soul, which is how the aliens who have colonized Earth refer to themselves. She is implanted in Melanie's body after Melanie is captured, in large part because the Seekers need information from Melanie's memories on where to find other humans who have not yet become host bodies. This should be easy enough; in almost all other humans, the host bodies gladly take the Seekers to find their families. After all, then they will all be together again, albeit as hosts. But Melanie resists. Prior to her capture, she has managed to save her younger brother, and she is also passionately in love. She does not want to disappear; she wants to see her family again, and wants to be reunited with her love. But can she do that without endangering them? And can she regain any control of her body? And if she can, where does that leave Wanderer, who had nothing to do with Melanie's capture or her own implantation?
Really, really well done - I didn't want to put it down!
 Body Snatchers meets a mild Mad Max November 5, 2008
I picked this book up on Friday and finished it on Sunday. Even though its almost 700 pages it was, as all Stephanie Meyers books are, a quick read. I went from reading all four of her Vampire "Twilight" novels to reading "The Host". I was worried about the transition, thinking that Vampires to Aliens may be a bit strange, thankfully I fell right into the book. I knew I was hooked with-in the first 3 chapters -- "Wanderer" the main Characters name, which is also referred to as a "Soul" is a alien to our planet.
Unfortunate for us they need to live inside our heads to survive, unfortunate for them when they do they adopt our memories and sometimes our thoughts. Wanderer is one of the unlucky Souls that is put into a human who is well aware of the invasion and proves to be a inhospitable host.
The first part of the book is the struggle between Wanderer and Melanie her host, Wanderer can't shake the memories or surreal dreams of the life Melanie lived before. Worst of all Wanderer hears Melanie's thoughts in the present and fills that at times Melanie is taking back control. Wanderer becomes overwhelmed by two memories practically which are of Melanie's younger brother and her love interest Jacob.
When a Searcher is assigned to the Wanderer things get interesting. The Searcher is dead set on finding the last remaining humans still in hiding and believes that the Wanderer can excess Melanie's memories in order to help. But the Searcher is also pledge with its own demons and becomes more and more overbearing. Wanderer decides to go back to the Healers and have herself removed and placed into another Host in a hope to rid herself of Melanie's memories and the annoying Searcher. Its during this time that Melanie talks the Wanderer into searching for her brother and lover meanwhile evading the Searcher. Leading to a intense underground Mad Max realm were humans still live and try to survive. This of course throws the Wanderer into a world were she is hated and despised, but the love of her host, Melanie, keeps her alive regarless. The remaining humans, Jacob and Malenie's brother included, fight the urge to kill her or to try and save her some how.
Spoiler : What's bad -- There are times that you feel like she is rambling. She really let her imagination go wild on some of the story. For instance the names of some of the Souls are a bit corny, i.e. Petals to the Sun, and Sings in Night. They reminded me of old hippy names. The way she described the other colonies or planets that the souls had lived on was childish as well i.e. dragons, ice bears, bats, and seaweed. The love triangle between Melanie, Jacob, and Wanderer is hard to believe...after all if Jacob loved Melanie at all how could he ever be happy with a silver slug living in her head, keeping Melanie trapped in some sort of paraplegic hell? Strange?
Still, I recommend this book regarless of its flaws, because it was fun to read. It was engadging and new.
Great delight for your imagination. November 5, 2008
I do not typically read books about aliens, they're just not my thing, but I decided to try this one because I enjoyed Meyers Twilight series so much. And, once I started reading, I couldn't put it down! Meyers stories definately don't disappoint to reader. This books was a fantastic journey for my imagination!
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