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“The Host” by Stephanie Meyers

Reviewed by Charles Devilbiss
6:17 PM EDT, July 22, 2008

In this body-snatcher love story, an invasion of alien parasites wreaks peace on Earth by quietly subduing the human race.

In an intriguing take on the sci-fi tradition of subverted will, Stephanie Meyers -- whose popular teen vampire series, 'Twilight,' is poised for another success with the impending release of "Breaking Dawn" -- sidesteps classic political allegory. Instead, she focuses on the emotional consequences of stolen lives, specifically the bizarre love triangle between a man, a woman, and the alien inserted in the woman's brain.

Though the soap-operatic core and exhaustive length of the story leave her astute observations on cultural assimilation somewhat diminished, Meyer's embrace of romance over cold rationality is an entertaining diversion in this most protected pocket of speculative fiction.

Copyright © 2008, AM New York

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