The Host: A Novel.

The Host: A Novel

Stephenie Meyer

Little, Brown and Company

c/o Hachette Book Group USA

237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017

ISBN 9780316068048, $25.99, www.HachetteBookGroupUSA.com

When Stephenie Meyer's "The Host" landed on my desk, it made quite a thump--since the book weighs in at well over 600 pages, it wasn't surprising. My first reaction was far from positive. It seems to me that in today's fast paced-world people's attention spans keep getting shorter and shorter, and I am no exception. Anything over 350 pages or so tends to be too long, and the only contemporary author that I can think of who can hold my attention for 600+ pages consistently would be Diana Gabaldon. So seeing this quite substantial tome in front of me did not exactly make me jump for joy. Then I read the notes on the back cover, or rather skimmed through them ... "Earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of the humanity has succumbed." It sounded very much like the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," a movie that I never saw and had no desire of ever seeing. So I opened "The Host" with reluctance, expecting little or less. Three-hundred pages later I grudgingly came up for air, or rather a refill for my coffee. At four-o-clock in the morning I was finally done, but so wired I could not go to sleep. Stephenie Meyer's "The Host" was pure magic; totally unexpected, filled with incredible characters and great character development, hard questions, even harder decisions and unexpected touches of tenderness and sweetness throughout.

The story itself is quite simple--Wanderer, the "soul," took over the body of a young woman, Melanie. Wanderer is an experienced soul, who has been hosted by many different bodies of different species already, and she thinks herself well prepared for the new challenge. But then the trouble starts. Melanie refuses to fade away, filling Wanderer's head and heart with images from her former life and the love for another yet unconquered human, Jared. Wanderer and Melanie set out on a quest, attempting to find Jared. After they found him--and more!--the really interesting story begins. The interactions between Wanderer/Melanie and the "non-invaded" humans are utterly fascinating and the challenges all of them are facing seem to be insurmountable. Is there a solution that will work for all of the involved participants? Is there a solution at all?

Stephenie Meyer's "The Host" is a proof that one should never judge the book by its cover, especially not by its back cover. If I would have let myself be turned away by the outline of the story as it appeared there, I would have missed an incredibly entertaining, thought-provoking and fascinating read. As for the 600+ pages, all I have to say at this moment is that I hope the sequel--and I sure hope there is one!--will be at least this long.