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.

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.

The story is set in a near future, in a time when an alien parasite species has invaded Earth, and has taken possession of most of the human bodies. This means that the aliens – little blue octopus-like creatures – have inserted themselves into human brains, taking over their consciousness and allegedly destroyed the human mind within. Except our semi-protagonist Melanie Stryder is still very much present in her mind when the alien “soul” Wanderer sets up shop, and Wanderer is soon plagued not only by Melanie’s memories but by the girl’s present thoughts, and her protests at what Wanderer is making her body do. Of course for Wanderer, resistance from her host was completely unexpected, and she is completely thrown by the sheer intensity of being human, having only ever inhabited less sentient and non-independent beings (learning about her past lives is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book, in my opinion). Soon, Wanderer is driven not only by Melanie’s desires but by her own to seek out and protect those whom Melanie loves: her brother Jamie and her boyfriend Jared. Because Wanderer herself is beginning to love them. Uh-oh! How’s that for an alternative love triangle?

One of the values of the book is the exploration of humanity seen from the outside, from an enemy who isn’t in any way evil. Despite being an alien, Wanderer comes to possess some of the best human traits: honour, bravery, self-sacrifice, loyalty and love, whereas a lot of the humans (whose side you’d think we’d be on) are cruel, unforgiving, violent and selfish. It’s a real mental challenge, reading the book and finding yourself questioning whose side you’re on, because it’s easy to forget that Wanderer is the invading alien and the humans are the innocent victims, not vice versa. You find yourself truly wondering if you want Melanie or Wanderer to “get the body,” so to speak – and for Meyer to be able to make that choice in any way uncertain speaks of real unadulterated talent for crafting characters and storytelling.

As a story exploring what it means to be human, the book is immensely valuable, and pleasurable. You find yourself questioning what values should matter to humanity, and through the characters Meyer creates a beautiful juxtaposition between what we might believe to be right, and what feels right. The character Jed (one of my favourites) says it best when he describes how humans are so individualist and selfish, and that it is hard for us to see the big picture. That definitely holds true for how we as readers sympathise with Wanderer as opposed to her species as a whole. Meyer also brilliantly sets up moral dilemmas, where we might be more inclined to like characters we weren’t “supposed” to like from the beginning, and dislike characters who Melanie/Wanderer does like. It’s deep stuff.

I am really, really hoping that Meyer turns this into a series, as was the plan. But even as a standalone book, it works extremely well. Don’t wait for the movie to experience this story, guys. Go out and get the book and immerse yourself in a highly detailed, intense story, with a great romance too! Believe me, it’s not the one you expect, but it’s amazing. And not in any way distracting from the action. This book’s got it all!