Stephenie Meyer's new book The Chemist was published this month. It is the first publication from her in quite some time.

Most of the works by this author have been set in the young-adult fantasy fictional world of Twilight. I don't need to state just how successful that series has been, but I would like to comment on her work in general in advance of my review of the new publication.

Meyer's work is a bit like Marmite. In case you are unfamiliar with Marmite, its a breakfast spread with a unique taste that is famously, generally speaking, either loved (people can't get enough of it) or hated (people want to gag the minute they get a taste of it). For my part, I am one of the minority of readers who fit somewhere in the middle. I can understand the appeal of the Twilight saga and I can understand why some have been angered by the subtext of her writing. However, I don't share the passion of either side of the argument.

One reason I believe she evokes such extremes is because one can find oneself easily misled (or reluctantly led) by her work.

What do I mean by easily misled?

Twilight is set in a fantasy world where vampires exist. However,the book rejects most of the rules associated with this gothic franchise because Twilight is NOT a book about vampires.

The Host, her adult debut, has a science-fiction setting with characters that are aliens that have a symbiotic relationship with the human race. However, the usual rules associated with sci-fi have been discarded because The Host is NOT a science-fiction novel.

So there is a chance you won't be getting what you think you have paid for.

What do I mean by reluctantly led?

So far, on the surface Stephanie Meyer has mostly been interested in writing about the existence of soulmates. One could say 'the power of love' is at the heart of her stories and the conflict is always designed to demonstrate how nothing can get in its way. The romance scores pretty high on the "fluff-o-meter", which can turn some readers' stomachs while others feel embarrassed by just how "warm and fuzzy" these books make them feel inside (In other words the guilty pleasure).

Twilight and The Host are the same plot in different settings. The question is, will this new novel be any different? Probably not. In which case, is she in danger of reproducing an old chestnut? Maybe, but she is not alone and she is in good company. Read more http://spot4susan.blogspot.co.uk/2016...








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