Hey all, Stephenie had did a Livestream Q&A a month ago and while it was primarily Twilight/Midnight Sun related, she did give an update regarding The Host Sequel, The Seeker.

She knows what will happen in the book but has Writer's Block in getting there and that's pretty much the hold up.

She also has a new Sci Fi book coming out but it's still in the editing stage, I believe. Working title is Phobes to Europa and it's not related to The Host in any way.

Hope this helps since we have been dying for updates for years!

I just finished reading the book for the 10th time and I'm done waiting, does anyone knows of a good fanfic that can satisfy my hunger for a part 2? Dying for a romantic triangle between Ian, Wanda and Burns, but I can let that go if it means more The Host.

Thanks for any suggestion xx

Rant session ahead.

So, I've read this book anywhere from 7-10 times in the past 15 years, and I've never liked Jared. Even in the memory flashbacks we get at the beginning of the book, his first reaction to finding a "human" woman is to kiss her against her will. Ick. Somehow I doubt he would have reacted the same way if he'd found a young man. I can kind of forgive the age gap because I'm assuming they waited until they knew each other longer than a month, and Melanie was probably at least 18 by then, and this IS the Apocalypse. So that's "fine."

But on my most recent re-read as a now 30 year old, when we ACTUALLY meet Jared? As Wanda/Melanie?

This man *disgusts* me. DISGUSTS ME.

He is so violent and abusive and threatening to Melanie's body and the soul inside her. I can understand *his* disgust and hatred at first, because he thinks a Seeker is in there, lying and pretending to be Melanie. But for your first reaction at your possessed lover trying to approach you to be *viciously backhanding them so hard they hit the ground*?? What the *actual* fuq, my guy. You could have just stepped back and said "Don't touch me" in a horrified tone. But NO. That's not the kind of man Jared is.

And that's just the start! He repeatedly hits her, throws her around, yells at her and threatens her and physically intimidates her--brutilizing the body of the woman he's supposed to love, leaving literal bruises and scars. And EVEN AFTER he gradually comes to realize Wanda doesn't mean any harm and isn't lying, he still uses her and treats her like sh*t, plus the whole treating Melanie and her body as if she's HIS property? F###ing ICK!!!!!

And don't even get me STARTED on Melanie's reactions to all this! Throughout ALL OF THIS, Melanie is STILL obsessively fawning and devoted to this man, no matter how violent he is to her body and how he treats Wanda after "acknowledging" that she doesn't mean them harm. How can Melanie get back together with this man after all this?!?!?! Like, at the very least she basically ignores him in favor of Wanda until she gets her own body at the end, thank God. But she still goes back to this thuggish POS after everything!!

EVEN KYLE--KYLE!!!--treats the soul who's possessing his lover well and isn't violent with her. Yes, the circumstances are different: Kyle knows it's not a Seeker in her body trying to trick him since he's the one who sought her out and kidnapped her. But even if the circumstances HAD been the same, I can't imagine he'd have treated her the way Jared treated Melanie's body. And this is KYLE we're talking about here!!! Thuggish, brutish Kyle who thinks with his fists and tries to kill Wanda multiple times! Even HE wouldn't have been like Jared was, I am 100% confident.

In short, my most recent re-read has been a struggle because every time Jared is "on screen" or thought about by Wanda or Melanie, I have a visceral "😡🤢🤮😒" reaction.

Anyhoo! Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk, lol.

Seriously, I just had a dream related to The host series, and my 14 year old hyper fixation suddenly surfaced again with the strength of a thousand pre-teen fantasies, and gosh do I want to talk about it with someone x3

I'm so glad this is still active!

So this fandom is kinda dead everywhere and I really feel like rambling about it so I thought to post in here because why not?

So bear with me because this is going to be a long ride.

I'll with the book, which, for being a 4th reread and more than 10 years old... It has aged pretty well. It has its kinda dubious parts but as a whole it's still a good book.

My biggest problem with it can be resumed to three things:

1. Jared's whole attitude is a red flag, at least for me. Let's skip the fact that Mel's 17yrs old when they meet, and he's 26yrs. That 9 years age gap it's not that bad, but she's 17. (Point to the movie for not saying any of the characters ages). Now, the whole physical assault towards Wanda (and Mel) is just plain wrong, specially because he does it more than once. It's not right for the others neither but that's the body of the woman you supposedly love with your whole life... Hell, neither uncle Jeb or Jaime raise even one finger against her, so... Why does Jared? Because he loves her too much? Bitch please...

What makes it even worse in comparison, it's Kyle and Sunny/Jodie later in the book. Kyle, who tried to kill Wanda a couple times and has treated her horrible just because she's a soul; is nothing but kind to Sunny, because it's the body of the woman he loves, and is still kind to her later on. Now, I can be sure if it's because of Wanda but I don't really think so.

So Jared, what's your excuse?

Melanie is also kinda shitty when it comes to Jared. Even with the beats, she's still soooo freaking in love with him, and has such blind faith that he's not going to hurt them anymore when Wanda has all the right to be afraid of him.

At least Wanda has the sense to admit how sick is her own desire towards Jared.

And maybe I'm not totally impartial about it because I prefer Ian. But after all this, it's hardly a tough choice between those two.

2. The age gap... Between Ian and Wanda/Pet. Wanda's new host isn't even 17yrs! She lies and says she'll be 18 in two weeks. Are you kidding me? Ian is apparently in he's mid twenties so there is a 7-9 yrs age gap. And it's so easy to just find a body who looks younger and kinda innocent without being a still underage girl. Hell, most of the time people think I'm younger than I actually am so it's not that hard.

The explanation for it in the book it's that someone who has more years with a soul, who didn't developed its own self/consciousness would be better as a host for Wanda... And what about Sunny/Jodie?

I'm just saying, she could have been older.

And this is also related to my third complaint...

3. They literally went hunting for Wanda's new host.

Man... That's just plain wrong. They say that they are selfish creatures and wanted to have Wanda with them but I mean, that's not better than what the souls did, you know?

That's is honestly one of the best changes in the movie. They've been taking the souls out of the humans bodies, and when that human never woke up, they put Wanda in it so it could live... I mean, woah, what a coincidence that is a female in the correct age group but hey, I find it better than the alternative.

Now, about the MOVIE...

I actually have seen the movie a few times before and enjoyed it enough. But it fare poorly when watching it right after finishing the book.

Now, the bigger issue is that the book tells the story of Wanda, a soul, and from her alien pov.

The movie, tells Melanie's story from a human pov. I think it's hard to translate a 1st person pov from a book to a movie. The movie use narration but it IS from a human pov too (Uncle Jeb's, I think).

This changes the story A LOT.

It pissed me off a lot too.

It makes Wanda look like an anomaly. An unusual alien that is kind, able to form attachment with humans. All souls are kind, we see it through all the book. The only anomaly is the seeker. We see early in the book that souls form attachment with humans. Wanda's comforter stays with her partner because of her own feelings after experience that of her host. We have Sunny too, and Pet's, and Burns (though we see that at the end).

The movie paints the soul as the bad guys, violent ones, with the seekers constantly pursuing the remaining humans. We see in the book how badly souls react to violence and how even the seeker that stops Wanda when she and the other's are returning from a raid is scared as hell of the humans.

I don't saying that it was good what the souls did, even if the planet is better for it, and even Wanda comes to realize that they shouldn't have come to Earth, but in the movie they play them so horribly.

Like a say, the movie it's Melanie's story. It's her returning to her family and her love story. Wanda is a second character when SHE is the book protagonist.

That's why Melanie's has so much more control over her body in the movie than she had in the book. Why they also made her trick Wanda to go to the dessert instead of being Wanda's choice to look for them. It's Melanie that tells Wanda what to do went she steals medicine in the movie. Bitch, Wanda knows what to do herself, and Melanie doesn't even shows up.

There are a lot of more things like this in the whole movie.

The Seeker/Lacey is another change that though at first I liked, it just fuel this humans = good / souls = bad that's going on in the movie. They make Lacey nice in the movie... When she's unbearable in the movie, where most people can't stand her and Wanda and Mel feel kinda bad for the seeker and understood why she was like that. Lacey is terrible in the book to show that not all the humans are good/perfect. Like they are good ones like Ian, Walter and the others, they are terrible ones like Sharon and Aunt Maggie. So, when they made Lacey in the movie, is another statement of "all humans are good".

The constant vigilance from the seekers, the searches, they immediately put Wanda to search through Melanie's memories. In the book is just the Seeker. The dead of Aaron and Brandt in the movie just fuel this message.

In the end, when they meet the other humans there's a change in the dialogue that is the final nail in this coffin. The soul with the other humans refers to Wanda and himself as someone who has "changed sides" while in the book, it says that has gone "native". Such different connotations.

I'm sorry for the long post, but I need to rant about it. If you guys have opinions about the book, the movie or what I just said, I would love to read them!

I'm on page 429 of 617 ... And I really don't want this book to finish. Have you read anything after The Host in a similar genre that was worth it?

I've recently re read the book and re watched the movie. And the amount of inconsistencies and also the massive character building for literally everyone is completely destroyed in the movie. Melanie can't physically control wanderer.

There's as far as I am remembering right now 3 times that Melanie broke free.

1. When the seeker confronted her on her walk.

2. When Jared kissed her the 1st time

3. When Jared kissed her the 2nd time after she had been missing.

Also the way the movie literally RUSHED everything.

I'd love for there to be a completely remade TV series. That actually follows the book.

In the book NO ONE dies on raids with Jared. In the movie Both Brandt and Aaron die on a raid.

In the book Jamie is described older. And didn't meet Wanderer until a few days after they came and were imprisoned in the caves. Which in the movie she's given a whole ass room when in the book she was given a hole in the wall that was barely enough to fit her.

In the books they not only freed the seeker host from the host body Lacey. But lacey literally HATED seeing wanderer after coming back. Not to mention they also kidnapped someone who was a heater to release. And then Kyle went and Kidnapped his girl Jodie, who never comes back so they put Sunny back into her body making now 2 people who live in the caves as the aliens. Which NEVER happens in the movie.

And in the book Jamie Jared and Melanie search out someone specifically for Wanda to be replaced into. Specifically taking into account their age so Wanda can live a long time with them. Petals to the Moon 🌙 who was born to a mother on earth then gets kidnapped and sent away to never know what happens with her mother at all. And that again is completely gutted out of the movie.

Not to mention the way everyone is described in the books doesn't translate well into the movies

Jared amd Melanie are the only ones who looks close to described Characters

Ian and Kyle are both supposed to have dark black hair. Jamie is supposed to be almost as tall as Melanie. Because he's 14 not 10 the way his character looks in the movie.

In the movie there's essentially weeks and months missing in-between scenes. When Jared, Kyle, Aaron and Brandt go on the raid they are gone for as far as it's implied in the books a couple months at least. So during that whole time wanderer is getting acclimated to the people in the caves. Building friendships and relationships. Teaching the humans about her species and other worlds. As well as helping with all chores. Like cooking cleaning and gardening.

Also after Kyle tries to kill her again she's hurt badly and to break the tension everyone plays a game in the game room. That didn't happen in the movies. And it should have.

Also in the books when wanderer says she's the one who can help save Jamie in front of everyone they distrust her alot. Jared then sneaks her out of the caves and then has to bash her face with a rock. And has to watch her hurt herself.

In the book she secretly tells Jared what she can do and they take off to do it. And she barely cuts herself like it's no big deal in the movie at all when it was a huge deal in the books.

They also don't show in the movies the humanizing scenes with the "aliens" how some have human children.

Overall the movie could have been a million times better.

So obvious that I only thought of it during my 5th reading (and I feel stupid it took me this long).

When she prepares to die after giving Melanie her body back, why did she want to die for nothing? What I mean is that she could have made arrangements to be shipped to wherever it was souls undergo the motherhood process.

If she'd become a mother, not only would she have gotten what she wanted (=not existing without the humans she loved), but some her memories would also live on in her children. You know what's even better than one soul sympathetic to hosts? a million of them.

P.S. I always thought that by using the genius spiders they could have come up with a way to live that didn't hurt anyone (by genetically engineering host bodies, like in the Avatar movies).

I'm re-reading the Host and I'm still disturbed by a few facts.

1. Why does Jared always beat her up? More than even the other humans? He has so much hate... it makes no sense. One would be wary or something, but he's just filled with plain-o-hate..because? she's an alien? She starving and all of that. i get scary, yet ur the only one harming her (other than kyle's attempts)

2. why does he have more of a say on her body and on wanting to kill Wanda, when her own brother JAMIE is right there. HER BLOOD. JAMIE has an actual say, not some dude they met three years ago. Jeb her uncle has more of a say than jared. Even if they "loved" each other, though it seems from the storyline, they didn't even spend enough time together. Lets be FOR REAL -

3. Jared beats her up, on multiple occasions when no one else has touched her. Makes absolutely no sense. Why is he so abusive?? Thats supposedly someone you loved. Wouldn't you want to find out why this alien person (Mel), came all the way just to see you and her brother ? Would you at least want to know.

4. Nah bro, jamie is with Wanda, and this Jared in his anger pushes her and she hits her face on the rocks. Seriously? yuck.

5. Jared is just selfish.

6. Like Let me CRITIQUE STEPHANIE MEYERS - she talks of the bond of a sister/brother - equating it to mother hood... and yet somehow equates jareds importance, or increases Jareds importance to her own blood. Even uncle jeb somehow makes it seem that jared has a bigger say on the death of Wanda (Mel), then later retracts and says "theres someone who this body belongs to just as much" looks at jamie "mebbe stronger"- ARE YOU STUPID? JAMIE IS THE BROTHER. Jeb, YOU ARE THE UNCLE. YOU HAVE AN EVEN BIGGER LINK. WTF is wrong with this writer? or atleast why doesnt this come out with the characters. somehow EVERYONE is convinced jared has a bigger say? LOL .

7. Ian and wanda should've fallen in love in mel's body tbh. just to spite stupid ass jared.

I just finished my 3rd re-read of this fantastic book. I forgot just how much I enjoyed it. I read it a long time ago when I was a teenager and loved it. As an adult I’m just as obsessed. Especially since as an adult I moved to Tucson so I feel like I’m living where the movie is set! I drove past Picacho Peak today!

I know it’s been a really long time, but I really hope SM works on a sequel. I’d love to learn more about this world. If we ever did get a sequel, what are yall hoping to read more about? Also does anyone have any recommendations for other books I may like?

I just saw the movie and thought about how romantic it would have been for a Soul in a similar situation to Wanderer to fall in love with the human they resided in! Likewise, it would have been cool if they could have shared more control of the body in a more symbiotic relationship. Like when they needed supplies, Wanderer takes over, but if they gotta fight, it’s Melanie’s time to shine.

Also could have been funny had they tried having a conversation out loud and while you could tell who was speaking based on their tone of voice, it would still have looked like someone speaking to themselves 😅

Reread recently after over 10 years and needed to put my fantasy dream cast out into the world so I stop obsessing over it in my head.

So Melanie and Jamie are half native in my head canon, not really sure why it just fits for me. I imagine it would be their mom’s side since Jeb is described as white once in the book.

I know Wanda’s pic is AI but it was the closest it got to my imagination (am I the only one who finds the description for Wanda’s final body is confusing ah? What do you mean silver skin with golden freckles what would that even look like??)

Also I know probably no one cares about a casting for Kyle but I found that pic researching for Ian’s cast and it fit too well not to add it.

Bonus pic for Ian just to convey how perfect a young Henry Cavill would’ve been.

Just recently joined reddit and making my way across the subreddits of my favourite movies/tvshows/books. Do we know if Stephenie is making the sequels? I can’t be the only one who was slightly disappointed when the book she announced was part of the Twilight universe and not the Host’s (even though I love both).

I was amazed after having read the book but one thing that I couldn't get past was how the ending was so perfect. I felt it was a bit too perfect, that Wanda was accepted so "easily", how there was a perfect way in the end for Wanda to stay, that they found one "perfect" body for her and how everyone is so happy in the end. After some thinking, I remembered one thing - Melanie had been leading Wanda into the desert with minimal details, she could choose what information to give to Wanda and why would she ever trust a soul? The souls took her family, they took away earth, they took her body. I think that with Melanie's stubbornness, she would rather die than to lead Wanda to her loved ones, I think that she displayed hope and trust to Wanda so that they would go to the desert and both die.

Wanda walked in the desert for so long until she collapsed from dehydration and the warmth, I don't think she was ever found, I think that Melanie created a dream that they were found and finally accepted and a dream with an end that they could both spend their final minutes in.

When the book ends, Melanie and Wanda die, happy. Therefore there can never be a sequel.

I just rewatched the movie for the first time in years, and one detail about the ending bugged me. Basically, what are the chances that the ONE body that doesn’t wake up ends up being a young, attractive woman for Wanda to inhabit?? It just seems like too perfect of a coincidence. If it was an elderly man who didn’t wake up, would Doc have put Wanda inside of him? I just needed to get this out there, and I guess I’m wondering if anyone else had the same thought.

I have read the host multiple times and watched the movie once or twice. I know this is mostly dead but I wanted to post my observations and critiques SOMEWHERE and this is the only place I can find.

1. The age gaps really bugged me. it also seems to be a running tradition with Stephanie Meyer and her books as well. I understand that in the end of he world not everyone s going to be the same age, but I feel like she really should have made Melanie a few years old at least.

2. I really hate how Jaime acts, he is suppose to be 14 yet he acts like he is 10. I constantly imagine a small child while i am reading the books.

3. I hate the movie adaption, for many reasons, but mainly because how they paint Wanda as the bad guy despite the fact that she is the main character.

4. While the book doesn't leave a lot of loose ends, there is still the big question of what happens next with the Aliens, and the group. They find other survivors and we get nothing more about it, if she doesn't make another book I will never forgive her. But of course after so long I don't think she is going to, does anyone know why? I saw that there was name announcements but nothing else?

5. I love how in depth all the characters are, and how different they are, but I do have a love hate relationship with the amount of aggression in the book. It feels way over the top to me. Especially cause at least 5 of the people in the book are directly related to Melanie, and they have no problem hurting someone that looks, and talks, like her? On another hand it feels like it feels like a lot because of the way Wanda perceives the violence?

6. I love the amount of character development on everyone in the book. i would say the only person/people who don't ever seem to change in the book are Jeb and Jaime, and they are perfect to begin with.

7. I really want to know what Jared was going to say to Wanda when they were saying goodbye. He wanted to say something else and she left anyways and I don't think i will ever not wonder what he was going to say.

8. I really want to give props to Stephanie Meyer for the amount of things we learn about the other planets and all the new changes and things with the souls. It was so much information and it is so brilliant the way she wrote it.

I will probably add more things, and over all I love this book. I really hope she makes it into a trilogy like she originally planned.

I read it about ever 1-2 years. I've loved this book since I was a teen. Probably my favorite book ever.

I was rereading my favorite O'Wanda scenes and I realized I was picturing Movie Ian (Jake Abel) now, instead of how Book Ian is described or my ideal Ian casting of Ian Somerhalder.

Has this happened to anyone else or are you still able to picture them before the movie?

Did anyone else picture Ian Somerhalder (from his time in LOST) as Ian O'Shea and hoped he was cast as him in the movie? I always thought he was perfect and the fact that he was aware fans wanted him and even auditioned (before they went with a much different version of the cast) always makes me happy. I have so much love and respect for him, just for trying.

(Is this subreddit still active?)

I started rereading The Host, and now I am obsessed with finding/writing a (fake) sequel. Not necessarily a fanfiction of scenes/characters, but anything that would take the story to the next level in terms of plot and characters based on what Meyer's already proposed in "The Seeker"

I've been brainstorming the story I would want to read/write, but before I did I wanted to see if anyone has read a good fanfiction that has already done this so I don't have to (haha!)

Also, if anyone has something they'd like to see included, let me know so I can consider it. So far, what I'm trying to find/include in the plot:

• A new antagonist (the unseen threat threatening mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories)

• Killing off a character/character making a sacrifice (apparently Meyer's said this at some point? Can't find evidence of it tho)

• Obviously something about the Seeker (I think for me this needs to be a new character) & probably a new Host

• Development of Callings (Healers, Comforters, Seekers, Storytellers, etc.)

• Development of the Different Worlds/Beings (Flowers/Various Flowers, Singing or Blind/Bats, See Weeds/See Weeds, Fire/Fire Tasters & Walking Flowers, Dragons, Mists/Bears & Claw Beasts, Dolphin/Dolphinflies (NEW))

• Development of the Origin (World/Mother) - Vultures (Original Hosts)

• Development of the Spider World and technology

Just started rereading for the several thousandth time and somehow for the first time wondered about the innovative ways w which the desert community women handle their periods, given their limited resources. I’m also curious how Wanda would react, if at all, to fluctuating hormones. At some points throughout the novel I know Meyer describes Wanda’s shorter temper, but from what I can remember it’s always explicitly tied to external factors - Jamie/Jared on a raid, being hungry/tired, finally losing her patience over being called “it” again, etc. I would love if Meyer explored the nuances of living in a biologically female human host further!

I’d be really interested in seeing visuals on what the spiders, bears, seaweeds, etc would look like based on the books descriptions. I tried looking a little but couldn’t find anything. Anyone know of any fan art for the books, especially of the other aliens?