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BYU grad and mother of three Stephanie Meyer hit the New York Times Bestseller list with her horror-romance series Twilight. In a genre-jump, she’s taken on science fiction as well as an adult
audience in her recent book The Host.

Can Meyer translate her proven formula of romance and action into Sci Fi? And, could this be the perfect introduction to her writing for the horror-averse? The Host is a bold sidestep from the books that made this exciting new author successful. Find out what you can expect from this bestseller in our review.

Like any fan of the Twilight series, I was very interested to see just exactly what a Stephanie Meyer science fiction book would look like. The Host tells the story of a human in a world taken over by
body-snatching aliens. Actually, it is the story of more than one human and an alien. When this alien enters said human’s body, the previous occupant hasn’t completely vacated.

While the premise sounds like a 60’s B-movie, remember that this is the woman who made you (or at least a bunch of others) fall in love with vampires. The story is a challenging one. Much of the drama and conflict in the book take place inside the head of the main character (the human Melanie inhabited by the alien Wanderer). In creating this unusual dynamic, Meyer opens the door for an interesting comparison of the emotional and violent humans and the cool, analytical aliens. The premise alone is enough to intrigue science fiction fans.

This book is also geared toward an adult audience. Since I read youth fiction all the time (Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket) I wasn’t sure what that meant. After reading the Twilight books, I can’t say that The Host is more intense or graphic, so the difference is not in the content. The age of the characters is the principle difference, and I believe The Host as well as the Twilight series are all accessible to adults and youth alike.

Of course, there is romance. Twilight was the first set of books categorized as romance that I have read. I have to say that, like the Twilight books, The Host’s romance is not trite, cliche or even like
any romantic situation you’ll have read about elsewhere. For a plot that takes on the fate of humanity, inter-specie injustice, time travel and anatomy the story is very personal. For those less
interested in the setting of the book, there is a constantly moving and very down-to-earth story to be enjoyed. So if you are not a fan of science fiction, you will still enjoy The Host.

I had only one unsatisfactory stretch in reading this book. There is a point where I felt the book was getting long for the sake of being long. That passed as the plot picked back up. Most fans that gulp down Meyer’s books in a matter of hours won’t even notice what I an talking about.

The end is also very satisfying in a way none of the Twilight books have been yet. The Host ends with the possibility of a sequel, but with the story complete. All told, it is an action-driven story complete with romance and interesting questions about what makes us human. This well-crafted adventure appeals to young and old (probably 14+).

Pick up The Host Amazon for $16.