The Host Book

After the [apparent] completion of her Twilight series, a trilogy following the trials and tribulations of teenage vampires and the mortals who love them, Stephanie Meyer has turned her considerable writing skills to the field of sci-fi and has written The Host, her first novel aimed at an adult audience. The Earth has been invaded by alien "souls", parasites who can only live if they possess a human host. Melanie Stryder is one of the few "wild humans", those who have managed to avoid possession by a soul, left. She has been on the run for years with her boyfriend Jared and her younger brother Jamie, but is eventually captured and a soul known as Wanderer takes over her consciousness. Melanie doesn't want to give up without a fight and so concentrates hard on the memories of those she loved in the hope that the Wanderer will eventually lead her back to them. Wanderer finds herself bombarded by Melanie's memories and, growing increasingly attached to humans and humanity, sets out to track down more wild humans. Wanderer joins a group led by Melanie's uncle Jeb and, despite initial mistrust from the humans, she becomes an important part of the community and eventually even falls in love. Realising that Wanderer (now known as Wanda) is the perfect person to hunt for supplies since she will be trusted by other souls, the group ask her to infiltrate a hospital and bring back medicines that will help Jamie, Melanie's brother who also joined the group and is suffering from a potentially fatal injury. While at the hospital, Wanderer realises that she must soon reveal her biggest secret to the humans - she knows how to remove a soul from its host without killing either of them. I wasn't a massive fan of the Twilight series, although I did like the stories and thought that Stephanie Meyer had a great writing style and imagination, but I thought that The Host was absolutely fantastic and am pleased to hear that it is to be the first book in a trilogy that Meyer has already planned out. The Host is a must-read story with wonderful characters that you can't help love but, be warned, it might well make you cry!

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact and most of humanity has succumbed. 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.