A lot of people have likely given this incredible book a miss simply because of its association with the overly hyped Twilight franchise. But now there’s a movie coming out, and I’m hoping that interest in The Host as an individual story will pick up, as I can honestly say that it is one of my favourite books of all time (an honour which no book in the Twilight saga shares).
Twilight fans, before you light up your torches and sharpen your pitchforks, know that I am not saying that The Twilight Saga is a bad series. I’ve read and enjoyed the books and am anxiously awaiting the Breaking Dawn films. But in my own personal opinion, The Host is a far, far superior piece of literature, and I’ve found most readers not scared off by its gargantuan size tend to agree. And here’s why:
There’s a lot of things I like about Twilight and a lot of things I don’t, but I suppose in a way The Host is everything I do like about Stephenie Meyer’s writing. Sometimes I think that as an author, Meyer is (as strange as it sounds) underrated, her actual talent lost in a sea of screaming Team Jacob/Edward fangirls who care more about R.Patz and co. than the stories she crafts. But in The Host, there are no smoke and mirrors in the form of shirtless werewolves and eternal devotion. There is only the story. And it is layered, beautiful and original, and the depth of themes and characters is mindblowing. This time, Meyer’s true writing talent really shines through, and I am hard pressed to find an “excuse” for why this book is so good, like haters seem to have no shortage of for Twilight. It’s just a good book. And this is despite the fact that is consists of something like 80% inner monologue; it doesn’t get boring, it doesn’t get repetitive, and it captivates you to the very last, 700-somethingth page.
Read the entire article here.Of course, there are mixed opinions about the quality of this book. Another reason it took me so long to get around to reading The Host was because of how most of the Twilight fans I know have written it off: “It’s dull,” they told me. “It’s slow.” And “After 60 pages you just have to give up” seems to be the most recurring reason I’ve heard not to read the book. Well, all I can assume is that the sheer volume of the tome puts most of them off, while the rest might simply not be inclined to like intense backstory building – which I can’t really fault them for as that’s the nature of our three-second-attention-span-society. But if you are like me and don’t shy away from a little sci-fi, and if the character of Melanie/Wanderer grips you, you’ll forget the length of the book – and even wish it was longer! You’ll forget it has anything to do with Twilight whatsoever, and that it is considered the dark horse of Stephenie Meyer’s creations. You’ll realise that this is her true masterpiece.
Do you agree with their assessment? Which do you prefer?
I agree that The Host was a far superior book.I liked twilight at first, but when I came back to it two years later, I thought it was complete trash. The Host was not only incredibly detailed, but also has an amazing plot. Many people say that the book is boring and not exciting as Twilight. But to be honest, The Host is in a completely different league. Instead of reading a middle-aged woman's wet dream, why not pick up The Host? It's a far better book. Just my opinion =P
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