What do you think?
Rate this book
The X-Files: Young Adult #8
The Host
A man's body is discovered in the New Jersey sewer system, and a ‘routine' murder investigation ensues. But when several workers are attacked by a vicious sewer-dwelling monster, it becomes clear that something much more sinister is going on underground. Mulder and Scully soon find themselves on the slimy trail of a creature as disgusting as it is dangerous.
128 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 30, 1997
1 person is currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Les Martin
58 books8 followersLes Martin has written dozens of books for young readers, including the RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM movie storybooks, and many Young Indiana Jones middle-grade novels. He has also adapted many classic works of fiction for young readers, including THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, EDGAR ALLAN POE'S TALES OF TERROR, and THE VAMPIRE. Mr. Martin is a resident of New York City.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 2, 2023
A quick read and I'm sure fans of the show will enjoy it more. I thought the culprit was so creepy! And that ending...I knew it was going to happen right after Scully said something about
January 30, 2017
“They say three species disappear from the planet every day…You have to wonder how many new ones are being created.” — Mulder (p.107)
Should it ever prove necessary to select my desert-island X-Files episodes, “The Host” would definitely be amongst my Top 5. It’s effectively creepy, a disgusting monster-of-the-week installment and highlight of the show’s sophomore season. The televised episode maintains classic status for its endearing and meticulous handling of the now-iconic Flukeman, a humanoid flatworm haunting the New Jersey sewers. Likened to Gill-man of Universal's Creature From The Black Lagoon, Flukey is exceedingly grotesque, but the real kicker is his modus operandi: injecting larvae into his human victims via an oversized scolex. Re-reading this novelization was a treat because the story demonstrates just how successful the series is when it pushes the boundaries of its medium.
There’s some high-level grossness encrusting the pages of this book, most notably involving a hapless sanitation worker vomiting up a long flatworm in the shower after being attacked by the sewer-dwelling behemoth, a hideous creature bent on reproducing itself by using humans as incubatory carriers a la Alien. FBI Agents Mulder and Scully, now separated after the X-Files division was shut down, reunite to track down the slippery beast and prevent it from impregnating any more human hosts. One of the reasons The Host is so successful is that it plumbs real-life horrors in order to enhance its fictitious scares, imbuing the story's nightmarish elements with a strong sense of believability. The implied connection to Chernobyl, that the creature originated in radioactive waste from the meltdown, accentuates the creep-factor with the stark realization that mankind inadvertently created this vile menace, that this monstrosity may not be the only thing spawned from humanity's hubristic mishaps and utter lack of environmental regulation.
There’s so much good stuff in this book for readers to digest—though they probably won’t want to eat so soon after reading it. Flukeman aside, there’s some interesting development between Mulder and his no-nonsense boss, A.D. Skinner, and it would seem that Mulder is incapable of navigating a healthy discourse with his superiors without Scully around to keep him grounded. And let's not forget the mysterious caller—whom fans know to be Mr. X—seemingly bent on seeing the X-Files reopened. Some terrific dialogue and witticisms abound, one of my favorites occurs when Mulder says to Scully, “It looks like I’m going to have to tell Assistant Director Skinner that his suspect is a blood-sucking worm after all.” Even the book’s cover art is both eerie and spellbinding.
The Host takes the prize for ickiest entry in X-Files canon; it's weird, funny, intelligent, and all-around entertaining.
Should it ever prove necessary to select my desert-island X-Files episodes, “The Host” would definitely be amongst my Top 5. It’s effectively creepy, a disgusting monster-of-the-week installment and highlight of the show’s sophomore season. The televised episode maintains classic status for its endearing and meticulous handling of the now-iconic Flukeman, a humanoid flatworm haunting the New Jersey sewers. Likened to Gill-man of Universal's Creature From The Black Lagoon, Flukey is exceedingly grotesque, but the real kicker is his modus operandi: injecting larvae into his human victims via an oversized scolex. Re-reading this novelization was a treat because the story demonstrates just how successful the series is when it pushes the boundaries of its medium.
There’s some high-level grossness encrusting the pages of this book, most notably involving a hapless sanitation worker vomiting up a long flatworm in the shower after being attacked by the sewer-dwelling behemoth, a hideous creature bent on reproducing itself by using humans as incubatory carriers a la Alien. FBI Agents Mulder and Scully, now separated after the X-Files division was shut down, reunite to track down the slippery beast and prevent it from impregnating any more human hosts. One of the reasons The Host is so successful is that it plumbs real-life horrors in order to enhance its fictitious scares, imbuing the story's nightmarish elements with a strong sense of believability. The implied connection to Chernobyl, that the creature originated in radioactive waste from the meltdown, accentuates the creep-factor with the stark realization that mankind inadvertently created this vile menace, that this monstrosity may not be the only thing spawned from humanity's hubristic mishaps and utter lack of environmental regulation.
There’s so much good stuff in this book for readers to digest—though they probably won’t want to eat so soon after reading it. Flukeman aside, there’s some interesting development between Mulder and his no-nonsense boss, A.D. Skinner, and it would seem that Mulder is incapable of navigating a healthy discourse with his superiors without Scully around to keep him grounded. And let's not forget the mysterious caller—whom fans know to be Mr. X—seemingly bent on seeing the X-Files reopened. Some terrific dialogue and witticisms abound, one of my favorites occurs when Mulder says to Scully, “It looks like I’m going to have to tell Assistant Director Skinner that his suspect is a blood-sucking worm after all.” Even the book’s cover art is both eerie and spellbinding.
The Host takes the prize for ickiest entry in X-Files canon; it's weird, funny, intelligent, and all-around entertaining.
June 18, 2024
A great adaption to the creepy X-Files episode. However it read younger than a YA novel, more like a junior reader book.
January 3, 2016
This book was SO creepy! I almost gagged while reading the beginning chapter. The "worms" were disgusting and I cringed during the scenes where they attacked people ().
This is definitely a scary read for me, but I really liked it and plan on reading some more of these X Files books.
This is definitely a scary read for me, but I really liked it and plan on reading some more of these X Files books.
September 9, 2019
Una novelilla rapidita de terror. Ganaría más si tuviese más tiempo para desarrollar la ambientación y su genial premisa y no abusase de los deus ex maquina, pero esta entretenida para lo que es. Especialmente recomendable a los fans acerrimos de la serie.
December 9, 2022
Diese kurze Story fand ich eher langweilig. Der normale Spannungsbogen, den ich von den Akte X Büchern kenne fehlte irgendwie...
January 15, 2016
The X-Files have been closed. Skinner and Mulder seem to hate each other. Mulder is on routine assignments but one of them leads to the discovery of something in the sewers that proves more deadly than the alligators that are supposed to dwell there. Scully and Mulder are reunited in attempting to figure out what is killing sewer workers and what they find is extremely dangerous. It's a good story.
March 4, 2013
Cerita di buku ini tentu saja sama persis dengan yang di film (padahal gak nonton atau lupa episode ini sih).Dan yang ada di kepala adalah si Mas David Duchovny dan Mbak Gillian Anderson yang kece punyak itu.
Saya suka series nya tapi kalo buat bacaan ya biasa-biasa aja.hehe.
Saya suka series nya tapi kalo buat bacaan ya biasa-biasa aja.hehe.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews