The Host Tells a Deeper Story
September 15, 2008
Meyer, the author of the sensational Twilight series, has struck again, this time with a science fiction thriller titled The Host that has a distinctly different flavor from her past novels.
Readers are transported into a world in the not-so-far future in which the human race has been taken over by a compassionate and highly advanced race of aliens that call themselves Souls. The story takes place from the view point of one extraordinary Soul, named Wanderer, who is inserted into the body of her new host, Melanie, a survivor of the human resistance. The following journey reflects Wander’s shock to find the mind and will of Melanie still extraordinarily present within her body, resulting in a battle of wills which leads the two on a conflicted search to find the remnants of the human resistance.
What they find in their travels and in themselves is far beyond what Wanderer and Melanie could have ever imagined. Meyer’s characters are not only thrown into a literal war, but also into a struggle over the basic principals of what it means to be human, to love, to hate, and to die.
In an exclusive interview with Amazon.com, Stephanie Meyer revealed, “The Host is a science fiction story for people who don’t like science fiction. It’s really not about the aliens or the other planets or the other technological aspects of science fiction. It’s about what it means to be human…the way you can only see it; which is from someone who’s not.” The perspective of Wanderer, an unusually compassionate soul, reveals the polar opposites of human nature through the experience of these emotions through Melanie. Wanderer’s reactions cast a light on humanity that reveals a culture centered around hate and fear, corruption and betrayal. On the other hand, Wanderer also experiences the overwhelming love and compassion that the human race is capable of towards one another. This juxtaposition of humankind’s traits allows the reader to concur their own conclusions, as Wanderer slowly trades her soulful nature for something that is undeniably more human.
Meyer does not fail to deliver a thought-provoking novel that causes readers to delve into themselves. Through and alien perspective, Meyer is able to reveal humanity at its finest and at its worst, sparing no reader from the critical question: What would you do for love? The Host is a book for any Twilight fan who is hungry for more, and any reader willing to explore what it means to be human.
By Allison Mooney, Echo opninions editor
