Everyone knows the popular young adult fantasy book series, Twilight. We are all probably also familiar with the author of that series: Stephenie Meyer. However, do you all know about another book she wrote called The Host? The Host is not a fantasy novel, it’s more science fiction, at least in my book. There is no magic, nor paranormal; it’s about aliens and taking over. Still, it’s definitely a book I can get behind with my romantic side as well. This Stephenie Meyer novel is clever, and while it uses an idea we’ve all read about before, it uses a twist that makes it extremely unique and captivating.
I’ll admit, when I started reading the novel, it took me 30-40 pages before I was hooked. Those first 30-40 pages took me a few weeks and several times of sitting down before finishing them. I didn’t find myself engaged until after those first few pages. Once there, I couldn’t put the book down. Now, my attention span is short, so don’t blame the book, but give it credit where due – the rest of the book is so engaging that even my attention span wasn’t an issue.
Now the host is going to make a movie here pretty quickly. Let’s talk about getting your money’s worth Stephenie Meyer! A book and a series later, she has 4 movies in and 2 more on the way. Goldmine. There is something in Stephenie Meyer’s books that really grabs our hearts. I will say one thing, she is not the greatest writer of all time. Well, me neither. But she has a fantastic way of appealing to our psyche, or our inner dreams or fantasies. Let’s face it, the girl has something.
The movie will probably be rated low, and it should be, from what I see. The Host is completely appropriate for all ages and truly is a young adult science fiction novel. I’m excited to see the tornado of young adult science fiction and fantasy novels become movies in both recent years and years to come. It shows the fascination of my age group (and younger) and of men and women to get away from the real world for a minute and just enjoy something fantastic or nerdy.
Unfortunately, we have to wait almost a full year for the film to be released – the target date is March 2013 – before we get to see the creative story unfold on the big screen. However, we all feel that the wait will definitely be worth it.