Just about everybody has heard of Stephenie Meyer. She became a superstar in the publishing world virtually overnight when her first book, "Twilight", was published. Since then the "Twilight" series has become a merchandising empire of best-selling books, popular movies, and related merchandise...but you don't need me to tell you this. Even if you've never read "Twilight", you know about the vampire love saga.
What less people know about is what else Stephenie Meyer has done. Her only other published book is a science fiction novel called "The Host". This book hasn't reached the manic popularity of "Twilight", although I'm sure that both Meyer and the publishing company both made a healthy profit off of it.
Out of curiosity, I read "The Host". Overall, I have to say that it probably is actually better written than the "Twilight" books. Meyer's writing is more focused and less awkward with overall better crafting than the "Twilight" series (certainly at the beginning of the series). Somehow, though, that doesn't necessarily make this a better book. Despite the many shortcomings of "Twilight", people still get sucked into the characters and story (especially the love story). In "The Host" you just don't get quite as involved with the characters, and so you're not as emotionally invested in the book. It was entertaining, but it wasn't groundbreaking science fiction. I do commend it, though, for the simple fact that I think it probably introduced scifi novels to a new generation of readers that wouldn't otherwise have considered picking up a scifi novel.
For more of what I thought about "The Host", click here.
To visit Stephenie Meyer's official website, click here.
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