'The Host' gives Meyer another bestseller

By Taryn Lentes, Staff Writer

June 2, 2008 | noon

Stephanie Meyer, author of the best-selling "Twilight" series, enters the world of adult fiction with “The Host," a story a little bit about aliens and a lot about what it means to be human.

Stephanie Meyer is known for being the housewife-turned-best-selling-author who had a dream about a vampire and translated that dream into a series of books so successful that it knocked Harry Potter out of the number one spot on the New York Times’ Bestsellers List. Her success in the fantasy young adult market has left some calling Meyer the “American J.K. Rowling." With the next book in the "Twilight" saga due out in August and a movie version of the first Twilight book hitting theaters in December, Meyer’s young adult dominance seems secure.

Branching out into new territory but selling equally impressively, Meyer’s first adult novel “The Host” debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list, beating out the newest James Patterson book to take the top spot.

Meyer describes her novel “The Host” as a science fiction book for people who do not read science fiction. By focusing on the interactions between members of core group of characters rather than little green men with ray guns, her take on science fiction is indeed different than the stereotypical label implies. Meyer’s comment also hints at the fact that attempting to describe the plot of “The Host” to the average reader is not easy to do without making the book sound much cheesier than it actually is.

The book begins on a near future Earth that has been overrun by an alien race known as the “Souls" and is surprisingly better off for the invasion. The Souls bind themselves to human hosts, taking over the consciousness of their human counterparts and then living as the humans they have replaced. Under the influence of the Souls, the Earth is free of violence, pollution and conflict of any kind -- except for a small contingence of humans who have managed not to be converted.

When Melanie, one of the last free Humans, is captured and implanted with the legendary Soul, Wanderer, she does not give up her mind like she is expected to. Instead, Melanie and Wanderer are forced to share Melanie’s body as they attempt to survive interactions with both other Souls and Melanie’s family and friends.

Admittedly, at first the plot of “The Host” sounds like a bad sci-fi movie, but Meyer manages to pull off her version of the classic body snatcher story in an impressive way. Like she did with her Twilight Saga, Meyer takes a concept that sounds ridiculous, infuses it with well-written characters, incredibly detailed backgrounds and environments for those characters to act within. The result is an enjoyable, quick read.

The novel actually spends little time with any of the Souls (with the exception of Wanderer), and the book is far more about what it means to be human than what to do if the planet should happen to be invaded by surprisingly peaceful aliens. Meyer brings up some pretty interesting questions as she attempts to reconcile Melanie’s personality and thoughts with those of the Wanderer. Meyer forces the question: if the characters must lose their compassion and empathy in order to regain their world, will they still be human at all?

Despite the fact that “The Host” was written as a stand-alone novel, Meyer has expressed a desire to write two sequels. If she reaches this goal, and the two subsequent “Host” installments are as enjoyable as the first, then Stephanie Meyer should have no problem conquering the adult market.

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