Review: The Host by Stephanie Meyer

I must admit, I didn't think I was going to like THE HOST by Stephenie Meyer. I hadn't read the Twilight series, but I saw the movie and didn't like it. So I was surprised at the quality of writing starting on the very first page.

The Host is set in a place very familiar with me - the Arizona desert - earth, but a very different - yet eerily familiar earth than the one we know now. This new earth has been taken over by silvery parasites calling themselves "souls". The souls for the most part are kind and gentle. Once they have been inserted in humans, the human appears normal, the "souls" have all of the memories of their hosts and go about their lives in a nonviolent manner. Yet, the original occupant of that body disappears.

How could we, as humans, be sympathetic to such an insidious virus? Stephanie Meyers not only make us sympathetic, but in the cheering section of one of the "souls". One whose gentleness and goodwill win over those true humans still around her.

Stephanie Meyers takes the unbelievable from the fantasy novel and replaces it with "what if". This novel is very different from most fantasy novels and a breath of fresh air. A beautifully imagined earth and fully developed characters make THE HOST a must read novel.